Transcript The Role of Communication Partners with People with

Dr Celia Todd
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Why a Doctorate of Education?
Research questions and methodology
Looking at conversation
Case study – AAC user
Findings from larger study
Implications for practice
◦ Assessment practices
◦ Use of SGDs
◦ Preparing staff and families
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What next?
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Taught modules – to develop thinking,
exposure to sociological and educational
concepts
Exploration of broad range of research
methodologies
Professional focus - practical outcomes
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What happens in informal conversations
between people with learning difficulties and
their communication partners?
How can the research findings be used to
improve professional practice?
How can people with learning difficulties be
involved in research?
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Loan of video camera to 3 “research partners"
with learning difficulties to record
conversations of their choice
Transcribe and analyse this data using
◦ Conversation Analysis
◦ Systemic Functional Linguistics
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Sociological/Ethnomethodological perspective
Harvey Sacks, Emanuel Schegloff and Gail
Jefferson
Interested in the detail of actual practices of
naturally occurring talk-in-interaction, in
particular its sequential organisation.
Participants own understanding as revealed in
the exchange itself
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Discourse analysis with a linguistic perspective
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developed by Michael Halliday
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Focuses on how people use language and how
language is structured for use
Integrated, comprehensive, systematic model of
language
Gesture, facial
expression,
artefacts etc.
Overlap
Increased
pitch
Pause
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L: =Was it your own horse↑↓{€→C}
C: [((nod of head, smile))] {€→D}
L: [Or did you just go to a centre↓↑] {€→C}
C: /nəʊ/↓((shake of head)) {€→D}
L: It was your own↑↓ {€→C}
C: /eː↓/ ((nod of head)) {€→L}
L: Was it↑↓ I didn't know that↑↓ {€→C→D}
D: Neither did I↑↓
C: ((smile)) {€→D}
L: Oh↓↑ {€→C→D}
C: (.) [/eɪjæ↓/] ((smile)) {€→D}
L: [and was it] like a shared horse↑ or something or↓
{€→C}
C: (1.6) /ne↓/ ((shake of head)) {€→D}
L: Ye↑ ((nod of head)) {€→C}
Intonation
Increased
volume
Eye gaze
Cate
 Aged 24
 Severe cerebral palsy
 Wheelchair user with restricted hand function
 Uses a DV 4 Communication aid
 Lives in her own flat with 24 hour staff
support
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Daisy – her main paid carer who had worked
with Cate for 2 years, (Mum and dad also
present)
Mother (Dad, brother and Daisy also present)
Lisa – new member of staff (Daisy also
present)
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Mostly controlled by conversation partner
When Cate tried to introduce new topic,
brought back to original topic by partner
after 2 or 3 turns
Some attempts at topic change by Cate
ignored
Cate
Mostly one Turn
construction Unit
(TCU)
Mostly yes or no
response
If 2 TCUs usually Yes
+ additional
information
Partner
Lots of one turn
TCUS
Frequent use of 2
TCU structure
consisting of wh
question followed
by yes/no question
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Partners build turns collaboratively
Common in conversations with people with
communication impairment
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Example
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D: Do you not like the warm↓
C: /ɜræn/ ((Stretching arm towards L))
L: It won't be too hot↓ ((shaking head))
Cate
Asked very few
questions
How can she?
Partner
Clarification Qs –
repeats with rising
intonation
Yes/no questions to
construct message
Very few Tag
questions
Test questions – to
which they already
knew the answer
Cate
No problems
understanding
partner
Partner
Frequent
understanding
checks
Use of familiarity and
prior knowledge
Sometimes ignored
or unresolved
Very little self initiated repair by Cate
Repair by partner (OIR)
 Repeat or partial repeat
 Candidate answer
 Request for repetition
 Do you mean?
