Wyvern Academy is a Total Communication school
Communication Lead
Our pupils all have different communication needs and use different ways to communicate. All brains understand visual information better. In fact, 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual so when talking to our students please keep things simple and follow up with visuals.
Total communication is an approach which includes:
- eye contact
- facial expression
- body language
- vocalisations
- hearing
- touch
- smell
- taste
- speech
- symbols
- photos
- drawings
- objects
- written word
- art
- music
- signs and gestures
Verbal prompts are the easiest to give but hardest to fade. This is why you will see many of our staff with visuals on lanyards or carrying pupils’ individual schedules around with them as this can reinforce wanted behaviours and transitions and support pupils to access and experience the environment and a variety of activities, creating independent opportunities to rely on visuals rather than verbal prompts.
It is the right of every pupil to be able to communicate and have his or her needs met. Communication underpins a pupil’s education, mental health, well-being, social and physical needs.
In addition to providing accessible learning, we use a range of strategies to help in our inclusive communication environment.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is also used to provide our pupils with functional communication ranging from low tech visuals to high tech solutions such as an iPads or Eye-Gaze.
All Pupils have a communication ‘pen picture’ with their targets and how they communicate ensuring that the school is meeting their needs.