picTTalk : Communicating with people with learning disabilities about loss and ill health

picTTalk (pictorial Tools for Talking) was developed over five years by professionals, children and adults with a learning disability. Keele University and ASIST Advocacy Services developed picTTalk to facilitate stories and conversations. picTTalk can help people to have a voice in what’s happening to them in their lives.
Everyone has a story to tell. Storytelling remains a unique human activity that can have tremendous impact, influence and importance in the lives of people with a learning disability.
Telling stories of loss, change, and ill health can often be difficult. Where people have a limited range of verbal skills to articulate their story picTTalk can be particularly helpful. Professionals using picTTalk can help people to ask questions, to indicate choices and share information about health and explore sensitive topics such as loss and bereavement.
Sharing stories can also be cathartic, and can help others to learn about the nature of loss, change and ill-health and its profound and potential impact on individuals.
picTTalk can be used by a range of professionals, including advocates, nurses, physiotherapists and GPs, to help people to talk about difficult topics and to promote spontaneous expression that can be shared with others.
Teachers and other professionals have told us picTTalk is an excellent resource for ‘...unlocking conversations...’ and that it ‘...is a super tool for extra language...’.

Modes and Categories
picTTalk can be used in two modes:

1. Conversation mode
A single pictogram can be used set the context of a conversation, to explore and visualise meaning and check understanding.

2. Story mode
A group of pictograms can help people to share their story by linking up to six pictograms into a storyboard.

Using picTTalk
The picTTalk app was developed for use on tablets with 10” screens. Although the app will work on devices with smaller screens, it is recommended that in this case the app is only used in ‘Conversation Mode’ with single pictograms.
The picTTalk app is designed for use by health care professionals and clinicians to facilitate conversations in bereavement and illness. Whilst the picTTalk app can be used by the general public, it was not designed for use by the general public in isolation.