Positive behaviour support Getting it right from the start

46 Positive behaviour support: Getting it right from the start - Facilitators reference manual
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• The ability to imitate
Imitation is a skill that we develop very early. During our communication development we are
imitating the actions, sounds and eventually words of the people around us.
Does the person you support have intentional communication skills?
Give examples that support your view.
The Communication continuum
In order to identify a person’s communicative abilities we need to think of the development
of communication as occurring on a continuum: from an unintentional stage through to an
intentional symbolic stage. As we are all developing and learning to communicate we progress
through this continuum.
We learn that by communicating we can have an effect on the people in our environment, and
can use them to obtain what we want and need (cause and affect).
For example: Sally does not use speech to communicate and she is in a wheel chair. Sally wants
her favourite song turned up louder, but she can't reach, so she claps to gain the attention of Fred
and points at the stereo. Fred asks Sally what she wants and she again gestures by pointing in the
direction of the stereo. Fred turns up the music. Sally has learnt the link between communication and
manipulating her environment.
Some people with a disability have not yet developed all of the prerequisite skills needed to be
an intentional communicator. Others have, but are not yet using symbols to communicate. In
order to support the communicative needs of people and develop effective support plans we
must have an understanding of where the person’s communication skills are on the continuum.
A tool such as the ‘Checklist of communication competencies’ 10 can be used to help you
determine this and best plan for the support required.
10. Bloomberg K, & West, D (1999), The Triple C : Checklist of Communication Competencies.
Triple C Copyright of SCIOP