Communication development from an intersubjective perspective: Exploring the use of a layered communication model to describe communication development in students with congenital deafblindness.

The Layered Communication Model (LCM) consists of three layers of intersubjective development divided into different communicative behaviors per layer. Earlier research showed that the LCM can be used to describe the communication level between teachers and their students with congenital deafblindness (CDB). This study analyzed whether the LCM can also be used to monitor the development of LCM behaviors over time. Videos of eight student-teacher dyads recorded at the start of this study (baseline phase) and 5 months later (follow-up phase) were coded using 10-s partial interval coding. The presence of the communicative behaviors at the three layers of the LCM during baseline and follow-up were calculated and compared between dyads and phases. The results on the presence of LCM behaviors were in line with earlier research. The presence of primary layer behaviors was comparable between dyads, confirming that this is a basic communication layer. The differences found between dyads in the presence of secondary and tertiary layer behaviors shows that these can be used to determine a dyad's communicative level. Results also showed that the LCM can be used to monitor communication development. Small increases were found in the presence of LCM behaviors between baseline and follow-up for the primary layer behaviors, but larger increases were found for secondary and tertiary layer behaviors, showing that development can be monitored. In conclusion, this study again showed that the LCM can be used to describe a dyad's communicative level. We also found increases in the presence of certain behaviors between baseline and follow-up for all dyads, which shows that the LCM can also be used to monitor communication over time. More insight into the period between the analyzed phases is suggested to analyze what might have caused the increase in presence of behaviors. This would reveal more about the use of the LCM as a tool to improve communication development.

In this paper an adaptive computational temporal-causal network model is presented to analyse the dynamic and adaptive relationships between cannabis usage, anxiety and sleep. The model has been used to simulate different well-known scenarios varying from intermittent usage to longer periods of usage interrupted by attempts to quit and to constant usage based on full addiction. It is described how the model has been verified and validated by empirical information from the literature.

The Layered Communication Model (LCM) describes intersubjective development based on eight different communicative behaviors in three consecutive layers. Earlier studies showed that when the model is used in an intervention, the presence of many LCM behaviors increases from before to after the intervention. The present study aims to relate the content of the intervention to its effectiveness to learn whether and how the LCM can be used to improve communication. 15-minute videos of four student-teacher dyads were coded in ten-second intervals for the presence and absence of the eight LCM behaviors before, during and after the intervention. The intervention was divided into two phases: self-assessment and video feedback coaching. Intervention content was described based on the behaviors that were targeted for improvement during the two phases. Effectiveness was measured by calculating the percentage increase in presence between phases and by calculating effect sizes using a nonoverlap of all pairs method. Results showed that the second intervention phase (video feedback coaching) was most effective in terms of increasing the presence of LCM behaviors and creating larger effect sizes. Effectiveness measures decreased during the follow-up phase but were still higher than at baseline. Furthermore, effectiveness was higher for targeted behaviors than for untargeted behaviors. In conclusion, the LCM can be used as a tool to improve communication, especially when specific behaviors are clearly targeted and video feedback coaching is used to clarify how to work on improving the presence of those behaviors. The self-assessment phase needs adjustments to increase its effectiveness.

Wolthuis, K. (2021). Layered communication development: the creation of a model that can describe, monitor and improve intersubjective communication between people with congenital deafblindness and others. University of Groningen.