Communication and its role in supporting participation and learning for students with intellectual disabilities: a meta-synthesis

Teaching students with intellectual disabilities involves supporting subject learning and fostering participation in classroom life, yet little is known about how these aims are negotiated in teacher–student interaction. This article presents a systematic review comprising a qualitative meta-synthesis of research on classroom communication for students with intellectual disabilities in compulsory and upper secondary education. Systematic searches were conducted in ERIC, Education Source, APA PsycINFO, Scopus and SwePub, identifying 15 studies which met the inclusion criteria. Using an interpretive approach, we examined how participation and learning were constituted in interaction and what opportunities and barriers emerged. Two overarching communication patterns were identified: vertical, teacher-led exchanges which prioritise task completion and correct responses, and horizontal, reciprocal dialogues which open space for initiative, negotiation and shared meaning-making. The synthesis also highlights the importance of teachers’ attuning to students’ subtle communicative expressions, particularly for students with limited or non-verbal speech, and outlines key supportive strategies, including open-ended questioning, modelling, scaffolding and the use of visual and concrete supports. We conclude that high levels of structure remain important for learning, but they need to be flexibly combined with reciprocal communication to promote participation, agency and deeper understanding for students with intellectual disabilities.