The development of Communication, language and literacy skills are at the core of everything we do at Castlereagh School.
We believe that communication is a process of making meaning through shared engagement and interaction. All our staff are communication partners, supporting our students to create meaningful connections with others, to learn and to share new knowledge, to talk and engage authentically with the people in our lives.
In order to develop communicative skills, our students engage in specialized instruction to learn skills that enable them to communicate effectively for a broad range of purposes. We work closely with speech therapists, enabling our students to receive appropriate support and teaching strategies throughout their school day.
As a multi-modal school, we focus on building communication competence across a range of communication systems and strategies to foster access, participation, motivation, and achievement across all learning areas and life domains.
Students learn to use interactive electronic technologies and a range of low-tech and high-tech Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) systems and strategies to extend their natural speech and gestures. These include, every staff member as a communication partner wearing a PODD, Key Word Sign, Boardmaker visuals, visual schedules, single message switches, eye-gaze technology and electronic interactive boards.