Children with profound intellectual disabilities metod of communication in family environments in familiar situational contexts part I

Abstract

The first part of this article presents the characteristics of communication in children with profound intellectual disabilities with an adult in a family environment in a familiar situational context during dressing and undressing activities. The second part of the article focuses on dressing and undressing activities in a new situational context. In the conducted research, a qualitative research orientation was applied using the method of observation and the technique of observing samples of events. Recordings of routine daily activities dressing and undressing, eating, playing were analyzed. The observed data were recorded in the authors Sheet for Observation, Analysis and Interpretation of Communicative Behavior in a Communicative Situation. The analysis of the research material was carried out according to the planned stages: (1) analysis of the collected recordings description of the situational context, recording of the childs and adults communicative behavior; (2) analysis of the childs communicative behavior identification of non-verbal and verbal communicative behavior according to the communicative channels of children with profound intellectual disabilities (breathing, body signals, facial expression, eye expression, gesture, body position/posture, speech); (3) interpretation of observed communicative behaviors assigning characteristics to communicativebehaviors (effectiveness and appropriateness) and attempting to assign meaning to them (identifying childrens behaviors that may indicate attempts to initiate, sustain or interrupt interactions). Selected fragments of communicative situations were also analyzed. Based on these, the factors determining the effectiveness and appropriateness of the method of communication used by children with profound intellectual disabilities were inferred. This study is of cognitive and practical value. It complements the existing knowledge in the literature on the topic and can also contribute to introducing practical solutions to support the development of the communication process of children with profound intellectual disabilities.