The friendships and social relationships of students with complex communication needs in and outside of special school settings
Year: 2023
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Friendships and social relationships are central to our wellbeing, where those with wider and closer networks have better mental and physical health. However, the friendships of those with the most complex needs are often ignored. This study explored the friendships and social relationships of students with complex communication needs (CCN) in and outside of special school settings, to understand how they view and experience them and how to facilitate them. \n20 participants – six students, eight of their parents and six of their teachers/teaching assistants took part in the research. The research was carried out in two stages – stage 1 included semi-structured interviews with parents and teachers and unstructured observations of students in class and at breaktimes. Stage 2 included direct work with students through a Mosaic approach, using six participatory tools – pyramid ranking activity, preferred activity with friends cards, best friends activity, school tours, collections from home and book-making. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was employed to analyse the data. \nThe findings included eight themes – three student themes, three themes across parent and teacher data, one parent theme and one teacher theme. Findings suggested 1) students with CCN know their friends best, 2) friendships are maintained through a connection that goes beyond words, where meaningful social contact is enacted through aspects of the human experience located outside of language, 3) reciprocity in friendships means no distinction between ‘helper’ and ‘needing help’, 4) barriers include communication limitations and the protectiveness of parents 5) parents facilitate friendships through dedication to their students’ social lives and sticking within their communities, and 6) teachers facilitate friendships through structured and incidental friendship opportunities alongside an inclusive school ethos. \nStrengths and limitations are highlighted. Implications for practice for Educational Psychologists, schools and curriculum developers and policy planners, including directions for future research, are discussed.
Author: Ho, Hui Jun
Institution: University College London
Language: English
Subfield: Occupational Therapy
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7019395355