Multimodal assessment of social skills in students with cerebral palsy using alternative communication

Abstract

Students with cerebral palsy unable to efficiently communicate orally may be incapable to express feelings and thoughts and, consequently, their academic and social development are hindered. The general objective of this research was to describe the repertoire of social skills of students with cerebral palsy. The specific objectives were: (i) to adapt the Multimedia System of Social Skills for Children (MSSSC – Del Prette and Del Prette) to nonspeaking students with cerebral palsy by employing Augmentative and Alternative Communication resources and (ii) to verify the feasibility of a proposal of multimodal assessment for nonspeaking individuals with cerebral palsy. Two studies were made. The first dealt with the adaptation of the instrument and the second collected the data using the inventory. This assessment involved the application of the following instruments: the Social Skills Inventory for Nonspeaking Individuals (SSINSI), record of direct observation of students in social environments, parent questionnaire and interviews with school teachers. To estimate the correlation between the self-assessment and the teacher evaluation through SSINSI, we opted for the use of the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. This test verified that there was no difference between the two forms of assessment. The data revealed appropriate frequency of emission behavior at subclasses Assertiveness and Self-control and emotional expressiveness. The subjects had partial frequency at Basic Skills, Empathy, Making Friends and Academic Social Skills and low frequency at Civility and Interpersonal Problem Solving. The present findings indicate the need for Social Skills Training for disabled individuals with cerebral palsy.