Understanding and Supporting the Communication and Agency of a Child without Speech: Educators’ Perceptions and Reflections

Abstract

Social environments can hinder the interaction of children with disabilities. In school settings, educators’ roles of hearing and understanding these children are essential. In this case study, we asked two questions: 1) How does the school environment affect the communication and agency of a child with a severe disability who communicates without speech? 2) How do the classroom educators perceive, interpret, and feel their understanding of this child’s communication and support their agency? The data consists of video material and educator interviews. The data were analyzed guided by hermeneutic circle principles. The themes identified were the double empathy problem, relations, body language, pedagogical perspective on communication, and motivation. The school structures may limit the possibilities of communication and agency for children with severe disabilities even if it has the opposite intention. Even though the educators identified the child’s method of communication, there were challenges in understanding.

Keywords

• children with severe disabilities
• communication
• agency
• educators
• finland