Im. Evans et Lh. Meyer, Having friends and Rett syndrome: how social relationships create meaningful contexts for limited skills, DISABIL REH, 23(3-4), 2001, pp. 167-176
Purpose: The experiences of a teenage girl with Rett syndrome who was being
educated in an inclusive middle school are described to provide a better u
nderstanding of how social relationships create meaningful contexts for ind
ividuals with limited skills. The case example is used to illustrate the pr
inciple that contexts (including expectancies, acceptance, philosophical pr
inciples) can be designed to support meaningful social relationships, despi
te social and intellectual disabilities.
Method: Naturalistic observations of social interactions over a two year pe
riod are reported to illustrate the possible types of social relationship b
etween this young person and her adolescent friends and peers.
Results/Conclusions: While someone with this syndrome might be judged objec
tively to have minimal social skills, an accepting social environment willi
ng to read minimal communicative cues provided the context for many typical
social interactions. Since contexts require subjective judgement, the post
-modern concept that disability represents a social construction can be vie
wed as a metaphor compatible with the reality that careful planning and str
ucturing of the environment is in some instances the most appropriate inter
vention focus rather than the person with a disability. The sorts of positi
ve friendship experiences described in this paper did not occur spontaneous
ly, or by chance alone, nor were they the result of social skills instructi
on. Instead, they were associated with observable social behaviour by careg
ivers and peers who were extending their own repertoires to accommodate som
eone objectively determined to have a severe disability.