ABSTRACT
Children with multiple sensory disabilities may not develop the language effectively, given that the combination of disabilities tends to reduce their participation in the environment and harm language development. The objective of this research was to analyze the interaction processes, i.e., the attention (attention to the person, attention to the object and joint attention) and communicative behaviors between a student with multiple disabilities (age: 4 years and 6 months) and her teacher specialized in the field of sensory multiple disabilities. The data were collected during activities in the classroom, through participant observations and audiovisual recordings of teacher/child interactions and analyzed with the ATLAS.TI program. The results indicated that the student showed attention to the object in activities involving music and rhythm. As potential forms of nonverbal communication it was observed eye gaze body movement and vocalizations. The teacher forms of communication were verbal, touch, visual, auditory (rhythm) and Brazilian Sign Language. The student presented potential turn-taking only when the action was initiated by the teacher. The quality of the activities, the materials used and the participation showed to have impact on the levels of attention and communication. More researches should consider these results as a way to define which activities that can contribute to support the development and quality of life of children with sensory multiple disabilities. Thus, teacher and speech/language therapist should know the way each child communicates and to be alert to nonverbal behaviors as a way to establish effective communication.
Disability; Communication; Interpersonal relations; Speech, language and hearing sciences; Education, Special