Staff members' understandings about communication with individuals who have multiple learning disabilities: a case of Finnish OIVA communication training.
BACKGROUND
Often communication training has been directed at the communication practices of staff members working with people with multiple learning disabilities. To date, the thinking habits of staff members, which also influence interactions, have not been addressed. We identified the issues staff members perceived as important for their development as communication partners after participating in a communication training program.


METHODS
Six key staff members participated in semistructured interviews that explored the insights they had gained during participation in the Finnish communication training program OIVA.


RESULTS
Participating staff members identified issues relating to the communication practices and thinking habits they had acquired during the training. Both communication practices and thinking habits were important for the staff members' development as communication partners.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this study suggest that it is important to give staff members the opportunity to learn new practices and to explore the thinking that underpins the actions they perform during communication training.
Children's Therapy Centre Terapeija, Kuusiniementie 2, Espoo, Finland. katja.koski@terapeija.fi
Katja
K
Koski
Kaisa
K
Martikainen
Katja
K
Burakoff
Kaisa
K
Launonen
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000379:methods*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014743:Videotape Recording