Week 3 - AAC Assessment Flashcards
Low Technology Options
Communication board/systems * Simple to complex arrays * Single * Organised by context * Alphabet types Communication books PODD Key Word Sign
General Considerations in AAC Assessment
Need to match the needs and abilities of the individual with approach used How will it support the individual: - Communicate - Learn - Participate
AAC Assessment vs Other Speech Assessment
Functional approach - not focussed on normative data
Focussed on communicative competence, rather than specific language domains
Ongoing and cyclic nature of assessment
Team based assessment
Heavy emphasis of environmental and communication partners
Considers holistic picture of skills (sensory, motor, functional)
Assessment Process
- Assess for immediate communication and learning needs of the individual; assess current communication skills and needs
- Assess for the future; consider changing communication and learning needs, how their AAC systems may develop/adapt
- Review use and appropriateness of the system in meeting the current and changing needs
Static Assessment
Passive participants
Examiner observes
Identify deficits
Standardised
Dynamic Assessment
Active participants
Examiner participates
Describes modifiability
Fluid, responsive
Environmental and Contextual Variables
High quality assessment consists of:
- Identification of contextual variables that support communicative competence
- Teaching communication partners skills to enhance communicative development
- Individualisation of assessment procedures to suit developmental level, needs and interest
Sequence of AAC Assessment
- Referral
- Case history
- Diagnostic questions - goal oriented/feasibility
- Evaluation procedures
- Identify and recommend AAC interventions
- Secure funding
- Repeat steps 2-6 as necessary
Components of AAC Assessment
Case history Ecological inventory Self-report Sensory and motor status Hearing screening Speech and sound assessment Spoken language assessment Cognitive communication assessment Symbol assessment Identification of contextual facilitators and barriers
Case History
Medical history, education, occupation, and cultural and linguistic backgrounds, use AAC systems, motivation, potential for disease progression/recovery
Ecological Inventory
Current communication skills and needs
Communication skills in relation to similarly matched peers
Self-Report
Existing functional communication
Communication difficulties and impact on individual and family/caregiver
Contexts of concern (eg. social interactions, work activities)
Language(s) used in contexts of concern
Goals and preferences
Spoken Language Assessment
- Used as appropriate
Expressive and receptive skills, including communicative intent
Current means of communication and their effectiveness (verbal & nonverbal)
Vocab size and word types (used and understood)
Word combinations and grammatical forms (used and understood)
Ability to follow commands
Ability to respond to yes-no questions
Ability to correctly point to objects, words and pictures
Social Communication Assessment
Social and interaction skills
Cognitive Communication Assessment
Memory, attention, problem-solving, and executive skills for AAC use
Symbol Assessment
Ability to use various symbols to meet current and future communication needs
- Types of symbol (eg. objects, pictures, letters, printed text)
- Symbol size
- Field size (eg. number of symbols in a display)
- Organisation of display
Feature Matching Assessment
Determines most appropriate AAC system features, including:
- Communication dunctions
- Use across functions
- Type and number of symbols
- Display characteristics
- Input (direct/indirect)
- Output (type of speech, voice)
- Physical positioning
- Portability
- Ability to accommodate changes in communication needs
- Affordability and ease of maintenance
Participation Model - Stage 1
Identify participation patterns and communicative need
- Participation inventory:
- Participation patterns of peers, level of independence of peers
- Participation effectiveness of the user
Participation Model - Stage 2
Identify barriers to, and potential to improve, participation
- Opportunity barriers (limitations imposed by other people/systems)
- Policy barriers - policy, legislation - limits communicative opportunity
- Practice barriers (widely accepted processes of ‘how things are done’)
- Eg. can’t take school equipment home
- Knowledge barriers (lack of knowledge of others limits use of AAC)
- Skill barriers (lack of skills to support use of AAC)
- Attitude barriers (reduced expectation of the individual with AAC, poor acceptance of AAC)
- Access barriers (linked to individual/current system of communicating)
- Potential to increase natural/spontaneous speech (MUSS),
- Consider functional speech intelligibility
- Potential to change the environment to promote communication
Participation Model - Stage 3
Plan and implement interventions for today and tomorrow
Participation Model - Stage 4
Evaluate intervention effectiveness
- is the person participating?
