Transcript Assessment - University of Minnesota Duluth

AAC Assessment
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 “a process whereby data are collected and
information is gathered to make intervention and/or
management decisions.”
 Lloyd, Fuller & Arvidson, 1997, p. 524
AAC Assessment
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How should you proceed ?
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 Process?
 Ob-Scertainer
 Carefully shake and tilt your Ob-Scertainer
 From the sound & path of the steel ball, determine the shape
and location of the partition or partitions
 Draw your hypothesis or best guess in a circle
AAC Assessment
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2 Approaches
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 Comprehensive
 Problem Oriented Approach

Capability Approach
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Comprehensive AAC assessment
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 To determine the best AAC system for an individual
 Basic questions, what are.
 individual’s communication needs or goals?
 individual’s strengths and abilities?
 barriers are preventing the individual from achieving his or her
full communication/participation potential?
 aids and adaptations that need to be used to accomplish the
child’s goals given his or her strengths and abilities, and
current circumstances?
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Capability Approach
Yorkston & Karlan (1986)
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 Identifying individual’s level of performance in
critical areas that pertain to communication
intervention, such as:
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communication,
cognition,
motor control,
vision.
 Capability Plus Approach
 Implement strategies to make individual successful
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Making Decisions about Components of Aided AAC
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 Selection technique
 scanning or direct selection
 Input device.
 switch, keyboard
 Selection Set
 visual, auditory, and/or tactile presentation of items (e.g. letters and
keys on the keyboard)
 coverage, development
 Transmitted Output
 text on the monitor screen, speech, Braille print-out, movement of a
powered wheelchair
 Strategies
 encoding, word prediction, abbreviation expansion
AAC Assessment
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AAC Assessment Process
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 Determine & Develop Question (s) of Interest
 Determine Direct Selection Technique
 Current Communication & Needs
 Cognitive Skills
 Visual-Motor
 Motor Control
 Visual Status
 Switch
 Consult Seating, Positioning and Mobility Needs
AAC Assessment
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Communication
Gamel-McCormick & Dymond, 1994
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
Expressive Communication.
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What does the student currently use to communicate?
What are communication needs?
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Expressive Communication
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 What does the person currently use to
expressively request objects,
 continue an action,
 stop an action,
 request social interaction,
 express a feeling,
 make a choice,
 initiate an interaction,
 terminate an interaction, or
 request assistance ?

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Present Ways of Communication
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1. Oral Speech
2. Symbolic Representation (symbols, text)
3. Reading & Writing Ability
4. Non-Oral Communication
5. Communication Effectiveness
6. Communication Partners
7. Communication Settings
8. Message Needs
1. Functional
2. Social
3. Informational – Sharing – Conversation
4. Developmental & Educational/Vocational Needs
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Receptive Communication
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

What type of symbolic representation (object,
picture, line drawing, words) do you think the
student best understands?
Auditory Skills?
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Motor Skills
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
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Does the student have a hand preference?
Do they have the ability to reach, grasp, grasp and
release, isolate a finger, and/or point?
In what position is the student able to optimally
move and respond?
What reliable, predictable motor movements does
the student have?
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Motor Skills
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 Positioning
 Factors that influence access to and functional
use of ACC
 Switch Assessment
 Determine type and placement of switch (motor
control must be consistent, reliable, transparent)
 Features of switches (e.g. size, feedback, travel,
durability)
 Functional performance with switch may differ
from evaluation performance
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Functional Vision
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 Assess ability to
 fixate on a target (visual acuity and field

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different sizes, distances and positions to get an idea of.
track a moving target.
localize and discriminate of a particular item on a page
scan along rows and columns
 Gradually increase number of items.
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Vision and Visual Perception
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 Visual acuity - size of the items
 Visual field - area which can be seen without a shift in
gaze
 Eye movement problems - difficulty maintaining gaze,
or involuntary movements

positioning of the selection set, the layout, the spacing between
items, and the ability to track moving items
 Light and colour sensitivity
 low and high levels of illumination.
 glare
 particular colour combinations (e.g. yellow-on-black key stickers are
available for standard keyboards
 colour coding particular keys
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Underlying Principles of Assessment
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 Evaluate communication needs and capabilities, in
order to implement the augmentative
communication system as soon as possible to
enable the individual to begin immediate
communication interaction.
Identify communication system individual currently uses
 Determine the skills that an individual has or needs to
develop in order to communicate effectively
 Refine current methods & identify new methods
 Determine effectiveness & efficiency
 Ultimately, determine optimal way to configure system
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AAC Assessment
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Assessment Resources
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 Gamel-McCormick & Dymond (1994)
http://acc.k12.ar.us/easter_seals/images/pdf_files/Aug
mentative_Communication_Assessment.pdf
 http://www.ttac.odu.edu/Articles/Gamel.html
 Communication checklist
 http://www.wati.org/products/freematerials.html
 Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Connecting Young Kids (YAACK) - aac.unl.edu/yaack/

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AAC Funding & Report Writing
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 Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers
AAC-RERC website. http://www.aac-rerc.com -Medicare Funding of AAC Technology.
Information obtained on May 20, 2005.
Supported in part by the National Institute on
Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).
 Dynavox Systems
 http://www.dynavoxtech.com/funding/reportassist.aspx
 GUS
 http://www.gusinc.com/medicare.html
 Prentke Romich
 http://www.prentrom.com/fund/medicare.html

AAC Assessment
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