Understanding the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties for person‐centred planning.
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| Title: | Understanding the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties for person‐centred planning. |
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| Authors: | Farmer, Kate E., Stringer, Phil |
| Source: | British Journal of Learning Disabilities. Dec2023, Vol. 51 Issue 4, p499-508. 10p. |
| Subjects: | Parent attitudes, Special education, Psychology of children with disabilities, Attitudes of medical personnel, Grounded theory, Patient-centered care, Interviewing, Patients' attitudes, Medical protocols, Qualitative research, Special education schools, Communication, Case studies, Parent-child relationships, Patient-professional relations, Needs assessment, Intellectual disabilities, Children |
| Abstract: | Background: All children have the right to express their views about matters affecting them and participate in decision‐making for their future irrespective of their intellectual ability. This study explores the adult role in understanding the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties who are not using a formal communication system and require adults to speak on their behalf. Methods: The study employs a qualitative multiple case study design involving three children with profound and multiple learning difficulties attending one special school. Social constructivist grounded theory approaches inform data gathering and analysis. Eight interviews are conducted with parents and professionals to explore how they understand the children's views and how this understanding informs person‐centred planning, combined with observations of the children in school and observations of their person‐centred planning meetings. Findings: Adult participants consider the children in the study to have agency and ability to affect the world around them. They believe the children can express their likes, dislikes and what they want but they think the children would have difficulty communicating their views about their health, medical needs and disability. They describe a range of observable actions made by a child to which they give meaning when interpreting the child's views. The actions a person takes as a child's communication partner can enable the child to develop and communicate their views. A process of observation and comparison allows adults to explore different interpretations of a child's views. Perspectives offered by professionals from different fields enable a child's views to be understood in different ways. Conclusions: Adults develop their understanding of the children's views over time in relational and social contexts. Different interpretations of a child's communication are considered when adults collaborate, leading to socially constructed understandings of a child's views. Adults infer the meaning of a child's views about what is important to them for the future from their understanding of the child's views in the present, which informs person‐centred planning. Accessible summary: All children have the right to take part in decision‐making for their future. This includes children with profound and multiple learning difficulties who do not use speech, pictures or signs to communicate and need adults to speak on their behalf.This paper describes eight interviews with parents and people who work with children with profound and multiple learning difficulties to ask how they find out about the children's views. We observed the children in school to check what the adults told us. We also observed a person‐centred planning meeting for each child to see how the adults talk to each other about the child's views and make decisions in a group.The adults told us that watching the children's responses carefully over time in different situations helps them to find out about the children's likes, dislikes and what they want. The adults find it helpful to talk to each other about different possibilities for what the children might be telling them. This helps them to think about what the children might want to do in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Background: All children have the right to express their views about matters affecting them and participate in decision‐making for their future irrespective of their intellectual ability. This study explores the adult role in understanding the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties who are not using a formal communication system and require adults to speak on their behalf. Methods: The study employs a qualitative multiple case study design involving three children with profound and multiple learning difficulties attending one special school. Social constructivist grounded theory approaches inform data gathering and analysis. Eight interviews are conducted with parents and professionals to explore how they understand the children's views and how this understanding informs person‐centred planning, combined with observations of the children in school and observations of their person‐centred planning meetings. Findings: Adult participants consider the children in the study to have agency and ability to affect the world around them. They believe the children can express their likes, dislikes and what they want but they think the children would have difficulty communicating their views about their health, medical needs and disability. They describe a range of observable actions made by a child to which they give meaning when interpreting the child's views. The actions a person takes as a child's communication partner can enable the child to develop and communicate their views. A process of observation and comparison allows adults to explore different interpretations of a child's views. Perspectives offered by professionals from different fields enable a child's views to be understood in different ways. Conclusions: Adults develop their understanding of the children's views over time in relational and social contexts. Different interpretations of a child's communication are considered when adults collaborate, leading to socially constructed understandings of a child's views. Adults infer the meaning of a child's views about what is important to them for the future from their understanding of the child's views in the present, which informs person‐centred planning. Accessible summary: All children have the right to take part in decision‐making for their future. This includes children with profound and multiple learning difficulties who do not use speech, pictures or signs to communicate and need adults to speak on their behalf.This paper describes eight interviews with parents and people who work with children with profound and multiple learning difficulties to ask how they find out about the children's views. We observed the children in school to check what the adults told us. We also observed a person‐centred planning meeting for each child to see how the adults talk to each other about the child's views and make decisions in a group.The adults told us that watching the children's responses carefully over time in different situations helps them to find out about the children's likes, dislikes and what they want. The adults find it helpful to talk to each other about different possibilities for what the children might be telling them. This helps them to think about what the children might want to do in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 13544187 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/bld.12525 |
