[Dysphagia] off-topic - simulating communication disorders

[hillivie423 at comcast.net (hillivie423 at comcast.net)]

I used to do inservices on communication disorders that included some sensitivity training.  I asked for four or five volunteers to come before the group.  I then asked the volunteers to sit in arm chairs.  I put duct tape over their mouths, and taped their right arms and hands to their chairs.  I then showed each one a different message that I had printed on a 3" x 5" card, and asked them to get that message across to the rest of us.  The messages that I can recall (after all these years!) included concepts such as: "Please call my daughter for me.  I want to see her."  "When is my doctor coming to see me?" "I'm hungry.  Could I please have some crackers?"  "Where are my black shoes?"  "Who is that new employee on evening shift?  I think she might be my neighbor's granddaughter."  Needless to say, the exercise evoked feelings of frustration, despite varying levels of creativity on the part of the actors.  

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Sandi Lancaster <swlslp at yahoo.com> 

> Hi all, 
> 
> Sorry for the off-topic post, but this listserve is always such a wealth of 
> knowledge and ideas! Our hospital is looking at doing comprehensive staff 
> training on communication disorders. One idea we've had is that during an 
> inservice, we'd like to simulate some communication disorders so that the 
> participants will get to experience what it feels like to have a communication 
> disorder. (Sort of like how a PT might have participants be wheelchair-bound, 
> or an OT might have participants keep one arm behind their back while doing 
> ADLs, to simulate physical disabilities.) 
> 
> So, we'd like have our participants experience simulated communication 
> disorders, but we are having difficulty coming up with specific ways to do this. 
> Has anyone done this before...? Any ideas...? 
> 
> Thanks, 
> 
> Sandi 
> 
> 
> Sandi Lancaster, M.A. CCC-SLP 
> Speech-Language Pathologist 
> Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland 
> 
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