Communication Stage Descriptors (1-7)
Stage 1 Early Pre-Intentional Communication
The individual’s communication attempts are generally in response to what is happening internally, i.e. hunger, pain or what is happening in their immediate environment, e.g. movement or sounds. Individuals will have an extremely limited expressive repertoire of non-symbolic communication modes, i.e. facial expression, eye gaze, vocalisation/crying, body language/movement. The onus is on their Communication Partner to observe, interpret and assign a possible meaning to their communication attempts. The individual may show awareness of people, objects and sounds in their immediate environment and attend briefly to them. They do not understand symbolic modes, e.g. speech/sign and will need all messages to be supported by cues such as real objects, touch-speech cues, intonation, simple gestures and facial expression.
Stage 2 Later Pre-Intentional Communication
Individuals at this stage are becoming more attentive to their Communication Partners and may attend to people, their actions and objects for longer periods of time. They may start to show a preference for certain activities and may at times be able to accept some familiar objects offered to them using natural communication, e.g. reaching out to an object in front of them. The onus is still on their Communication Partner to observe, interpret and assign a possible meaning to their communication attempts. They may now attend to familiar keywords/signs/gestures but will still need cues in addition to speech to support their understanding, e.g. real objects, facial expression, intonation
Stage 3 Behavioural Intent
Individuals at this stage are intentional in their actions, i.e. they want the object they are reaching for however they haven’t yet learnt the role their Communication Partner plays in an interaction and/or developed ways to communicate this message to a person. Individuals use non-symbolic communication modes and are able to accept/reject familiar objects, request continuation and express their preferences (early choice-making). They may recognise familiar real objects, be more attentive to their Communication Partner’s messages and may even recognise some key words/signs but will still need cues in addition to speech/sign to help them understand messages.
Stage 4 Emerging Intentionality
Individuals at this stage are now directing their message to a Communication Partner. They will most likely use physical contact (if able to), i.e. taking their Communication Partner’s hand and directing it to an object to request it. If they are unable to make physical contact, they may use alternating eye gaze between the object and the person. Individuals will still use primarily non-symbolic modes to express themselves but may use some early symbolic forms, e.g. photographs, representational objects, gestures, signs and specific vocalisations. They can make real object choices, accept/reject offers consistently & clearly, request more, request assistance and respond to simple greetings. Individuals are able to understand some familiar key signs/words in context/routine, e.g. finished, eat/drink, toilet but will still need additional cues at other times.
Stage 5 Intentional Basic Symbolic
Individuals at this stage are able to direct their message to a person without the need for physical contact, i.e. they will use pointing, extend/show an object or use a sign/speech/symbol. They are more persistent in their messages and may vary the way in which they convey their message to elicit a response from their Communication Partner. They can now use a variety of symbolic modes effectively including; photographs, object symbols, PCS (less abstract ones), signs, spoken words. Individuals understand and respond to a range of familiar one part instructions, e.g. stand up, give me and some two part instructions, e.g. go to the table. They may also understand and respond to some simple wh- questions, e.g. “who’s turn? and “where’s your bag?”
Stage 6 Established Symbolic
Individuals at this stage are fully aware of their Communication Partner’s role in an interaction and actively engage others for a variety of purposes. They use a range of symbolic modes to convey numerous communicative functions including; commenting, requesting information, asking questions, naming objects/people and expressing their feelings. The individual’s understanding and use of grammatical structures such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and prepositions is developing and they can use these to create simple 3-4 word sentences. They can respond to an increasing number of familiar 2 & 3 part instructions as well as familiar wh- questions such as who, what, where & when.
Stage 7 Language User
Individuals at this stage are able to actively engage their Communication Partners in social interactions for the purposes of general conversations, topic discussions etc. They have well-developed conversational skills with possibly some areas still to develop, e.g. selecting a greater range of topics. They now have a good grasp of grammar with numerous grammatical structures in their repertoire, e.g. nouns, adverbs, conjunctions, verb tenses etc. and can produce complex sentences through the use of conjunctions, e.g. “I want to eat but I haven’t finished my work.” Individuals understand a range of wh- questions including some why and how questions and can follow instructions which are longer, i.e. 2-3 steps and more linguistically complex, i.e. contain more abstract concepts/grammatical structures. They may also be developing their understanding of non-literal language, e.g. metaphors, idioms and similies.