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Children with severe learning disabilities
Author(s) -
KERSNER MYRA,
WRIGHT JANNET A
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
international journal of language and communication disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.101
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1460-6984
pISSN - 1368-2822
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-6984.1995.tb01695.x
Subject(s) - psychology , learning disability , intervention (counseling) , wright , service delivery framework , medical education , special education , qualitative research , applied psychology , service (business) , pedagogy , developmental psychology , medicine , art , social science , economy , psychiatry , sociology , economics , art history
In a study by Wright (1994) it was found that successful collaboration between speech and language therapists and teachers had implications for the delivery of services for children with communication problems. Different approaches to working together were indicated and patterns of collaborative working practices were identified in relation to assessment and intervention. The current research was designed in order to investigate the patterns of collaboration between therapists and teachers working together with children with severe learning disabilities (SLD); to establish whether these were influenced by the fact that in this area of work it may be possible to define a specialist (or a specialised) teacher and/or therapist by virtue of experience or qualifications; to investigate the approaches taken by these professionals, and to identify possible implications for service delivery to the specific client group. One hundred and sixty questionnaires, comprising open as well as closed questions, were sent to speech and language therapists and teachers who work with children with SLD. They were distributed over a wide geographical area to specialist/non‐specialist pairings of therapists and teachers. There was a return rate of 61%. The responses were analysed by use of quantitative as well as qualitative methodology, qualitative methodology being appropriate given the sensitive nature of the topic under investigation (Walker, 1985). Despite the external pressures from legislative changes in health and education, the professionals working in SLD settings showed a high incidence of collaborative working practices. This was particularly noticeable in the areas of assessment, planning and intervention. Over 50% of the respondents reported that they carried out joint assessments and more than 75% shared planning and intervention. This is a higher incidence than that shown in the study of Wright (1994). The ways in which teachers and therapists worked together showed considerable variety, ranging from running joint Makaton, Derbyshire workshops and social skills sessions, to planning modifications to the curriculum. The involvement of other adults, such as non‐teaching assistants, in these activities was also apparent from the data. These findings have implications for the ways in which speech and language therapists organise and manage their time in SLD schools. A collaborative approach offers alternative ways of working with the children, thus enabling therapists to extend the potential of their service delivery whilst maintaining an holistic approach to each child.