A framework for learners developing bodily-tactile communication and tactile sign language skills

Steve Rose — Version 1.3, 2023 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

"Communication is a two-way partnership — it is not a deficit located in one person. The practitioner's job is to become a skilled, responsive partner, not to remediate the learner."

Steve Rose, informed by Nafstad & Rødbroe (2013)

What is this framework for?

This framework helps practitioners who work with people who are congenitally deafblind, or who have multi-sensory impairments, to assess where a learner is in developing tactile and bodily communication, and to plan meaningful next steps. It is intended for use by speech and language therapists, teachers of the deafblind, interveners, and allied health professionals.

The framework is designed to be used in naturalistic observation contexts — in the classroom, at home, during daily routines — alongside a learner's communication partners. It is not a deficit model. Every observation is an observation of a relationship, not of an individual.

The four learner stages

Sensory Learner

Pre-intentional. Sensory responses. Establishing safety and trust with touch. Communication is about being present together.

Emergent Language Learner

Early intentional communication. Proto-declarations, triadic attention emerging. The learner is discovering that touch can mean something.

Foundation Language

Consistent use of touch cues and early signs. Symbol-meaning connections forming. A shared lexicon is beginning to develop.

Language Learner

Tactile sign language in use. Grammar, narrative, dialogue across multiple partners. Full linguistic expression through the tactile channel.

Important: learners are heterogeneous

A learner may show skills across multiple profiles simultaneously, particularly where skills are domain-specific. Always complete the profile that best reflects the learner's overall picture, but note and record cross-profile strengths. The framework is a map, not a ladder.

The three-phase workflow

Observe

Use the Observations Sheet in naturalistic contexts — ideally across 3 or more episodes, with different communication partners. Notes are domain-organised: Attention, Understanding, Conceptual development, Individual expressions, Cultural expressions, Social reciprocity, Misunderstanding & repair, Alphabet, Tactile hygiene.

Profile

Cross-reference your observation notes against the relevant Progress Profile (5 profiles total). Mark each skill as Emerging, Developing, or Achieved. Link specific observations as evidence. Keep the version history — progress over a term is more informative than a single snapshot.

Plan

Use the Summary and Goal Setting Sheet. Surface Achieved items as strengths. Surface Emerging items as candidate next goals. Set short-term and long-term goals with due dates, linked skills, and measurement criteria. Generate a report for EHCP review, team meeting, or parent update.

Source: Steve Rose, A framework for learners developing bodily-tactile communication and tactile sign language skills, V1.3, 2023. Copyright Steve Rose 2020. Licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Commercial use within this app is licensed separately.