Teachers’ and Speech-Language Pathologists’ Perceptions about a Tangible Symbols Intervention: Efficacy, Generalization, and Recommendations

Abstract

Twenty-nine special education teachers (n = 21) and speech-language pathologists (n = 8) were interviewed about a tangible symbols intervention conducted with 51 children (3–21 years) with multiple disabilities and visual impairment. The intervention, which took place over a 7-month period, addressed the use of tangible symbols in the context of a structured protocol for implementing the daily schedule. These educators reported that students learned the meaning of symbols, exhibited improved behavior, and learned part or all of the daily routine, among other benefits. Supports and barriers to student learning (later coded as student characteristics or intervention characteristics) were discussed. Interviewees suggested improvements to the intervention and for generalization to the home setting, including labeling in the family’s first language.

Keywords::

• Tangible symbols
• Multiple disabilities
• Visual impairment
• Generalization
• Communication intervention

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by funding from the Lavelle Fund. The tangible symbols were manufactured by Adaptive Design Association.

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