WEBVTT 00:00:08.184 --> 00:00:13.087 Recognizing and promoting skills 00:00:13,196 What areas of development and skills are there, and into which areas can skills be divided? 00:00:21.986 --> 00:00:23.666 That is basically what 00:00:23.666 --> 00:00:25.186 we as psychologists 00:00:25.186 --> 00:00:28.266 always try to assess with test procedures. 00:00:28.266 --> 00:00:29.706 And when you look at that, 00:00:29.706 --> 00:00:32.606 on the one hand, you have groups of tasks 00:00:32.606 --> 00:00:34.306 that deal with cognitive abilities 00:00:34.306 --> 00:00:35.746 in the narrower sense. 00:00:35,746 - -> 00:00:38,746 The second would be all language-related skills, 00:00:38.746 --> 00:00:40.146 both in terms of language comprehension 00:00:40.146 --> 00:00:42.806 and language production. 00:00:42.806 --> 00:00:43.866 A third area, 00:00:43.866 --> 00:00:46.166 that should not be underestimated 00:00:46.166 --> 00:00:48.086 is what experts call 00:00:48.086 --> 00:00:49.706 adaptive skills. 00:00:49.968 --> 00:00:52.908 The entire range of independence skills, 00:00:52.908 --> 00:00:55.928 that you need both at home and outside 00:00:55.928 --> 00:00:57.428 to get along well. 00:00:57.428 --> 00:00:58.668 And the fourth area, 00:00:58.668 --> 00:01:00.168 which is always very close to my heart, 00:01:00.168 --> 00:01:02.228 is social-emotional skills, 00:01:02.228 --> 00:01:03.448 because we can see 00:01:03.448 --> 00:01:06.008 that many of the difficult situations 00:01:06.008 --> 00:01:08.008 in the lives of people with disabilities 00:01:08.008 --> 00:01:09.608 are not so much difficult because 00:01:09.608 --> 00:01:11.568 that they are cognitively very limited, 00:01:11.568 --> 00:01:12.308 but that 00:01:12.308 --> 00:01:14.608 develop unfavorable behavioral traits 00:01:14.608 --> 00:01:16.288 which can put a great strain on relationships with other people 00:01:16.288 --> 00:01:17.748 in the environment. 00:01:18.210 --> 00:01:21.230 And these behavioral problems are strongly dependent 00:01:21.230 --> 00:01:23.530 on social-emotional skills. 00:01:23.530 --> 00:01:24.830 So there are four areas 00:01:24.830 --> 00:01:26.470 that can be clearly separated, 00:01:26.470 --> 00:01:27.910 although, of course, the things 00:01:27.910 --> 00:01:29.430 are already interrelated. 00:01:29.430 --> 00:01:31.330 Adaptive skills have something to do 00:01:31.330 --> 00:01:33.290 with cognitive learning prerequisites 00:01:33.290 --> 00:01:34.490 that someone brings with them. 00:01:34.490 --> 00:01:37.470 Social-emotional skills have something to do 00:01:37.470 --> 00:01:38.910 with communication skills, 00:01:38.910 --> 00:01:41.130 verbal or nonverbal, 00:01:41.130 --> 00:01:42.350 nonverbal. 00:01:42.350 --> 00:01:45.010 So it's a somewhat artificial attempt to 00:01:45.010 --> 00:01:46.790 separate four areas from each other, 00:01:47.138 --> 00:01:47.718 knowing full well 00:01:47.718 --> 00:01:49.458 that these things interact with each other. 00:01:51.102 --> 00:01:58.462 What options are available for systematically recording the skills of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities? 00:01:59.746 --> 00:02:01.186 If the question had not 00:02:01.186 --> 00:02:02.846 asked about people with 00:02:02.846 --> 00:02:04.106 profound intellectual and multiple disabilities, 00:02:04.106 --> 00:02:05.806 then the answer would be obvious. 00:02:05.806 --> 00:02:07.686 That would mean 00:02:07.686 --> 00:02:10.066 that is the classic task 00:02:10.066 --> 00:02:12.886 of special education teachers and psychologists with testing procedures. 00:02:12.886 --> 00:02:14.366 They are designed precisely for this purpose. 00:02:14.366 --> 00:02:17.246 There are tests for all these areas. 00:02:17.246 --> 00:02:20.366 They select well-proven tasks 00:02:20.366 --> 00:02:22.666 that are designed to simulate everyday requirements. 00:02:22.666 --> 00:02:23.866 And then you look at 00:02:23.866 --> 00:02:25.066 how well the person being examined 00:02:25.066 --> 00:02:25.966 you are examining 00:02:25.966 --> 00:02:27.326 with these tasks. 00:02:27.778 --> 00:02:30.058 and as a result, 00:02:30.058 --> 00:02:31.918 a profile of competencies. 