Clinical trial NCT02099773: Support Staff-client Interactions With Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Official title: Support Staff's Interactions With Adults With Intellectual Disability Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Intellectual Disability
Keywords: AAC
support worker
direct care staff
intellectual disability
learning disability
communication
adults
Lead sponsor: Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2014-03-31
Enrollment: 40
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Support workers who work in residential facilities or day-centres for adults with intellectual disability, in Flanders.

Brief summary: This exploratory and observational study focuses on adults with an intellectual disability (ID) and their support workers. Two groups of clients are observed: clients using Key Word Signing, and clients using aided Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Approximately half of adults with ID is estimated to experience communication difficulties. AAC supports them in their daily communication aiming at optimal participation in society. Current communication models, such as Participation Model (Beukelman \& Mirenda, 2005) and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO, 2001), regard both client-related and environmental factors as important elements of communication. A substantial part of the environmental factors is made up of the communication partners' characteristics. In daycare and residential services for adults with ID the support worker is an important communication partner .

Detailed description: This study aims to:

1. with regard to teaching Key Word Signing (KWS), a specific form of AAC, to support workers:

   Analyse the relation between training method, support workers' attitude, and short and long term sign knowledge.
2. with regard to the use of manual signs in everyday communication between support workers and adults with ID:

   * Identity the support workers' characteristics that may influence the quality/quantity of the communication between adults with ID who use manual signs and their support worker.
   * Analyse the nature of this influence as well as any possible interaction effects with the clients' characteristics.
3. Assess whether an existing instrument, designed for measuring interactions between parents and children with cerebral palsy using AAC, may be used with adults client and support workers.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* uses AAC with client
* client has congenital intellectual disability
* supports client for at least 6 months

Exclusion Criteria:

* client has dementia symptoms
* client has severe, non-corrected visual impairment
* client has diagnosed autism

Primary outcomes:
measure: Signing rate of support workers and individuals with intellectual disabilities
timeFrame: Three observation sessions over period of 2 weeks per participant, 2 years for all participants
measure: Sign imitation rate support workers and individuals with intellectual disabilities
timeFrame: Three observation sessions over period of 2 weeks per participant, 2 years for all participants
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Explicit Attitude of direct care staff towards manual signs
timeFrame: One testing per participant, over period of 6 months for all participants
measure: Implicit Attitude of direct care staff working in towards manual signs
timeFrame: One testing per participant, over period of 6 months for all participants
measure: Communicative functions of individuals with intellectual disabilities
timeFrame: Three observation sessions over period of 2 weeks per participant, 2 years for all participants
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Leuven
country: Belgium
facility: KULeuven
state: Flanders
city: Leuven
country: Belgium
facility: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
state: Vlaams-Brabant
city: Leuven
country: Belgium
facility: KULeuven
state: Vlaams-Brabant
Study officials:
affiliation: KU Leuven
name: Ellen Rombouts, PhD cand.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: