Observational Data on Socio-Communicative Phenomena in Classrooms Supporting Students with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disability (PIMD): Advancing Theory Development on Learning and Engagement Through Data Analysis

Abstract

Theories of learning and engagement in persons with profound intellectual and multiple disability (PIMD) are essential as a basis for empirical investigations into the effectiveness or otherwise of educational and other interventions. In this paper, a selected descriptive analysis of observational data on the social and communicative experiences of a sample of eight school students aged between 5 and 13 with profound intellectual and multiple disability is reported. The observed frequency of various sociocommunicative phenomena as well as potential relationships amongst social groupings and communication indicators in two types of school settings are outlined. These results inform a concluding discussion of theoretical perspectives on the nature of inputs to, and responses indicative of learning in this population of individuals with high and complex support needs.

Looking back, looking forward: Methodological challenges and future directions in research on persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities

“…Levensloop in perspectief, Vlaskamp, Poppes, & Zijlstra, 2005; Explanatory model of the interaction between persons with PIMD and their partners, Hostyn & Maes, 2009). The further development of theory, in which these two approaches are balanced, is crucial to improve quality of life and support to persons with PIMD (Arthur‐Kelly, Foreman, Maes, Colyvas, & Lyons, 2018). Future research on PIMD could, furthermore, benefit from moving beyond mere descriptive research to reveal explanatory mechanisms in order to design targeted interventions (e.g.…”

Musical interaction with children and young people with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: a scoping review

“… 2020 ), children reported to have a severe intellectual disability are also often included in studies of PIMD (Arthur-Kelly et al . 2018 , Bindels-de Heus et al . 2013 ).…”

Introduction to the Special Issue on Communication Assessment and Intervention

“…More specifically, from the five assessment-related papers, readers should gain an appreciation of the value of assessing foundational aspects of communication. The five assessment-related papers contained in this special issue cover a number of cutting-edge issues, such as assessment of early emergent communication skills (Ogletree and Price 2018), assessment of early vocalizations (Roche et al 2018), communication intentionality (Peters-Scheffer et al 2018), breakdown and repair strategies (Price et al 2018), and the social communication of students with profound/multiple disabilities (Arthur-Kelly et al 2018). The remaining six papers address interventions for enhancing the communication functioning of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and developmental delay (Allen et al 2018;Carnett et al 2018;Dimian et al 2018;Hansen et al 2018;Simacek et al 2018;Wolf et al 2018).…”