SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNICATIVE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITHPIMD: A CASE STUDY

In recognizing communication as a fundamental right, Special Pedagogy aligns with the main international references (Maes et al., 2007; Nind & Strnadova, 2020; Sigafoos, 2021, 2025), highlighting the need to ensure equal communication opportunities for people with Profound Intellectual Multiple Disabilities (PIMD). From this perspective, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) emerges as a strategic approach to building inclusive educational pathways, fostering the development of contextualized communication skills. This paper analyzes the role of AAC in designing individualised interventions, focusing on using the Social Networks (Blackstone & Hunt Berg, 2003) as an assessment tool for detecting communicative needs and interactive dynamics. The proposed research aims to highlight the importance of using complex communication needs assessment procedures within the educational intake in order to improve the participation and self-determination of people with PIMD.