Open→Wh→Rpt+Wh→Rpt → Direct check
WEAKER
(From Sidnell (2010a) p.118)
STRONGER
Long pauses tolerated
Frequently longer than 2 seconds – often if Q
to Cate required other than a yes/no answer
Pause by partner if repeat or candidate answer
Mostly at end of TCU – yes no or continuer
When Cate was asked a question and did not
immediately respond – sometimes filled by
partner resulting in overlap
Cate
Restricted tone
patterns
Mostly falling tone
Very occasional rising
tone to ask Q
Occasional rise/fall +
broad smile when
definite about her
response after an
extended repair
sequence
Partner
Widely varied tone
Frequent use of
rise/fall tone with
increased stress –
surprise/ use with
children
Fall/rise to query
accuracy or unclear
that they had
understood her
correctly
Cate
Compromised by her
positioning
Used to bring people
into conversation to
aid repair
Disrupted by using
SGD
Partner
Tended to maintain
constant eye
contact
Cate
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Limited facial expression
Smiling to build answer
Broad smile when
partner finally
successful
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Partner
Puzzled look to query
what was said
smiling
Nodding and shaking
Sometimes difficult to distinguish between
nod and head shake
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Amount varied between conversations
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Very little used by unfamiliar partner
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Signing used by Cate and her mother - often
prompted by mother
Familiar care staff used mime
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Not used spontaneously – always prompted
by partner
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Performance – showing how it worked
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Used for spelling
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Disrupted eye contact and excluded Cate
from the conversation
Cate
Very little use of
evaluative language
Restricted phonemic
repertoire
Partner
Frequent judgement
of speech attempts
and use of VOCA
High incidence of
amplified
evaluation
“That’s really really
good”
M: What’s the first thing you’re going to have↓↑ ((smile)) That
you haven’t been able to have for a long time↑{€→C}
C: /ʌ/ (..) /bæ æ↓/ ((smile)) {€→M}
M: Butter↑↓ ((smiling, eyes widening)) {€→C}
Association
C: /næ æ↓/ ((smile)) {€→M}
M: No↓↑ ((shaking head)) {€→C}
C: /uː juː aɪ æ↓/ {you like it} ((smile)) {€→M→D}
M: (..) You like that↓ what is it↑ {€→D→C}
C: /dæ aɪʔ↓/ {€→D→M}
M: ((shaking head)) (..)Is it on your Dynavox↓↑= ((Pointing to
Dynovox)) {€→C}
C: =/nəʊ/↓ {€→M}
Prompt to use
SGD
M: [Is it↑] {€→C}
N: [Can you] spell it↑ ((off camera))
spelling
M: Ye, what letter does it begin with↑ {€→C}
C: /nɪː/↓ {€→M→DV}
((D reaches to Dynovox))
M: It begins with B↓↑ {€→C}
C: (..) /je↓/ ((smile)) {€→D}
D: ((activating Dynavox)) B yes↓↑ what else↑
{€→DV→C→DV}
C: (2.3) /æ↓/ ((smile)) {€→D}
M: A↓↑ {€→C}
C: /je↓/ {€→D→M}
M: B A↓↑ {€→C}
D: ((Activating Dynavox)) {€→DV→C→DV}
M: (3.3) yeh {€→C}
C: {€→M} /jæ æ↓/ {€→M}
M: [Batter↓↑] {€→C}
N: [batter↓↑]
Use of SGD by staff
to spell
Guess work!
Shake of head
C: ((Slight shake of head)) /jæ ʌ↓/ {€→D}
gesture
D: (..) B A yeh↓↑ got B A ↓ {€→C→DV→C}
C:/ɪ ɒ↓/ (..) /ɒ ɔ↓/ {hot} ((moving right arm up and down)) {€→M}
M: Hot↓↑ its hot, curry↓↑ Thats not B↓ ((shake of head, frown))
{€→C}
C: /bæ ʌ↓/ {€→M}
(3.3) ((D shakes head))
M: Again↓ ((shake of head)) {€→C}
C: /juː e ʌ æ↓/{you make it} {€→M→D}
D: I make it↑(..) I eat it↑ {€→C}
Prior knowledge
C: /en↓/ ((nod of head, smile)) {€→D→DV}
D: What the heck↑ {€→C→DV}
C: LAUGH (1.2) /jæ æ↓/ ((smile)) {€→M}
D: Potatoes↓↑ {€→C}
C: ((Slight shake of head)) {€→M}
D: Roast potatoes↑↓ {€→C→DV}
C: /nuː↓/ {€→M}
No it wouldn't be roast potatoes↓↑ ((shaking head)) {€→C}
C: /aʊː↓/ ((indicating “out” with right hand)) {€→M}
M: Out↓ {€→C}
C: /njeː↓/ ((slight nod)) {€→M}
M: (..) burger↑↓ ((eyes widening)) {€→C}
C: /naʊː↓/ ((shake of head)) {€→M}
M: Oh↓↑ {€→C}
D: Battered sausage↑{€→C}
C: ((Slight shake of head)) {€→D}
N: Bacon↑
C: /naʊ↓/ ((Slight shake of head)) {€→M}
N: LAUGH
M: Is it, is it in a take away [place↑] {€→C}
C:
[/iː jə æ↓/]{€→M→D}
M: Daddy likes it↑ ((shaking head)) {€→C}
C: /ɔːə aɪm↓/ {€→M}
M: All the time↑↓ {€→C}
D: do you mean Pasty↑ {€→C}
C: /jeː↓/ ((smile)) {€→D→M}
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Lack of real friendships – limited social
networks and reliance on staff and family
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Staffs perception of the relationship (Antaki
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Family role – the “eternal” parent (Jingree and
2007)
Finlay 2012)
Self-image Competency
Osburn 2006
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Competence undermined by discourse style –
unintelligible speech ignored, or
understanding check (Bloch 2005).