00:02:31.918 --> 00:02:33.618 That's an important point, 00:02:33.618 --> 00:02:34.758 that it's not about 00:02:34.758 --> 00:02:36.278 determining some kind of number, 00:02:36.278 --> 00:02:38.718 an intelligence quotient or something similar, 00:02:38.718 --> 00:02:40.638 but rather that what the tests provide us with 00:02:40.638 --> 00:02:42.678 is a reliable assessment 00:02:42.678 --> 00:02:45.158 of what sub-skills someone has, 00:02:45.158 --> 00:02:46.638 where their strengths lie, 00:02:46.638 --> 00:02:48.638 which can be put to good use in everyday life, 00:02:48.638 --> 00:02:51.238 where are the special needs for support, 00:02:51.238 --> 00:02:52.338 i.e. so-called weaknesses. 00:02:53.026 --> 00:02:55.266 In principle, this could of course be transferred 00:02:55.266 --> 00:02:56.786 to people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities, 00:02:56.786 --> 00:02:58.886 but the tasks we have 00:02:58.886 --> 00:03:01.226 all require a relatively high level of 00:03:01.226 --> 00:03:02.586 cognitive abilities 00:03:02.586 --> 00:03:04.566 and/or linguistic abilities, 00:03:04.566 --> 00:03:07.446 so that the examination of a person 00:03:07.446 --> 00:03:09.566 in childhood or adulthood 00:03:09.566 --> 00:03:11.486 with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities using tests 00:03:11.486 --> 00:03:14.086 can only be a guide. 00:03:14.086 --> 00:03:15.046 This can be done 00:03:15.046 --> 00:03:17.526 if the appropriate specialists are available, 00:03:17.526 --> 00:03:22.234 but you can't expect to get a large amount of information 00:03:22.234 --> 00:03:23.634 from it. 00:03:23.634 --> 00:03:27.134 The alternative is observation in everyday life. 00:03:27.134 --> 00:03:29.674 You can't just leave it at that in general terms. 00:03:29.674 --> 00:03:30.614 You then have to, 00:03:30.614 --> 00:03:32.594 if you want to make a statement, 00:03:32.594 --> 00:03:34.094 choose 00:03:34.094 --> 00:03:36.094 which tasks are repeated 00:03:36.094 --> 00:03:37.894 in everyday life for the person 00:03:37.894 --> 00:03:38.554 in question. 00:03:38.554 --> 00:03:40.174 These can be work tasks 00:03:40.174 --> 00:03:42.754 or social challenges in everyday life 00:03:42.754 --> 00:03:44.414 when they are with other people. 00:03:44.414 --> 00:03:45.834 You have to realize 00:03:45.834 --> 00:03:48.354 what skills are required of someone 00:03:48.354 --> 00:03:50.514 in this particular situation. 00:03:50.946 --> 00:03:52.026 And then you have to see 00:03:52.026 --> 00:03:55.386 through observation, 00:03:55.386 --> 00:03:57.486 which of the mentioned skills he already has 00:03:57.486 --> 00:04:00.346 and where he fails or where you notice 00:04:00.346 --> 00:04:01.846 that he can't cope with it at all 00:04:01.846 --> 00:04:03.526 and can develop a certain profile 00:04:03.526 --> 00:04:06.466 in this way. 00:04:06.466 --> 00:04:09.686 There are strengths and there are support needs 00:04:09.686 --> 00:04:11.226 of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. 00:04:11.226 --> 00:04:13.646 Sure, it then refers 00:04:13.646 --> 00:04:15.366 to selected situations, 00:04:15.366 --> 00:04:15.866 but I think 00:04:15.866 --> 00:04:17.505 that's the best possible way 00:04:17.505 --> 00:04:19.466 if you choose this situation so that 00:04:19.466 --> 00:04:20.266 it really looks 00:04:20.642 --> 00:04:24.322 at recurring parts of everyday life, 00:04:24.322 --> 00:04:27.842 work situations, care situations, 00:04:27.842 --> 00:04:29.162 demands for independence 00:04:29.162 --> 00:04:31.842 and similar matters, 00:04:31.842 --> 00:04:33.522 then you get at least 00:04:33.522 --> 00:04:35.622 the recurring situations 00:04:35.622 --> 00:04:37.322 a good diagnostic assessment. 00:04:37.322 --> 00:04:40.242 This requires good observation skills 00:04:40.242 --> 00:04:41.842 and, above all, the ability to 00:04:41.842 --> 00:04:42.862 take on the task 00:04:42.862 --> 00:04:45.482 someone is faced with, 00:04:45.482 --> 00:04:47.222 to understand it clearly within yourself, 00:04:47.222 --> 00:04:48.482 in other words, to be clear about 00:04:48.482 --> 00:04:49.262 what is needed 00:04:49.262 --> 00:04:51.542 to accomplish this task. 00:04:51.542 --> 00:04:53.042 Like the recourse earlier, 00:04:53.042 --> 00:04:53.822 what do you need? 00:04:53.822 --> 00:04:55.082 Attention span, 00:04:55.082 --> 00:04:55.622 What do you need? 00:04:55.622 --> 00:04:56.622 Memory, 00:04:56.622 --> 00:04:57.082 What do you need? 00:04:57.082 --> 00:04:58.402 Planning ability. 