Andrea L. Ruppar, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Something to Talk About: Access to the General Curriculum for Students with Complex Communication Needs
Students with complex communication needs are among the most segregated learners in U.S. schools, often placed in separate settings on the premise that they are not ready for academic content. However, observational research shows that segregated classrooms offer few communication partners, little academic instruction with lots of down time, and low expectations, while general education classrooms provide the peer interaction, academic language, and literacy opportunities that give students reasons to communicate. Guided by the least dangerous assumption, I argue that the general curriculum should be the primary context for communication instruction and describe three key features of positive school experiences and outcomes for students with complex communication needs: collaborative service delivery, curriculum-based goals and vocabulary, and preparing everyone in a school to be a confident communication partner.