JCPSLP November 2017

Table 1. An analysis of communication terminology in relation to aspects of inclusive communication

Includes all people who have difficulty commu- nicating

Communica- tion term

Easily under- stood by lay person

Definition/explanation

Medical model

Social model

Applies to some or all specific disabilities

Terms referring to the individual

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Communica- tion disability

Communication disability is a medical model term that has been redefined through the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF, WHO, 2001) and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health: Children and Youth Version (WHO, 2007). Thus, the disability exists as a result of the interaction of the various factors and not solely within the individual. A person’s health condition may feature impairments of body structure and function that combine with environmental and personal factors to impact upon their communication and participation in society. Communication disorder/impairment “is an impairment in the ability to receive, send, process, and comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal and graphic symbol systems. A communication disorder may be evident in the processes of hearing, language, and/or speech. A communication disorder may range in severity from mild to profound. It may be developmental or acquired. Individuals may demonstrate one or any combination of communication disorders. A communication disorder may result in a primary disability or it may be secondary to other disabilities” (American-Speech- Language Hearing Association, 1993). Communication difficulty “is a lay term that refers to people who may or may not identify as having a communication disability, but who may benefit from communication supports implemented for people with communication disability. They may have a hearing impairment, limited literacy or belong to a culturally and linguistically diverse group. Each person may require a differing types and/or amounts of resourcing, depending on the context or activity, in order to feel included in a range of community interactions” (Hartley Kean, 2016). Complex communication needs “refers to people who have little or no speech, or speech that is difficult to understand. The communication disabilities may be associated with a wide range of physical, sensory, cognitive and environmental causes which restrict/limit their ability to participate independently in society. They and their communication partners may benefit from using AAC methods either temporarily or permanently” (Balandin, 2002; Speech Pathology Australia, 2012). Communication support needs is a term used to “encompass the experience of a wide range of communication difficulties associated with a number of different disabilities” (Law et al., 2007, p. 6). “People have communication support needs if they need support with understanding, expressing themselves or interacting with others” (Scottish Government, 2011). They need communication partners to be flexible in the way that they communicate, and to give the individual the opportunity to express themselves in the way that is best for them (Scottish Government, 2011). The term focuses on the needs arising from a communication difficulty, rather than on the difficulty itself (Aitkin & Millar, 2002). People with complex communication support needs require support strategies from communication partners and/or the use of specialised AAC equipment and resources, to support their expression or understanding (K. Anderson, personal communication 29 May, 2017).

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Communica- tion disorder/ impairment

Communica- tion difficulty

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Complex communica- tion needs

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Communica- tion support needs

Complex communica- tion support needs

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

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JCPSLP Volume 19, Number 3 2017

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology

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