Chapter 6 PROVIDING INFORMATION: SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES FOR SUCCESSFUL INTERACTION

I. INTRODUCTION AND BASIC PRINCIPLES** Usually when we provide information, we are giving our findings or test results about a client It’s really helpful to have something in writing such as a report, because if we feel nervous, we might leave something out

As always…** We begin the meeting with a general orientation “The psychologist Mr. Taylor, the resource specialist, Judy Wynn, and I have all evaluated Josie. During this meeting, we will share the results of our testing with you and our recommendations for the type of support we can provide here at school.”

I like to begin with a positive statement: ** “Jennifer is so cute and funny. She made me laugh.” “Derek is really polite and well behaved! I enjoyed working with him.” “Lucas works hard and always does his best—you must be proud of him.” “Erica has a such a strong desire to communicate.” “Mark has a lot of energy!” “Danika is very determined and focused.”

If a child is clingy with the parent… “It is clear that you have a special connection with your daughter”

If people are really anxious and tense: ** Give the bottom line immediately. “I enjoyed working with Patricia. She is very sweet. I found that she has challenges understanding what she hears, and also challenges with expressing herself—I am recommending that she be enrolled in language therapy with me twice a week.” This can be followed by more specific details about the testing.

If people are more relaxed… Present detailed findings first; build gradually to conclusion Good esp. for people who don’t believe there is a problem

Try to summarize things (as we’ve said) Giving a great many details is very overwhelming I say “I’m going to hit the highlights of my findings. If you have more detailed questions, I’d be happy to answer them.”

Pleeeeez don’t say things like: ** “ I adminstered the CELF-5 to Tony. He averaged in the 2 nd percentile rank for all subtests. The subtest that presented the most difficulty was the Morphology subtest, which examined Tony’s direct knowledge of comparative, superlative, and derivational morphemes. He had difficulties with these morphemes and also with present progressive –ing as well as irregular and regular plural and past tense structures.”

Turn to the people next to you…. ** And summarize the previous slide into layperson’s terms. Assume that the parent has a high school education. I will call on each group to share their summary with the whole class.

Let’s try another one— reword this:** “My examination of Jennifer’s pragmatics skills reveals that she has difficulty with the rules of discourse. She has challenges with initiating and sustaining conversation, including turntaking and presupposition skills.”

When we close the interview: Summarize main points Repeat conclusions Give specific suggestions/ recommendations

If we are not sure people understood what we said: ** “When you explain this to your husband, what will you tell him? Would you share this with me so I can be sure I have conveyed everything clearly?”

If someone repeats back and has clearly not understood accurately… Blame yourself—”Sorry—I don’t think I said XYZ clearly. Let me re- state that.” Put it in writing.

II. SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION Give practical suggestions for positive action Express sympathy Provide encouragement

Realize: if you are the bearer of bad news, people may be angry If people don’t accept what you say, don’t be afraid to refer them for a second opinion (if you are in private practice) “It is clear how much you care for Abdul. I know that it’s hard to hear that he needs speech-language therapy. Would you like a list of other local speech pathologists so you can get a second opinion?”

Try to sandwich negative and positive points “Justin is so sweet and well behaved. Listening and focus are definitely very challenging But with his good attitude and your support, we will make good progress.

Your wife is a really cooperative patient who works hard** I think that post-stroke, she probably won’t be able to express herself like she did before But because you 2 have such a good relationship and desire to communicate, we have a lot to work with here

Watch for feelings of resistance; address as they come up “What do you think of the things we have discussed so far? Do you agree, or do you have a different view?” If someone refuses to accept a diagnosis, keep the door open and invite them to come back if they ever need anything.

**“I hear that you believe there is nothing wrong with Susanna. As we discussed, I believe that she has a language impairment and needs intervention. But I respect where you are coming from. If you decide that you might like to chat about this in the future, here is my card—feel free to call or .”

If someone starts to cry… Give a kleenex Touch them on the arm “It’s OK to cry. This is difficult news.”

Also… Stress to parents that they need to care for themselves Supplement verbal communication with notes, visual materials, internet resources

III. SPECIFIC POSITIVE STATEMENTS FOR IEP MEETINGS 1. At the beginning of the meeting: “Your child has so many strengths— what would you like to add to the list?”

2. This IEP is designed to consider the needs of the whole child, and we value your input at every step. 3. Can you share some strategies that work for you at home? 4. Can you suggest a better way to word this goal? 5. Your child comes to school ready to learn every morning.

If the child is not eligible for services: Even though your child was found not to be eligible for this service, we know that you wanted additional information and resources. We’ve prepared this packet for you.

It’s nice to end the meeting with: We’re so glad to work with you as part of our team. We appreciate having your insight and home perspective!