Parachute Without a Ripcord: The Skydive of Communication Interaction

Abstract

Identifying and rating the outcomes of an intervention is not a new concept, but has gained impetus and currency with the emergence of evidence-based practice to support clinical decision making. In this paper, we present a metaphor as a unifying framework for the many different goals and outcomes that may come into focus across extended interventions with individuals who use aided communication. The metaphor is that of skydiving. We explore the value of this metaphor in understanding outcome measures for interventions, using analysis of interview data collected with adults who have used high-tech aided communication devices over many years.

Key words::

• Outcome measurement
• Aided communication
• Metaphor
• Skydiving

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Caroline Davies, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Isobel Connolly, St Catherine’s Services, Wicklow, Ireland.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.