Using Key Word Sign (KWS) in behaviour support planning

An added strategy for successful communication and engagement

HomeUsing Key Word Sign (KWS) in behaviour support planning

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Different communication techniques: Using Key Word Sign

Transcript

Dr Jennifer Frean, Communication and Inclusion Specialist
(The University of Melbourne; Melbourne, Victoria)

A helpful tool for communicating with some people is Key Word Sign.

Key Word Sign can be helpful for people such as those who have limited speech or people who benefit from emphasis and slower speaking.

It's really there to add to the conversation and help, providing an extra layer of communication, adding visual emphasis to help people. The point isn't to teach people ‘to Sign’, but if this technique is helpful for you, you can learn Signs that help both of you communicate more clearly.

For example, research shows that Key Word Sign can help you focus on every word – which leads to simpler sentences and plain language; speak more slowly – because you're also signing; emphasise important words or concepts... and that makes your communication clearer.

Now on our website we have two Key Word Sign documents, each with diagrams and descriptions to help you Sign.

Here's a couple of Signs that I've picked up in just a short time.

‘Learn’. ‘Yes’. ‘No’. ‘Sad’. ‘Understand’. ‘Good’.

Pick the ones that work best for you and your participant and use those to strengthen your communication.

Closing credits (text presented on screen)

How will you use these ideas to improve engagement in your behaviour support practice?

What is Key Word Sign (KWS)?

Key Word Sign is sometimes called KWS. It is a tool or strategy that can be used to support children and adults who communicate differently.

Sometimes, people may already know how to use Key Word Sign to communicate. Or, together, you may choose to try Key Word Sign.

Key Word Sign allows people to add a physical sign for key words or information to help support spoken conversation. Key Word Sign is a form of unaided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

How can Key Word Sign help with behaviour support?

Key Word Sign can be used to communicate information (sometimes called an ‘expressive’ communication strategy) and to support someone in understanding information (sometimes called a ‘receptive’ communication strategy).

Key Word Sign can help by:

reducing frustration by providing an effective way to communicate your message
helping people understand spoken words and
encouraging eye contact and attention between people in a conversation

1. Reducing frustration

Imagine how you would feel if you were trying to communicate and no one could understand you.

You might become frustrated and, over time, you might even give up.

This could mean that you withdraw from social interaction or only communicate about your basic needs.

If there was pressure for you to communicate information, eventually you may resort to behaving in a certain way to demonstrate the frustration you are feeling.

Key Word Sign can give some people a way of communicating how they feel or what they think without the need to point to pictures, photos or rely on speech. Being able to communicate effectively reduces frustration and hopefully facilitates conversations about people’s rights, needs, choices and goals, all of which are essential during the behaviour support planning process.

2. Helping people understand spoken words

Speech is often delivered quickly, with speakers naturally using many words and sometimes complex ideas.

For this to be effective in engagement, it relies on a person who can process this information at speed and without any concrete or static visual cues. It can therefore be difficult for people who need these supports to understand communication using spoken words.

Key Word Sign adds visual cues, slows the speed of spoken words and encourages people to speak in shorter phrases of sentences, often naturally also using words that are easier to understand. This provides more time for others to process and understand information and is fundamental to successful engagement in the behaviour support planning process.

3. Encouraging eye contact and attention

For many people, eye contact is an important part of engagement during conversation.

When we sign as we speak, we become more visually interesting to look at. Inviting this eye contact from the person we are communicating with can help them stay focused on the conversation.

Equally, some people may prefer not to make eye contact or find eye contact difficult to maintain. Using Key Word Sign provides communication in a way that doesn’t require the person to look at the communication partner’s face.

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