Stimulating Intersubjective Communication in an Adult with Deafblindness: A Single-Case Experiment

• Published in: Journal of deaf studies and deaf education Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 366 - 384
• Main Authors: Damen, Saskia, Janssen, Marleen J., Huisman, Mark, Ruijssenaars, Wied A.J.J.M., Schuengel, Carlo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 01.07.2014; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Blindness; Caregivers; Caregivers - education; Communication; Communication Skills; Communication Strategies; Deaf Blind; Deaf education; Deaf-Blind Disorders - complications; Deaf-Blind Disorders - rehabilitation; Deafblindness; Deafness; Developmental Disabilities; Dyadics; Emotional development; Emotional Response; Empirical Articles; Feasibility Studies; Feedback (Response); Friendship; Goldenhar Syndrome - complications; Humans; Interaction; Interpersonal Communication; Interpersonal Relations; Interpersonal Relationship; Intersubjectivity; Intervention; Male; Mental Retardation; Observation; Perceptual Impairments; Program Effectiveness; Self Concept; Social interaction; Theories; Treatment Outcome; Video Technology; Young Adult; Young Adults
• ISSN: 1081-4159; 1465-7325
• DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enu006

Sensory disabilities may limit a person's development of intersubjectivity, that is, the awareness of self and other, which develops in conjunction with interpersonal communication. This study used intersubjectivity theory to test a new intervention called the High-Quality Communication (HQC) intervention for its effects on a young adult with congenital deafblindness and a developmental age of between 1.5 and 4 years. Three of his social partners were trained to support attunement and meaning making with him through education and video feedback. This study measured seven observation categories at three layers of intersubjective development during a baseline and two intervention phases: dyadic interaction, shared emotion, referential communication, meaning negotiation, shared meaning, declarative communication, and shared past experience. The participant's use of conventional communication was included as an additional category. Effects were observed in all observation categories from the baseline to the intervention phases. Further study of the effectiveness of the HQC intervention is recommended to test whether effects generalize across people and settings.