Teaching Facilitators to Support the Communication Skills of an Adult with Severe Cognitive Disabilities: A Case Study

This paper presents a case study which illustrates the approaches used to teach the facilitators of a 27-year-old woman with severe cognitive disabilities. The goal of this instruction was to encourage the facilitators, that is, the significant others in the clients daily environment, to provide her with access to communication opportunities and to provide her with the support required to ensure her participation. The facilitator instruction involved a general in-service, participation in the assessment and goal setting process, individual instruction in interaction strategies, and follow-up instruction to review goals and procedures. Directions for future research and implications for clinical service are discussed.