Questions adequacy, accuracy or plausibility
of what is said
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C:= and I tchu↑, and I o, {€↑} and I like pool↓
((nod)) {€→D}
D: (..) ((smile,(thinking expression)) Pool↑ ((slight
nod)) {€→C}
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Competency judgment – related to performance
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E: That’s really good↑↓ I'm very impressed↓
((nod)) {€→C}
C: {€}and I catch the bus now↓ on my own
now↓ {€→E}
E and you catch ((nod)) the bus on your
own↑ ((nodding)) {€→C}
C: Ye↓ ((emphatic nod)) {€→E}
E: That’s very↓ that’s very very good↑↓
((nodding, raising eyebrows)) (..), yes↓ ((nod))
that’s very good↓ I'm very pleased↓ (..) So
you
Often amplified
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What is patronising speech?
◦ Baby talk
◦ Over-accommodation to needs of partner
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Use of diminutives
Speaking louder
speaking more slowly
Exaggerated tone – higher pitch
Use of shorter sentences
Inappropriate collective nouns “we”
Eye contact – too much or too little
Communication enhancing strategies
Patronising communication – no enhancing
function
Use of shorter sentences (Thurman, 2011)
Raised pitch (Rust 2010)
Toleration of pause (Mondada, 2006)
Increased volume (Rust 2010)
Use of gesture and signing (Powell, 2000)
Exaggerated facial expression (Hummert and Ryan
Eg: Makaton, Signalong
1996)
Use of artefacts (Jones et al., 2002)
Over used and amplified evaluation
Eg: Objects of Reference
Inappropriate use of collective pronouns (Rust 2010)
Use of pictures (Aldridge, 2007; Murphy, 2006)
Low levels of eye contact or staring (Armstrong and
Eg:
Talking
Mats™,
Picture
Exchange McKechnie 2003)
Communication System
Inappropriate proxemics (Armstrong and McKechnie
Access to a shared history (Prior et al., 2011)
2003)
Eg: Communication Passports, Life stories and
Storytelling groups
Information that is easier to read and
understand (Owens, 2006)
Eg: Books Beyond Words, Easy Health website
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Asymmetrical conversations
◦ Topic choice
◦ Longer Turn Construction Units
◦ Amount and type of questions
 Yes/no rather than Wh
 Wh Q immediately followed by yes/no Q
“Where was it? Do you know where it was?”
◦ Parent: child or teacher: child type interactions
(Leahy 2004, Jones 2007)
Question:Response:Evaluation
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What can we learn from detailed listening –
does this give us strategies for assessment,
therapy and partner training?
Area of Interaction
Discourse structure
Topic choice and
control
Use of questions
Conversation
breakdown
Person with
communication
difficulty
Their Conversation
Partner
Comments
Legislative Context
Organisational support
Positive perceptions
Understanding of role
Communication tools
Reflection
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How can we set up communication aids to be helpful for clients
whose use them to support speech?
◦ Topic management
◦ Asking questions
◦ Clarification and repair
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How can we give power to the speaker?
Blackstone et al (2007) – communication parity:
“the extent to which interactants themselves feel that they are
a)
Equal partners in the interaction (as befits the context)
b)
Have equal access to communication time and resources, and
c)
Are comfortable in presenting their authentic selves in
context”
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ARMSTRONG, L. & MCKECHNIE, K. 2003. Intergenerational communication: fundamental but under-exploited theory for speech and
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BLACKSTONE, S., WILLIAMS, M. & WILKINS, D. 2007. Key principles underlying research and practice in AAC. Augmentative and Alternative
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Many thanks
[email protected]