00:04:58.402 --> 00:05:01.202 This is often seen 00:05:01.202 --> 00:05:06.082 in the area of social-emotional diagnostics, 00:05:06.082 --> 00:05:08.642 where, as I've already said, 00:05:08.642 --> 00:05:10.002 this is an area 00:05:10.002 --> 00:05:11.266 we should 00:05:11.266 --> 00:05:12.666 place a strong emphasis on. 00:05:12.666 --> 00:05:15.046 There are no useful testing methods at all. 00:05:15.046 --> 00:05:16.966 You can't test something so abstract 00:05:16.966 --> 00:05:18.906 with tasks. 00:05:18.906 --> 00:05:20.506 But we proceed in exactly the same way as just described. 00:05:20.506 --> 00:05:21.706 We look at 00:05:21.706 --> 00:05:22.846 situations that frequently occur in everyday life. 00:05:22.846 --> 00:05:25.606 which situations occur frequently in everyday life. 00:05:25.606 --> 00:05:28.466 For example, a person with a disability 00:05:28.466 --> 00:05:29.486 meets a group 00:05:29.486 --> 00:05:31.146 who are already doing something together 00:05:31.146 --> 00:05:32.206 and would like to join in. 00:05:32.206 --> 00:05:33.906 That would be an everyday situation 00:05:33.906 --> 00:05:35.326 that he often faces 00:05:35.326 --> 00:05:37.378 and then you just have to see 00:05:37.378 --> 00:05:38.258 what he needs now 00:05:38.258 --> 00:05:40.518 to gain access to the group. 00:05:40.518 --> 00:05:41.718 He might need an idea 00:05:41.718 --> 00:05:42.758 what can I do now 00:05:42.758 --> 00:05:44.378 to get their attention. 00:05:44.378 --> 00:05:47.518 What can I do in terms of offers 00:05:47.518 --> 00:05:49.458 that might be interesting to others 00:05:49.458 --> 00:05:51.278 so that they let me join in? 00:05:51.278 --> 00:05:53.058 How do I deal with it 00:05:53.058 --> 00:05:55.798 when they look grim and I get the impression 00:05:55.798 --> 00:05:56.578 that I'm just getting in the way. 00:05:56.578 --> 00:05:58.298 Do I have to withdraw 00:05:58.298 --> 00:06:01.258 or can I perhaps come up with another idea 00:06:01.258 --> 00:06:02.358 about how I might still 00:06:02.358 --> 00:06:04.698 join the group somehow. 00:06:05.186 --> 00:06:05.866 And you can see from this 00:06:05.866 --> 00:06:07.666 that it's about cognitive processes again, 00:06:07.666 --> 00:06:10.446 attention, assessing the other person, 00:06:10.446 --> 00:06:11.886 assessment of the situation, 00:06:11.886 --> 00:06:14.706 planning of various possible courses of action. 00:06:14.706 --> 00:06:16.646 And when I observe and see something like that, 00:06:16.646 --> 00:06:20.606 the person affected stands there completely helpless 00:06:20.606 --> 00:06:21.706 and doesn't know what to do, 00:06:21.706 --> 00:06:24.086 then I know they need a lot of assistance. 00:06:24.086 --> 00:06:26.366 But if they already show some ideas 00:06:26.366 --> 00:06:28.926 and maybe just can't cope with the dot, 00:06:28.926 --> 00:06:31.286 that he will be rejected at the first suggestion 00:06:31.286 --> 00:06:32.346 and the others will say, 00:06:32.346 --> 00:06:34.566 yes, I don't want to do anything with together now, 00:06:34.566 --> 00:06:35.686 nonverbally or verbally. 00:06:35.686 --> 00:06:37.906 Then you've identified a point 00:06:37.906 --> 00:06:38.786 where you say, yes, 00:06:38.786 --> 00:06:40.566 he's doing well up to that point, 00:06:40.566 --> 00:06:41.646 he has the competence. 00:06:41.646 --> 00:06:42.986 But that's something 00:06:42.986 --> 00:06:44.046 we still need to practice, 00:06:44.046 --> 00:06:45.526 for example, dealing 00:06:45.526 --> 00:06:48.006 with negative reactions from others. 00:06:48.006 --> 00:06:49.986 And for this type of diagnosis 00:06:49.986 --> 00:06:53.046 you don't actually need any psychological expertise. 00:06:53.046 --> 00:06:55.506 You can do it well in everyday situations, 00:06:55.506 --> 00:06:56.526 but what you need 00:06:56.526 --> 00:06:59.126 is simply good observation skills 00:06:59.126 --> 00:07:01.034 and a good ability to 00:07:01.034 --> 00:07:02.074 to clarify the tasks 00:07:02.074 --> 00:07:04.294 that someone is facing, 00:07:04.294 --> 00:07:06.234 what sub-skills they need 00:07:06.234 --> 00:07:07.774 to cope successfully. 00:07:07.774 --> 00:07:09.334 But that would actually be something 00:07:09.334 --> 00:07:12.114 that could very well be provided in good care facilities 00:07:12.114 --> 00:07:13.674 and the quality of social support 00:07:13.674 --> 00:07:16.494 and could optimally improve 00:07:16.494 --> 00:07:17.654 the quality of social support.