Research
The Com in Beeld Foundation supports the PhD research of Drs. Mascha Legel with the title: ‘Film as Observable Communication'
The central research question is as follows:
What is the effect of the “narrative discourse intervention” with FaOC on the oral (i.e. expressive) language/narrative skills (a component of communicative competence) of children and young people with motor disabilities who do not speak, or are very difficult to understand, and are also unable/challenged in the use of sign (language) due to their motor limitation (spasticity)?
The research takes place at the Radboud University, Nijmegen, Behavioral Science Institute (B.S.I); chair, the chair “Perception and Action Problems”, the chair of Supported Communication and the University of Dundee.
Objective
The research evaluates, develops and transfers 'Film as a means of Supported Communication (FaOC)' for normally intelligent children who are not (well) able to express themselves in speech, sign (language) and writing due to a motor limitation. FaOC has been developed to support and improve the communicative competencies (in this case the expressive language and storytelling skills, conversation skills) of children/young people and their interlocutors.
The effectiveness study investigates to what extent the use of FaOC leads to improvement of oral (i.e. expressive) language-telling skills of the target group and their partners, by making a comparison between telling stories and participating in a conversation (driven by assignments and tasks from the continuous learning line oral/expressive language-telling skills).
Research questions
In the evaluation study, we want to demonstrate that after the 'narrative discourse intervention' program with FaOC, in which FaOC is used as an intervention, the children are more communicatively competent, more capable of storytelling and speaking skills than before the intervention with FaOC.
Supported communication
In order to make language and communication possible, all forms of supported communication are used, such as speech generating computers. This is made possible through a unique collaboration with the AAC Research Group at the University of Dundee, Scotland, AssistiveWare, and RDGKompagne.
Practice and research
The 'My Film, My Story' practical project is running alongside the effectiveness study. This practical project develops the teaching method “My Film, My Story” for a continuous language learning track. This collaboration between practice and science provides the practical knowledge to science, and knowledge from science is directly applied in practice.
Collabroration with Dundee University Scotland, Mascha Legel and Christopher Norrie as external associate staff members.
www.movementinzicht.nl
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Dundee AAC Research Group
Research team:
- Mascha Legel
- Prof. dr. Bert Steenbergen
- Prof. dr. Hans van Balkom
- Prof. dr. Annalu Waller
- Prof. dr. Gloria Soto
- Dr. Christopher Norrie
- Dr. Nicola Grove
- Dr. Ronald Spanjers
- Dr. Stijn Deckers