Using Assessment to guide AAC Intervention Tracy Kovach USA 04.07.11 ATANZ Forum
Team approach required.
How to best develop AAC for functional communication:
Ongoing is the intervention
Informs and guides intervention
Meeting needs
Developing communicative competence
Skills and behaviours to improve/increase communicative competence
Suggest modifications
*Baseline of performance
• Defines point from which intervention should proceed
• Identifies strengths and needs
• Prevents wasting time on skill development either unnecessary to achieve
competence or too far beyond current performance to be realistically
achieved
• Enables discussion of future needs and intervention plans
• Informs team members about where individual is functioning in all areas of
performance
• Measure to assure consistency over time and enable
o comparison with others
o objectivity in determining performance and progress
*Assessment using Objective Comparisons
• Objectivity
• Consistency
• Skills for individuals, knowledgeable personnel, effective programmes
• As teachers/therapists change, intervention and instruction needs to be
consistent.
*Long Range and desired outcomes
• Highest level of communicative competence possible
• Steps required to develop skills required
• Team member roles need to be defined and coordinated
*Assessment, Intervention Planning and Role Definition
• Understanding skills and behaviours related to learning with AAC
• Best learning environment to maximise efforts/outcomes
o When – Where – Who
• Challenging: should not be responsibility of just one person/programme
*Team Coordination for Assessment and Intervention
• How similar are team members backgrounds?
Pre-service training
Objectives
Knowledge base
Past experience
Interest
• Challenges:
Time
Meeting times/places
Individualised approaches
Knowledge levels
Experience
Communication Needs
• Age appropriate
• Developmentally appropriate
• Appropriate for language development and changes
• Appropriate for given lifestyle/context
• Identify communication patterns and needs
• Opportunity barriers
• Access barriers
What is needed:
* Capability – Motor, Cognitive/Linguistic literacy
- Skills needed for development of Communicative Competence
Linguistic - language/codes
Operational – technical skills
Social – interaction, relational
Strategic – making best of knowledge
*Skill Sets – Behavioural Communication
- Intentional Communication
- Symbolic Communication Working towards mastery
- Functional Communication
- Mastery of AAC
Performance Profile Summaries
• Communicative Competency levels (could be graphs)
• Current and desired levels (graphs)
• Graph specific levels within areas
The Tool will:
• Inform intervention
• Measure outcomes
• Document progress
• Guide assessment for the team
o Develop objectives
o Individualises and objectifies outcome measurement
• Determines discrepancies
o System
o People
o Learning environments
How? - in different settings with different partners etc
e.g. home , school, therapists
Ongoing assessment
• goals – do they support communicative development?
“sometimes” (as opposed to frequently/seldom) levels should be “next steps”
• Break areas down to very specific goals
• Identify needs and strengths in different areas
• Need to address discrepancies
• Set objectives at focused use level
• Reassessment - probably 3-6 monthly
- very individual
What’s APPropriate: AAC Apps for iphones, ipads etc
Jane Farrell (Australia) 04.07.11
Spectronicsinoz.com/article.phoneipad
Over 100 apps available
Symbols and Pictures
I Can board : $100 +
unstable symbols X
Grace app: PECS doesn’t talk
a few symbols, unable to alter categories
can make new categories X
Tap Speak Sequence: $80 ish
Can store 100’s of sequences
Symbols consistent with other systems
Can interact with switches √
Tap Speak Choice: Single pages
Updated now to multi level
Auditory and visual scanning
Not text to speech Improving
Symbols Text to Speech
Pro…to go: Multi page
One arrangement
1 – 128 buttons
Defaults to alphabetical order
Can vary the vocabulary set
No alternative access (yet)
Needs all spaces used
Some word prediction – variable ????
Touch Chat: range of page sets
Symbols and text to speech
Accepts blanks for arrangement √
One Voice: $300
Traditional categories
Needs, wants , choice making X not worth the money
My Voice: Free!!
i-phone based Apple and Android
Category based
Able to pre programme what client wants to say in different situations
Web based programming
Needs to tag location via GPS
Voices higher quality only on internet connection √ as an extra
Text to Speech
Heaps free or cheap
Some can pay more to get better voices
Verbally : free
Poor quality voices
Predictable: $150+
Can be sent as e mail, Facebook status
Can save phrases
History function
Can’t use built in i-pad keyboard
Can be used with switch devices
i-Pads:
o Cool!!
o Good for social settings/ice-breaker
o Can play games socially
o Good for older students
o Fragile, screens breakable
o Limited vocabulary (at the moment)
o Reduced range of access methods
o Needs a lot of programme
o Would be a great second device to supplement a regular communication
o device
o No published research yet
Accessories for i-pads:
Keyguards available but different set ups can be a problem
Capacative gloves
Covers : increase weight
Reduce fragility
Pointers/Stylus: a range available
Speakers
Little shield (saliva etc) Use a ziplock bag!!)
Water wear case
Drop series (case)
Other hardware: just beginning
Android phones
Android tablets
Resources: A4CWSN – APPs for children with special needs
Del.i.cious (Jane Farrell)
Spectronics web page
Expertise: lack of
Now registration process for APP development
How to apply and harness it
Limitations
Using Digital Note taking to enhance Learning Opportunities for all students
Jeff Souter (Australia) 04.07.11
Digital Pens
Devices with the capacity to record and transfer handwritten information to digital format
Can be direct to computer or stored on the pen (very portable)
• No media - direct to computer
• Paper e.g. intellipen
• Digital paper: Oxford pen
Aiptek digital notepad also records sound up to 200 hours
• Whiteboard: Standard
Mimio
Myscriptnotes:
smart pens (pulse, echo)
uses dot paper
Livescribe desktop:
has 8 notebooks – pen knows which and which page!
Wordtalk:
free, text to speech
Also records sound that synchronises with writing
Can print own blank pages
Can buy notebooks A4 x 200 pages set of 8
Penpod:
Commands at bottom of page
Can’t preprint information
Mimio X1:
Direct includes voice, animation or stored
Makes any surface interactive via data projector
WHY?
• Students can focus on learning
• Learning in an environment suited to needs
• Review exact notes
• Review entire lesson, not just notes
• Enhances capacity for revision/study
• Everyone can access notes at any time
• Enriches learning environment
• Share common information
• Supplement on line e-learning
• Use handwritten information to enhance digital (annotations)
• Inclusiveness
• Improved access and engagement
Switch Progressions – the Learning Journey
Catherine Brill & Ruth Michels 04.07.11
Experimental Learning Providing multisensory learning
Looking experiences to stimulate senses
Listening
Responding
Switch adapted toys
Tactile/multisensory
Software
Music & Sound Effect (Multi Sensory rooms) (IHC)
Music, toys, colourful, tactile
Results of pressing the switch:
Press and hold -> Press and let go -> Press it again -> Turn it on and off
What motivates?
o Respond to sound
o Respond to movement
o Track objects moving on screen
o Reach out to move towards switch
o Looking to you to make it start again
Video
Boombox – links to free Help Kidz Learn
Visual cue on screen -> actual physical switch
