Effects of School Staff Communication on Initiations and Repair Strategies of Students with Severe Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The study examined the effects of the types of communication breakdowns of the communication partners on the repair strategies of students with severe intellectual disability during interaction within the natural school environment. Forty-eight staff members, divided into two groups based on daily vs. weekly contact with the student, and 12 students, ages 9-16, were videotaped during various activities. Results demonstrate that students used several types of repair strategies when faced with communication breakdowns adjusting some of them to breakdown types. Some of the students demonstrated attempts to shift partners as a systematic method when confronted with communication breakdowns, thus implying an alternative repair strategy. There were no significant differences among staff members based on their level of contact with the students except for more ‘request for clarification’ and more ‘substitution’ in the daily basis group.