• To enhance your understanding of the communication needs of people with learning disabilities
• To appreciate how non-verbal communication can usefully complement or replace verbal communication
• To contribute towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD (UK readers)
• To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)
People with learning disabilities may experience communication difficulties and it is essential for nurses to develop the necessary skills to support them, from being attuned to a person’s gestures and vocalisations to using sign language and assistive technologies. Supporting people with learning disabilities involves adopting a person-centred approach to communication, developing a communication passport that describes their communication abilities and needs, and providing written materials in easy-read format. When interacting with people with learning disabilities, nurses can also make effective use of non-verbal communication to complement or replace verbal communication.
Learning Disability Practice. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2022.e2196
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
Burke ÉA, Fleming S, Doyle C et al (2022) Using verbal and non-verbal communication to support people with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Practice. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2022.e2196
Published online: 27 October 2022
or
Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now
Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more
