Contributions from: Jeff Sigafoos and Gail Woodyatt.
Abstract
Fundamental to participation in our society is the ability to communicate in a meaningful and acceptable way. Cerebral palsy, a chronic developmental disorder, is characterized by impaired motor control. Considering the importance of movement as a tool for learning and interaction during the first three years of life, a young child with cerebral palsy is especially vulnerable to delays in the area of early language. Poor motor control of the speech apparatus also restricts the child with cerebral palsy's ability to develop appropriate speech skills. Not surprisingly then, a significant number of individuals with cerebral palsy experience severe communication impairment. Given this high-risk feature of the disorder, the need for early intervention of communication seems critical.
Recent research on typical communication and language acquisition and the well-documented limitations of didactic teaching approaches has encouraged researchers to develop and test more 'natural' methods for enhancing communication development. Parental participation in such intervention programs for young children with physical disabilities, like cerebral palsy, has been increasingly emphasized in recent years. Further, an effective intervention program should allow for frequent practice of clusters of related functional skills in contexts where the skills would typically be used.
A review of the literature has indicated that replicable procedures for enhancing communication skills in children with the most severe/multiple disabilities are limited. This paper will outline a home based programme of intervention that involved the parents of six children aged 2 - 5 years who have cerebral palsy. The programme allows for the practice of communicative skills in everyday situations in a natural environment encompassing a specific technique known as; Encourage, Acknowledge and React (E.A.R). The results of this study indicated that such a program was successful in developing the children's skills in responding and requesting. The paper will discuss the implications of the E.A.R. approach for promoting the social inclusion of very young children with cerebral palsy and in developing effective procedures to enhance communication skills of children with the most severe disabilities.
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