Conceptualisations of literacy and literacy practices for children with severe learning difficulties

Abstract

Literacy is traditionally narrowly conceptualised as a set of skills related to accessing and generating written or printed text. For children designated as having severe learning difficulties (SLD), who are unlikely to develop these ‘conventional’ literacy skills, such a conception implies their semi‐literacy or nonliteracy. Although conceptions of multimodal literacy and multiliteracies have rarely been applied to this group, broader understandings of literacy that include a range of activities, modes and media provide greater opportunities for including these learners in literacy practices. Drawing upon our research with teachers of this group of children and young people, we illustrate these literacy practices. We note, however, that such practices are often haphazard, not coherently thought through, and that there is much confusion regarding any distinction between communication and literacy. We argue for literacy as a specific form of communication, but conclude that broader models of literacies should be utilised to guide and support practitioners in developing interactive practice and in making reasoned and principled approaches and decisions about literacy practices, routes and progression for children with SLD.

The impact of books on social inclusion and development and well‐being among children and young people with severe and profound learning disabilities: Recognising the unrecognised cohort

“…Kliewer et al () and Lawson, Layton, Goldbart, Lacey, and Miller (, p. 101) argue that traditional conceptions of literacy as a “set of skills related to accessing and generating written or printed text” impose a fixed, debasing and non‐literate status on people with severe and profound learning difficulties. Lawson et al (), Lacey et al () and Flewitt et al () assert that it is time to replace conventional conceptions of what it means to be literate with inclusive ones that are less marginalising. This movement is known as inclusive literacy.…”

“…In contrast to conventional literacy, inclusive literacy (Flewitt et al, ) acknowledges that there are multimodal “texts” to be read that encompass visual, digital, spatial, social, spoken and printed forms. Drawing on inclusive literacy, Lawson et al (, p. 104) propose a range of multimodal and artefactual literacy practices to apply inclusive literacy. These enable constructive social activity around a text, where “text” refers to any medium that participates in a sign relationship between social actors.…”

Multi‐sensory storytelling: a tool for teaching or an intervention technique?

“…In recent years, there has been increasing interest within the UK and Europe regarding the use of MSST, particularly in the field of special education (Lawson et al, ; Grove et al, ). The literature suggests that such stories can support the development of literacy skills in PMLD (Fornefeld, ; Watson, ) and provide individuals with SEND/PMLD with opportunities for interaction and enjoyment (Park, ).…”

Personal oral narratives in a special school curriculum: an analysis of key documents

“…In special schools too, the main emphasis on narrative has been within access to literature and literacy, and the provision of multisensory story experiences for pupils with severe and profound learning difficulties (Lawson, Layton, Goldbar, Lacey & Miller, ; Grove, ; Grove & Park, ; Park, ; Fuller, ). Relatively little research has been done on the personal narrative skills of children with special educational needs and disabilities, but it would appear that – as would be expected – a range of impairments affect the ability of children to recall and structure their experiences and to tell them in ways that engage their listeners (Cleave, Bird, Czutrin & Smith, ; Grove & Tucker, ; van Bysterveldt, Westerveld, Gillon & Foster‐Cohen, ), as do the expectations and attitudes of their communication partners and the environment of the classroom (Narajan, ).…”