Staff perceptions and experiences of using Key Word Signing with children with Down syndrome and their peers in the first year of mainstream primary education

What is already known on the subject It is well established that the use of KWS is beneficial in supporting the language and communication needs of children with DS. It is also accepted that if KWS is to be effective as a system of communication, the system needs to be understood and used by the communicative partners of those who rely on it. However, many staff in mainstream schools (with children with DS in attendance) have had limited exposure to KWS, little to no experience of using KWS and limited support available to help them create a signing environment. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study provides a current account of the perceptions and experiences of teachers and SNAs to the use of KWS in mainstream primary schools in Ireland. Through qualitative approaches it identifies a number of benefits, facilitators and challenges to the use of KWS in schools, as well as the need for KWS to be incorporated into a whole-school approach to communication. Lastly, the study indicates that with ongoing support over the course of the school year, staff attitudes towards KWS changed and became increasingly positive. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? To facilitate the successful implementation of KWS in schools there is a need to develop a whole school-tiered intervention approach to KWS in mainstream schools. This study also highlights the need for ongoing support for school staff to use KWS to ensure successful implementation.