AAC Assessment

AAC Assessment is holistic and ongoing.Consider student’s abilities

Current communication systemReceptive languageLiteracy

Consider the communication environments—home, school, work, leisure.

Every AAC system is a work in progress!“Today vs. Tomorrow” (Beukelman & Mirenda

2013)Always honor the current communication system

as you work on the new one.

Consider--Communication partners—WE

NEED THEM!They can tell us about the current communication system.

They have background information about the student.

They will be supporting the student’s current and future communication systems.

Barriers to communicationInternalSpeech, sensory and physical impairments

Hearing testFunctional Vision Assessment

Cognitive impairments, Poor receptive languageLearned helplessness, fear of failure

ExternalIn the physical worldIn the attitudes and unexamined beliefs of other people

Background InformationMedical DiagnosisVisionHearing

History of middle ear infectionsLanguages spoken at home

Life DomainsHome

Family membersLanguages spoken by relatives

SchoolProjects and homeworkExtracurricular activities

Leisure activity settings:Travel?Outdoor activities?Religious activities?

Motor SkillsGross Motor

Walks independently?Uses a wheel chair

Manual: self propelled or partner propelled? Power chair

Fine MotorCan the student

Write?Draw?Point with an isolated finger?Use a standard keyboard?Point with the whole hand or fist?Use a pointer?Use eye gaze to point?Size of targetsSpacing of targets

Current Communication SystemReceptive LanguageCan the student understand the speech of others?Can she follow directions without gestural or

contextual cues?Does he require visual supports (pictures,

gestures) to understand spoken information?Has she completed any formal language

assessment?Some assessments can be adapted for non-speaking

students Criterion based assessment

Current CommunicationUnaided Expressive Language

Spoken words or word approximationsManual signs and natural gestures

Intelligibility in context? With familiar listeners With unfamiliar listeners

Ease of production Consistency of production

Communication should be as effortless as possible!

Speech & LanguageExpressive Language (cont.)

Manual signs Intelligible to unfamiliar communication partners

who know basic signs? Intelligible to unfamiliar communication partners?

Pre-symbolic communicationVocalizationsGesturesFacial ExpressionsMuscle tone

Behavioral CommunicationTantrumsMeltdownsSelf injurious behaviors

What is the message?I don’t want this. I want that.I’m overwhelmed. I need a break.I’m frustrated, angry, confused…

Written Language—the most complete AAC system ever!

Reading skills

Writing & spelling skills

Reading and writing are basic human rights.

Feature MatchingIdentifying the client’s strengths or needsMatching them to the features available in various

AAC tools:Language representation:

Text to speech (with or without word prediction) Picture symbols—PCSs, Wigit symbols, Pictographs, Symbol

Stix, Pixons, Bliss Symbols Photographs Braille, Morse Code

Access method: eye control, touch screen, single switch, two switches

Accessories: mounting system, pointer, key guard, sun shield, carrying case

Features: Speech OutputSynthesized speech

Allows users to generate unique spoken messages Appropriate to user’s age, gender and (in many

cases) ethnicity Delivered at consistent pace and volume Doesn’t sound like a real person

Digitized speech• Each message is recorded individually• Great for singing Happy Birthday, telling jokes,

making animal noises and vocal interjections (Ahem! Ha! Doh!)

• Not consistent, rarely age and gender appropriate.

Features: No Speech OutputTechnology free means:You can drop it, throw it, get it wet! Never needs

recharging! Sometimes users get more social attention and face to

face interaction with tech free modes of communication.PECS—Picture Exchange Communication SystemCommunication bookEye gaze board

Alphabetic Encoded w/ auditory scanning

Picture based

Features: KeyboardsAlphabetic, QWERTY, Dvorak or organized for

scanningAdapted keyboard—larger size; one handed

5-finger typingOn screen keyboardWord predictionSentence predictionSize of text

Features: Switch AccessScanning methods:

Automatic scanning Step scanning (with one or two switches) Inverse scanning Row column, sequential (linear), rotary, block, other

Scanning mode—auditory, visualType of switch—button style, wafer, sip and

puff, pillow, squeeze, proximity, motion sensingSwitch access point—hand, head, chin, foot….

Features…The list

Just Keeps

Growing…..

But that’s ok!The road is long.