Courses · Disability Support Induction
Communication in Disability Support
Everyone communicates. This module covers what makes communication work, what your body language says before you speak, and the aids and systems you will meet on shift.
About this certificate
Non-accredited Certificate of Completion. Where a participant has a communication profile or a system prescribed by a speech pathologist, that document governs how you communicate with them.
About this module
Communication failure sits behind a large share of incidents, complaints and behaviours of concern in disability support. This module covers what effective communication actually requires, verbal and written practice, how body language and tone change the message, the principle that all behaviour is communication, and the augmentative and alternative communication systems — from picture boards to eye-gaze devices — that you will encounter and be expected to use.
Who it is for
All disability support workers, and anyone communicating with participants, families or colleagues.
What you will be able to do
- Explain what makes communication effective and where it commonly fails
- Apply good practice in verbal and written communication
- Recognise how body language, tone and position affect a message
- Interpret behaviour as communication
- Identify the main types of communication aid and support their use
Aligned to
- NDIS Practice Standards — Provision of Supports
- NDIS Code of Conduct — elements 1 and 2
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — Article 21
Lesson plan
What the module covers
| # | Lesson | What it covers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | What makes it work, and where it fails | The model, the barriers, and listening properly. | 10m |
| 02 | Body language, tone and behaviour as communication | Most of the message is not the words. | 10m |
| 03 | Communication aids and systems | What you will meet on shift and how to support it properly. | 10m |
| ✓ | Final assessment | 10 scenario-based questions · pass mark 80% · unlimited attempts | ~15m |
Also in Disability Support Induction
Intro to Disability Support 1
Where disability support in Australia came from, the two models that shape how you work, and how to treat people decently without overthinking it.
Intro to Disability Support 2
What the job actually involves day to day, the paperwork you will meet and why each piece exists, and the laws that sit behind all of it.
Person-Centred Active Support
The difference between caring for someone and supporting them to live their own life — and the practical technique that makes it happen on a shift.