TaSSeLs : Tactile Signing for Sensory Learners: For Staff Working with Children and Young People

For those with profound and complex learning disabilities, traditional approaches to communication and learning need to be creatively adapted to ensure they meet individual needs. Touch is a vital method of communication for those with profound learning difficulties, who can often also have visual and/or hearing impairments. The TaSSeLs system utilises touch to promote meaningful interaction by communicating what is going to happen next and preparing learners for changes. This allows them to be involved in their own routine and offers comfort, nurture and respect. In this second edition of the TaSSels training pack, techniques have been refined, improved and added to, based upon the invaluable feedback of users. It provides all the necessary resources and information to help someone learn to use the system with children and young people aged from 0-19 years, including background information, key principles and explanations of the three different methods of delivering the signs. These methods are hand-under-hand (preferred method), hand-under-hand (adapted method) and the on-body method. The training pack includes new strategies that will increase the ease of signing, as well as increase the interaction between learner and adult. The training pack offers practical visual aids in order to ensure the training is as easy and clear to deliver as possible. The index includes detailed descriptions of the signs, with 176 colour photographs to illustrate. The pack includes a CD-Rom which offers guidance on creating prompt cards, as well as specialist software so these can be personalised to suit the learner's needs. A DVD demonstrates how to carry out all of the signs, using the three approaches.