William is nine years old and has limited spontaneous speech. His speech was
predominantly echolalic and he would often take someone elseÕs hand as a tool
to direct them to his needs. His behaviour at school was often good but
complicated by times where socialization, sharing and accommodating for
changes made participation difficult. It would be easy to assume that the lack of
spontaneous speech reflects Williams level of thinking, feeling and
understanding.
This paper will discuss the strategies that were most helpful to William in a
mainstream setting from the perspective of his mother, teacher and speech
therapist. Video examples will be provided to highlight communication and
teaching strategies that are still helpful in the discovery of what William is truly
capable of and how easy it is to under estimate a child with limited speech.
About the Presenter.
Jane Remington-Gurney is the Director of Options Communication Therapy Centre. Prior to opening Options, as a private speech and communication centre for people with disabilities, she worked for six years with Disability Services Queensland as Adviser for Facilitated Communication. Jane gained her Speech Pathology qualifications from The National Hospitals College in the UK and later completed her masters in Applied Linguistics at Melbourne University. She has specialized in severe communication impairment and currently offers assessment and intervention programs for children and adults at one of her three clinics in Queensland. Outreach services are also offered throughout the State, in NSW and New Zealand.