COMMUNICATION : THE KEY TO EFFECTIVE

PLANNINGSUSAN BALANDIN

INAUGURAL CHAIR IN DISABILITY AND INCLUSION

susan.balandin@deakin.edu.au

• 668,100 (2.9% of the population have an intellectual disability

•417,100 (62%) have a profound or severe coreactivity limitation.

•460,000 will have individualized plans with NDIS (Bigby, 2014)

280,700 (67.3 % )have speech difficulties (ABS, 2012)

•BUT COMMUNICATION IS MORE THAN SPEECH

ABS (2012)

• People with :– Autism and related disorders

– Intellectual disability /learning disability

– Physical disability (e.g., cerebral palsy)

– Sensory disability

– Acquired disability (e.g., traumatic brain injury or stroke)

WE ALL EXPERIENCE COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWNS F

WHO ARE PEOPLE WITH COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES

• Speech/sign language

• Low tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

•High tech AAC

•Mobile technology

• Literacy

COMMUNICATION

•Getting to know someone

• Likes/dislikes

•What they are managing /not managing

• Ensuring the individual’s views are at the centre of the planning process

TALKING MATS

•http://picturemyfuture.com

• 5 on line Training modules

PICTURE MY FUTURE

• Not the only way

• Should be jargon free

• May need supports:

• Pictures– Photographs– Objects

• There are many ways to communicate

• Not being able to speak does not mean having nothing to say

SPEECH IS GREAT BUT………..

• Engagement

•Training

•Tools

• Information

•Time

EFFECTIVE PLANNING

•Need to know about the person

•Need to build trust

•Need background information

•Need to have ways to check things out

•BEING A PLANNER WITH A PERSON WITH DISABILITY AND COMPLEX SUPPORT NEEDS, (Collings, Dew, & Dowse, 2015)

PLANNING CANNOT BE DONE IN ONE SESSION

•Meaningful choice

•Aspirational choice

•Whose choice?

•How to choose?

A MATTER OF CHOICE

• People with complex needs

• Supported decision making

•Whose voice is being heard?

•The focus is still not on the people who need it most

COMMUNICATION IS INTEGRAL

• “It’s all about choice and knowing what to choose” (parent)

•NDIS gives consumers and their families choice

•Making the ‘right’ choice can be stressful

•Takes practice

• Sometimes it matters, sometimes not

•We learn from ‘bad’ choices

HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT TO CHOOSE

CHOICE

•People with intellectual disability identified choice as a keystone to happiness (Haigh et al. , 2013)

•Starts early

•Complexity increases

•Expectations differ–Attitude–Risk

CHOICE

• Independence

•Value

• Feelings of control

• Increased levels of community participation

• Improved health and quality of life

• Increased satisfaction with services

•Decreased levels of unmet needs

CHOICE BENEFITS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY AND FAMILIES

• Increased independent behaviour and communication

• Improved general well-being,

• Improved health and safety

• Increased community participation and social inclusion (Gross et al., 2013)

OUTCOME OF GOOD PLANNING

• Stop

• Think

• Listen

• Trust

• Build a relationship

• Take time

GOOD SUPPORT PLANNING

•Common sense

•Perseverance

•Creativity

•Open mindedness

•Honesty

•Positivity

+ a range of specialist skills from professional development

WHAT SKILLS DOES A PLANNER NEED?

•Pre Planning

•Planning conversations

Plan to action

PLANNING RESOURCE KIT (COLLINGS ET AL.

2015)