This morning we ran a parent communication workshop focusing on early communication for families with children who are younger or those with more complex needs and are early in their communication journey. We explored what is meant by communication and language before discussing some of the barriers that our children may face.
We then shared how we support communication across school through our total communication approach and then went through a range of early communication strategies including intensive interaction, and different types of cues such as tactile objects of reference, auditory, and visual cues including early symbol use. We explored some AAC (augmentive and alternative communication) methods too.
In the session we shared some Makaton signs for home and family routines before applying this to play a game of bingo.
It was great to meet so many families and have a chance to talk to one another and also speak to school staff about some of their questions about a range of communication aspects.
The next parent workshop being run is: Supporting communication at home - AAC and supporting spoken communication - Thursday 28th November at 9.30am In this session we will examine what is meant by communication and some of the types of barriers our learners face when communicating with others. We will share Newfield’s total communication approach, focusing on different types of augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) such as PECS, communication boards and high-tech devices. We will also discuss how to support spoken communication. Speech Therapy will be attending the event also.
When taking parents out of the building they all said how informative the session had been and how much they had enjoyed it. They especially enjoyed the Bingo!
