LEARNING DISABILITIES

Learning disabilities



Learning disabilities

Introduction

As individuals with severe intellectual disabilities are involved in the everyday fabric of life, their needs become increasingly obvious to family members, peers, and service providers. One such need is effective communication. This population is frequently characterized by their lack of communication competence (Reichle, 1997). Their ability to express even the most basic of communicative messages is often limited to nonsymbolic, emergent symbolic, or unconventional means ([McLean et al., 1996] and [Ogletree et al., 1992]). Likewise, they frequently do not understand the speech and language used by communicative partners. Simply stated, communication limitations place individuals with severe intellectual disabilities at risk for failure as they strive for full community participation.

Enhancing communication

Fortunately, during the past 30 years, researchers have developed and reported the positive effects of innovative communication assessment and intervention practices for individuals with severe intellectual disabilities. These efforts have resulted both in a significant body of literature and collaborative efforts to disseminate research findings. The National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities (NJC), formed in 1986 as an interdisciplinary body devoted to helping persons with severe disabilities communicate effectively, has played a primary role in information dissemination.

In 1992, the NJC published guidelines for educational programming in the areas of assessment, goal setting, intervention and service delivery (National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities, 1992). The guidelines were designed to relay intervention practices and knowledge bases specific to the treatment of communication impairments among persons with severe disabilities. Based upon an extensive review of the literature, Reichle (1997) provided further support for the content identified by the NJC, also noting the importance of best practices being implemented through the services provided by professionals (e.g., educators, speech-language pathologists).

Access to information regarding 'best practices' in assessment and intervention should influence the services provided to individuals with severe disabilities. A disparity between what research and applied literature identifies as best practice and how practitioners provide services is an ongoing concern. Browder (1997) addressed the need to enhance interactions between researchers and practitioners involved in the education of students with severe disabilities in an effort to cultivate more front-line use of best practice strategies. In an effort to minimize gaps between advances in research and practice related to communication services NJC published the Communication Support Checklist for Programs Serving Individuals with Severe Disabilities (McCarthy et al., 1998). This tool was designed to examine and improve communication services provided via the quality indicators in the areas of program support, assessment practices, goal setting practices, program implementation, and team competencies. Considering the variety of communication skills and needs demonstrated by individuals with severe disabilities, there may be a need for both professional development opportunities that provide knowledge related to best practices, as well as hands-on, practical support for individuals implementing best practices in the field ([Ratner, 2006] and [Westat Corporation, 2002]).

While educators often identify the importance of using research-based strategies, many obstacles interfere with the implementation, including implementation difficulty, practitioner skill level, and ...