AAC Chapter Six

Question 1

Capability Assessment

Answer 1

●Process of gathering information about an individual’s capabilities in a variety of areas in order to determine appropriate AAC options

●Involves identifying an individual’s level of performance in critical areas that pertain to AAC intervention, such as motor control, cognition, language, and literacy

●Goal should result in a profile of the individual’s capabilities that can be matched to the operational requirements of various AAC options***

Question 2

Assessment Approaches

Answer 2

1. Criterion-referenced (What can they do relative to a task?)
2. Feature matching (Do you know the features you’re matching to?)

3.Norm-referenced – “AAC assessment almost never requires that professionals administer norm-referenced tests in a
standardized manner…” Page 132

●Can be useful for obtaining general information related to the person’s capabilities (when administered with modifications)

Question 3

Start with Criterion-Reference

Answer 3

●Administer carefully selected, criterion-referenced tasks that are designed to answer relevant questions

●Can individual access using direct selection?

●Language skills? Can we use the AAC Language Lab criteria? SHOW

●Literacy skills? Can we find out from teachers/parents?

●Sensory skills? Can we observe these?

Question 4

What does a test of cognition tell us that another category does not?

Answer 4

Nothing really

Question 5

Trials

Answer 5

●Answers to previous questions lead you to try selected AAC components

●Assumes at least one team member is familiar with AAC options (devices, techniques)

“demo” demonstrate devices (best practice is 3 devices) then decide which device works the best. Then do a 6 week trial to determine if the device WILL work before they buy it.

Question 6

AT Act Amendments of 2004

Answer 6

●All 50 states and U.S. territories have AT centers whose mandate is to increase the availability and utilization of AT devices and services for individuals with disabilities

●In Oklahoma, that center is ABLE Tech!!

●Makes accessing AAC devices easy

●Page 132-133

Question 7

Areas (Domains) to Assess

Answer 7

1. Positioning/seating
2. Motor capabilities
3. Cognitive/linguistic
4. Literacy
5. Sensory/perceptual

Question 8

ATP

Answer 8

Assistive technology professional

Question 9

1. Positioning and Seating

Answer 9

●Critical for individuals with a range of motor impairments

●May need to consult with OTs or PTs

●Most individuals with neuromotor impairments are likely to use their AAC devices while seated in a wheelchair, at a school or work desk, or at home

●MUST be properly positioned FIRST

Practice with chairs

Question 10

Ergonomics

Answer 10

The same seating and positioning that is appropriate for a person in a wheelchair is appropriate for us!

Question 11

Assessment of Positioning and Seating

Answer 11

●Implement temporary changes to improve the individual’s positioning
●Optimize positioning so that assessment of the motor skills necessary for AAC use can proceed

Question 12

2. Assessment of Motor Capabilities

Answer 12

●May involve OTs or PTs

●Two assessment concerns:
1.Identify a motor technique to be used during the assessment

2.Identify a motor technique to be used for long term

Question 13

ID of Motor Skills for Assessment

Answer 13

●Individual needs a reliable and efficient way to answer

●Will need to be a direct selection technique

●Usually start with answering yes/no

●Questions should be appropriate

●Allow adequate time for responses

Dos and Don’ts of AAC

Question 14

Do’ sand donts of AAC

Answer 14

*

Question 15

ID of Long-Term Motor Skills

Answer 15

●Usually focuses first on direct selection

●Try scanning IF

●Inaccurate

●Very slow

●Fatiguing

●May need both direct selection and scanning

Question 16

ID of Long-Term Motor Skills

Answer 16

●Assess in these stages:
•Hand/arm control
•Head/orofacial
•Foot/leg

●Assess range and accuracy of movement (reach for objects)
●Optimizing Control
●Size and number of items
●Additional supports/apparatus (like keyguards)

Question 17

Assess Negative Impact

Answer 17

●Atypical reflexes
●Excessive muscle tone
●Atypical postures
●Excessive fatigue

Question 18

Switch Assessment for Scanning

Answer 18

●Hand then head then feet, legs, knees

●Control a computer game or turn on a toy

Question 19

Components of Switch Control

Answer 19

• Wait
• Activate
• Hold
• Release
• Wait
• Reactivate

Prompt with: Wait, don’t hit it yet; Okay, hit it now; Stop; Hit it again; etc.
Page 150 for handout

Question 20

Scanning and Fatigu

Answer 20

●Automatic  low level of fatigue

●Directed  medium level of fatigue

●Step  high level of fatigue

Question 21

3. Assess Cognitive/Linguistic Capabilities

Answer 21

●Awareness
●Communicative intent
●World Knowledge
●Memory
●Symbolic representation
●Metacognitive skills

See table on page 155 for help

Question 22

Symbol Assessment

Answer 22

●Book details techniques for helping teams determine what types of symbols will meet current and future needs - Page 158

●Were you able to determine whether the individual understands the functional use of some objects?

●Were you able to determine whether the person can either recognize the verbal labels or match them to their referents?

Question 23

If the answer is: NO to either question…***

Answer 23

●May start low tech to teach symbol-referent associations
●Use visual schedules
●Use talking switches

“Symbol sets that require extensive learning and practice may be excellent choices for the future.” – Page 164

Question 24

The Next Step…

Answer 24

●Question and answer format – Can you show me the car?

●Requesting format – Touch the picture to tell me what you want.

Conclusions I can draw if individual can do these:
Individual could probably use more advanced symbols

Question 25

Vision and Hearing

Answer 25

●What are the individual’s abilities?
●Can I observe their abilities?
●Have more formal screens been completed?

Question 26

Is there a bottom line?

Answer 26

●Thank goodness this is a team effort!

●That’s a lot of assessing.

●Can we gather this information through observations?

●Can we interview teachers, parents, and friends for some of these answers?

●Can we present an AAC system to the individual and see how they do?

●What about those trials?

Question 27

Work Smarter NOT Harder!

Answer 27

●prentrom.com