Communicative Work: Establishing Communication by Severely Disabled Children in Small Group Homes

ABSTRACT

The aim of the article is to provide new insights into the lives of severely intellectually disabled children who are living in Norwegian small group homes. The research question is designed to address how these children, who have limited verbal language, initiate communication in order to participate in everyday life in an institutional setting. The main research method was participant observation within three residential units. Eleven children and young people participated alongside the caring staff. The author identifies and discusses four modes of communication, three of them initiated by the children in relation to the institutional residential context: communicative environment, collaborative conversations, communicative rituals, and bodily expressions laden with meaning. The analysis is framed in the context of a monologue-dialogue dichotomy. The findings indicate that in many ways the children appear to act beyond their anticipated limited cognitive capabilities through their communicative work. However, to achieve their communicative potential, the children are dependent on the staff’s communicative behaviour and responses, as well as the institutional frames.

KEYWORDS:

• Communicative modes
• intellectually disabled children
• monologue-dialogue
• small group homes

Acknowledgements

This study could not have been conducted without the positive attitude of the children, parents and staff in the group homes, who kindly let me into their lives. I’m also grateful for valuable constructive comments and supervision from Professor Johans Tveit Sandvin (Nord University) throughout the writing process, and for fruitful discussions with Professor Asbjørn Karlsen (NTNU) throughout the revision process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ingunn Fylkesnes

Ingunn Fylkesnes is a PhD student in sociology at Nord University, about to complete my thesis. I received my master degree in Health sciences from Norwegian University of Science and Tecnology (NTNU) in 2014. My bachelor is in physiotherapy from Bergen University College, 1987. My work experience as a physiotherapist and my academic interests have always been in the field of disabled children and adolescents.