AT/AAC Summer! Session 3

1. AT/AAC Summer!Session 3 Technology: Not the Problem, Not the Panacea “It’s not about the technology, it’s about interaction or communication.” Johnston et al., 2012, p.84

2. Updates to Website • Added outline and case studies for ecological inventories assignment. • We will discuss this more today. • Please check the website for updates frequently. • Please let me know if there are any problems accessing content on the website.

3. Upcoming Assignments • July 9th (next class session) - Annotated Bibliography is due • Search based on the topic you selected from the list on the website. • Date Change…July 16th- Ecological Inventories Assignment • Remember this is with a group • July 16th… Critique of Research Article is due • July 18th… Technology Selection/Design Assignment is due

4. Questions/Comments • Wraparound in practice? • Not the “wraparound” people may be familiar with out of the field of social work. • More like multidisciplinary teaming or collaborative teaming, but… • based on Person-centered plan and ecological assessments • See “Unified Plans of Support” by Hunt et al., 2003 [posted on the wiki] • For students with significant disabilities, Sheldon recommends that you meet at least once every two weeks with school-based personnel and parents until everyone is “comfortable”, then quarterly. • Short, productive meetings [45 min max] • Guided by an Agenda • Concluded with an Action Plan….constantly updated • Nowadays you may be able to use a wiki to keep everyone on the same page….but remember to protect confidentiality!!

5. Review for Quiz #2

6. Basic Conditions for Communication (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2005) • At least 2 people who understand each other • Form (i.e. a way to send the message) • Content (i.e., something to talk about) • Function: Reason/Purpose to communicate • Educational team members must ensure these are addressed

7. Communication Forms (Behaviors)Multi-modal nature of communication • No one form of communication will meet all needs or all social situations • Teaching a combination of different modes is necessary • Examples: Vocalization, body movements, pointing, facial expressions, nodding, gestures, use of object symbols, picture symbols, manual signs

8. Communicative Functions/ Intent • Request • Initiate/greeting • Terminate • Attention • Naming • Accept/Reject • Protesting situations • Affirming situations • Expressing choices or preferences

9. Assessing Communication Skills • Standardized Tests will not provide the information you need • Assessment driven by questions that need to be answered to help benefit from communication intervention—Team Effort • Interviews with Significant Others & Ecological-Functional Assessment Process

10. Overall Steps in Ecological Assessment Process • Step 1: Plan with Student & Family • Step 2: Summarize what is known about the student • Step 3: Encourage Self-Determination/ Assess Student Preferences • Step 4: Assess student’s instructional program • Step 5: Develop ecological assessment report- recommend supports & services: informs IEP PLAAFP, Objectives, Services

11. Considering assessment options? • Current communication • Environmental conditions • Motor capabilities • Cognitive/linguistic capacities • Language capacities • Literacy capacities • Sensory/perceptual capacities

12. Assessing Receptive Communication Skills • Receptive skills for a specific activity need to be identified • What does the student do to demonstrate that the message has been received and understood? • Document what forms of communication seem to be best understood

13. Assessing Expressive Communication Skills • Any attempt by the student to start, maintain, or end a communicative exchange should be noted. • How the students communicates (the form)—Skill level? • Why the student is communicating (function/intent)—different forms of communication for different purposes? • What the student talks about (content)—information on breadth of skills and accessibility?

14. Ecological-Functional Assessment Process for communicationStep # 4 in the Overall Process: Assess Instructional Program/Environment • Uses observational techniques to analyze skill demands of the natural environment and determine how the student performs within the environment • Leads directly to intervention plan (Snell, 2002)

16. Group Quiz

17. 1. Basic Conditions for Communication (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2005) • At least 2 people who understand each other • Form (i.e. a way to send the message) • Content (i.e., something to talk about) • Function: Reason/Purpose to communicate • Educational team members must ensure these are addressed

18. 2. Communication Forms • These can be thought of as? • Behaviors

19. 3. Communicative Functions/ Intent • Request • Initiate/greeting • Terminate • Attention • Naming • Accept/Reject • Protesting situations • Affirming situations • Expressing choices or preferences

20. 4. Overall Steps in Ecological Assessment Process • Step 1: Plan with Student & Family • Step 2: Summarize what is known about the student • Step 3: Encourage Self-Determination/ Assess Student Preferences • Step 4: Assess student’s instructional program • Step 5: Develop ecological assessment report- recommend supports & services: informs IEP PLAAFP, Objectives, Services

21. 5. The six steps in completing assessment of student’s program

23. Extra-Credit!!! • How do you identify receptive, expressive language needs using an ecological assessment? • How do you identify the forms of communication using an ecological assessment? • How do you identify a student’s communicative function using an ecological assessment? • How do you identify vocabulary to program into a student’s system using ecological assessment?

24. Discussion

25. Devices • The CD that came with your book has some recommendations for Device Manufacturers & Distributors (Chapter 3) • & Technology-based websites (Chapter 4) • OTAP (www.otap-oregon.org) • Loan library

26. 5 Opportunity Barriers to CommunicationBeukelman& Mirenda (1992) • Policy barriers- Policies that segregate AAC users or limit the use of communication devices purchased with school funding to classroom use • Practice barriers- Precedents, procedures, and common practice within a school that are not actual policies, but limit full participation of AAC users • Attitude barriers- individual opinions & beliefs that affect the AAC user’s full participation • Knowledge barriers- lack of knowledge about AAC interventions & use options • Skill barriers- limits of the technical & communication knowledge of those responsible for the AAC assessment & intervention plan

27. Preference Assessments • Systematic Preference Assessment Format on Website • Forms from CD from the AAC Strategies Book • 5.1, 5.2, 5.3

28. Steps in Conducting a Systematic Preference Assessment • Define the purpose of the assessment. • Select the range of sampling options • Determine the forms of the sampling options • Define the student’s responses for preference and non-preference of options • Outline presentation procedures • Determine sampling schedule & location • Observe & record responses to options • Summarize & make recommendations based on assessment.

29. Preference Assessments are important! • We will discuss preference assessments in more depth next week! • Wanted to share this now because this is what we should look at EARLY & OFTEN….remember the steps in the process • 1. Plan with student & family • 2. Summarize results • 3. Encourage Self-Determination---Assess Preferences, then….. • 4. Assess…?????

30. Ecological Inventories Assignment • See website for outline & case studies

32. Significant Other Interview(s) • See Communication Style Assessment—handout • Interview questions for professionals---handout

35. Embedded In-class activity • Practice using these interviews with a partner based on your case study OR you may use a student that you have or are working with. • Note your evaluation of using these interview questions.

36. Assessing Motivation • Motivation Assessment Scale. • Online: https://www2.monacoassociates.com/imas/freetrial.asp

37. Assessing current communication • Communication Matrix by Charity Rowland http://www.communicationmatrix.org (designs to learn website) • Organized by communication function • List of behaviors • Not used, emerging or mastered

38. Embedded In-class activity • Use your case study or student you know and practice using the communication matrix website with a partner. • Write your evaluation of the use of this online tool.

39. Ecological Inventory of Communication Skills

42. Please complete self-evaluation & feedback form • Have a great 4thof July!!