Maintenance of key word signing in adults with intellectual disabilities: novel signed turns facilitated by partners' consistent input and sign imitation

Manual signing throughout the day: Influence from staff's sign use and type of activity

BACKGROUND

Both individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and staff may be more inclined to use manual signs during formal than informal activities. In addition, the sign use of individuals with ID and staff is positively related. It is unclear if activity type and the sign use of staff interact as they shape the sign use of individuals with ID.

METHODS

Through non-continuous partial interval coding, we observed frequency of manual sign usage in adults with ID during communicative activities, non-communicative activities and mealtimes in four special schools and 4-day centres. Using loglinear analysis and partial associations, we measured how sign use varied by activity between the people with ID and the staff.

RESULTS

When staff used signs, clients and students did not vary their spontaneous signing rate between types of activities. When staff did not use signs, a differential influence appeared according to the type of activity: clients and students were significantly more likely to also refrain from using signs during mealtimes and leisure or work activities such as crafts (84% to 89% of the time) than during communicative activities such as signing sessions (65% of the time).

CONCLUSIONS

Reluctance of staff to model sign use seemed to hinder signing implementation by the people with ID. Future studies should take into account various levels of sign prompting and increasing pragmatic functions of individuals' sign use.

Use of key word signing by staff in special schools and in day centres for adults with intellectual disabilities

BACKGROUND

Staff may encourage individuals with intellectual disabilities to use manual signs by modelling its use, but implementing key word signing during daily activities can be demanding.

METHOD

Staff's use of manual signs was observed in four special schools and four day centres for adults with intellectual disabilities during communicative group activities, non-communicative group activities and mealtimes. Using in situ partial interval coding, we measured staff's communication rate, semantic diversity of manual signs, sign reinforcement and sign imitation. With Chi-squared tests, associations were measured between these variables, the two settings and the three activity types.

RESULTS

During communicative activities, staff used manual signs significantly more in adult services than special schools. During non-communicative activities and mealtimes, staff seldom used or reinforced signs.

CONCLUSIONS

Staff communicated frequently but did not often model sign use during daily activities. To investigate influence from training background, further detailed measurements are warranted.