The Courses

I arrive in Zimbabwe on 9^th January and aim to screen children in the afternoon so that we have examples of Zimbabwean children who are experiencing speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCDs) for the courses.  Children will only attend for a screening with the consent and involvement of their parents.  Parents will be asked to consent to information about their children being used for training purposes.  They will be assured of confidentiality.  I will provide feedback to the parents regarding my findings and preliminary guidance as appropriate.  Parents will be clear on the limitations to the input I can provide - restricted to the times I am in the country.  As the long term aim of the project is to develop knowledge and skills in course participants over time, it is possible that any child seen for screening may receive ongoing support from a teacher/other professional who attends one of the January courses and who may therefore be a resource person for their school in the future for children with SLCDs.

The first course on 10^th & 11^th January will take place at Madziwa Teachers’ College, Shamva.  I understand that the course will be held within the grounds of the college.  The college borders Umfurudzi Park so we hope to get the occasional view of a herd of buffalo or kudu or sable – individual sightings of course will be much appreciated too!  Sydney Mukwesha, my colleague and friend who is a lecturer at the college, tells me that we should have approximately 60-70 participants.

The second course on 14^th & 15^th January will be hosted by Ministry of Education, Culture, Arts and Sport.  Senator David Coltart, the Minister of Education, Culture, Arts and Sport has consistently responded very positively to the offer of running the introductory course for the ministry’s teachers.  Senator Coltart has taken time to always respond to my emails and has made it possible for this course to take place.  I really, really appreciate his considerable efforts on my behalf and support for the course.  I am working with Hannah Maisiri, the head of SPS in the Ministry, on the details of the course delivery.  It is hoped that approximately 50 teachers will be able to attend. 

The third course on 16^th & 17^th January will be hosted by Silver Linings Trust and be held at Hellenic International School.  Participants will include mainstream, special needs and remedial teachers, psychologists, occupational therapists and parents.

Benefits and Impact

I have had some thoughts about the benefits and the long term impact of 'bringingithome' - and here they are....

Potential Benefits

1.       Children attending primary schools in which trained teachers and other professionals practice have the potential to benefit directly from the 'bringingithome' training program due to, for example, early identification and support for speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCDs); the provision of a ‘communication rich’ learning environment.  A communication supportive environment in primary school enhances a child’s speech, language and communication at a crucial time and it may therefore be possible to minimise the effects of communication difficulties on children’s functioning and learning within the classroom setting (ICAN, 2006). 

2.       Staff in identified schools will benefit, directly and indirectly, from this proposed program, e.g. trained staff member/s putting knowledge and skills into practice, and sharing knowledge and skills with other staff in their school. 

3.       Schools, as a whole, will thereby potentially be better equipped to provide a ‘communication rich’ learning environment for all students.

Long Term Aim/Impact

In line with the goals of intervention detailed by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (WHO, 2001), the training program/programs aim to:

a.       reduce the impact of a range of SLCDs on the functioning and participation of students in mainstream and specialist settings

b.       increase functional activity/skills and participation in children with these difficulties

c.        reduce, where possible, the negative consequences of difficulties by dealing with environmental factors that may contribute to these difficulties and increase the facilitators, e.g. staff who are trained to identify SLCDs and use targeted strategies to assist children with SLCDs

This may involve, for example:

1.       Identifying children with SLCDs, e.g. through a universal screening system for all children in the first two years of their education.

2.       Targeting specific groups of children for intervention appropriate to their needs delivered by trained school staff.

3.       Identifying children who require further intervention and/or onward referral

 

The plans so far

The plans for the 'bringingithome' project, in the initial stages, are to:

a)       provide introductory training about speech, language and communication development and difficulties to teachers, other professionals that work with children and lecturers who train teachers.

b)       establish understanding of the impact of speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCDs) on children’s learning and functioning 

c)       develop skills and strategies in identifying SLCDs in the classroom

d)       develop skills and strategies for enhancing communication in the classroom that are designed to have universal impact, i.e. benefit all children in education settings

e)       identify strategies that are specific to the needs of children with different SLCDs

In the medium to long term, the project will aim to

f)         develop and deliver training over time to enable education staff to provide targeted input to children with specific SLCDs, e.g. those with specific language impairments, social communication difficulties, speech production difficulties

g)       develop specific knowledge and skills in education staff working in specialist settings.

h)       provide individual mentoring to identified staff to ensure continued development of knowledge, skills and strategies regarding children with a range of SLCDs

 

At each stage of development and delivery, the ‘bringingithome’ project will be further developed and delivered in collaboration with individuals, schools, colleges and organisations that deliver services to children with a range of developmental difficulties/disabilities in mainstream and specialist settings and those that train teachers and provide continued professional development for teachers.