At BMS, communication is at the forefront of learning. We believe that all students have the capacity and the right to communicate. It is our vision that all students enter the post-school world using language effectively for meaningful interactions with all people, in all settings. Students are engaged in genuine opportunities to learn to communicate through spoken language and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems such as Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display (PODD) books, Proloquo2Go, communication boards, speech generating devices, key word sign, and other systems. In line with this strong focus on communication, every student has at least one individual learning plan (ILP) goal focussing on communication.
We promote and provide a communication accessible environment for all students. Skilled staff model appropriate communication throughout all learning areas across the curriculum and within daily routines. AAC and other visual supports are embedded into all aspects of the school day to enhance comprehension and communication access for our students. We recognise that behaviour has a communicative intent and value all communication attempts. Highly skilled staff support and teach our students to communicate using socially appropriate and functional forms of communication, individualised for each student to best meet their needs.
The BMS community of staff, families, therapists, and community workers collaborate to have a shared language and understanding of communicative competence (communication). We implement evidence-based best practice with a focus on building partner skills and effectively modelling language. At BMS we utilise a clear and comprehensive communication assessment tool to inform planning and reporting to show student growth.