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Abstract
In a large institution for the mentally retarded the levels of communication between staff and patients, and between patients are both minimal.
In 1975 a simple manual communication programme with small groups of retarded non-communicating children was devised by the speech therapist. It was seen as desirable then to introduce a uniform system of basic communication throughout the hospital.
A questionnaire was distributed to all nursing staff asking them to indicate the 10 most important concepts a child in the institution should be able to understand and communicate either verbally or manually.
The concepts chosen were then incorporated into staff training and were clearly displayed on charts in all areas of the hospital.
As the author is now the only speech therapist at the hospital, the onus of seeing the programme carried out consistently is on charge sisters and supervisors. However, groups of the most able children have been selected and are having more intensive language programmes based on the chosen concepts.