WELCOME TO AT/AAC SESSION 2

UPDATES TO WIKI

Added: Resources on person-centered planning Resources on assessment “Cool & Free AT Resources” Lindaburkhart.com resources

Please check and make sure links are working to the readings & assignments, etc.

Let me know if there are any problems accessing materials on the wiki

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT

Example on the wiki.

5 Peer-reviewed, empirical journal articles Use APA format for citation

Topics (Choose One….Now!):

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) Functional Communication Training Video Modeling for teaching communication/social skills Video Modeling for teaching academic/functional skills Literacy Interventions for Students Using AAC Peer Mediated Instruction/Peer Supports for Students with

Moderate to Severe Disabilities

HOW DO YOU INVOLVE GENERAL EDUCATION IN THE PROCESS OF SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES?

Ability awareness for staff School-wide approach/vision Empower general education teachers as the

main teacher for the student, SPED and instructional aides are supports to instruction in class

Curriculum co-planning with general education teacher, speech/language therapist, etc.

Consider supports as both class-wide and specific to the student within the general education curriculum.

TEACHING COMMUNICATION SKILLS General Education Classroom Ideal

environment- numerous opportunities to communicate with responsive communicative partners

However, students need specific & systematic instruction to acquire desired skills

Educational Team must develop teaching strategies and implement them consistently

SIX GUIDING PRINCIPLES TO CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL

1. All instruction is guided by General Education

2. All school resources are configured to benefit all students

3. School Proactively addresses social development and citizenship

4. School is data-based learning organization5. School has open boundaries in relation to its

families and its community6. District supports school-centered approach and

extensive systems-change activities required to implement a school-wide modelSailor & Roger, 2005

CHANGE

PERSON-CENTERED PLANNING

Strength-based shared understanding of : Values, Long-term goals, Current programs, Barriers to participation & success , Possible variables influencing barriers

Involve the student & family every step of the way Don’t think of assessment “on” a student, but

rather “with” a student Essential to understand student’s unique physical

and sensory skills◦ How they see, hear, move

E.g., if a student has no functional vision and does not use speech, then an alternate form of expressive communication may probably involve…..????

Use of objects, parts of objects, gestures, & manual signs

Person-centered Approach to Assessment

Supporting AAC learners is a collaborative effort

◦ Family/caregivers & friends◦ Present & future employers◦ Teachers (SPED & Gen Ed.)◦ Speech/language specialists◦ Physical & occupational

therapists◦ Student

Strictly meant to be a parody …though a lot of truth is said in jest…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcjCq8Bj-BA

Parody on Special Education Director Leading a Staff Meeting

REVIEW FOR QUIZ #1

DEFINE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY:

Assistive technology (AT) is defined as any item, piece of equipment, or product, whether acquired commercially, off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. (P.L. 101-407, The Technology Related Assistance Act of 1988).

DEFINE AUGMENTATIVE & ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION:

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) includes all forms of communication (other than oral speech) that are used to express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas.-American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (asha.org)

Loman et al., 2010

Social/Behavior Support System: School-wide PBS

Academic Support System: Response to Intervention

External Community Supports

Context for: Person Centered Planning, Functional Assessment & Wraparound

I hear “One

Voice”

SETT- similar to ecological inventoryStudent

S

Environment

E

Task

T

Tools

T•What are the student’s current abilities?

•What are the student’s special needs?

•What are the functional areas of concern?

•What activities take place in the environment?

•What activities do other students do that this student cannot currently participate in?

•What assistive technology does the student have access to or currently use?

•What specific tasks occur in the environment?

•What activities is the student expected to do?

•What does success look like?

•Are the tools being considered on a continuum from no/low to high-tech?

•Are the tools student centered and task oriented and reflect the student’s current needs?

•What are the training requirements for the student, family and staff?

Functional Communication Training (FCT)FCT involves teaching specific

communication skills that are functionally equivalent to problem behavior, based on a functional behavior assessment (FBA)

Behavior may serve a number of functions: -obtaining desired items, activities, attention,

or environments-escaping a nonpreferred or nondesired

activity-regulating levels of sensory arousal

1. Linguistic Competence2. Operational Competence3. Social Competence4. Strategic Competence

Light (1989), Communicative Competence for AAC users made up of:

CORRECT QUIZ

DISCUSSION

Get together with a partner to discuss this week’s readings using your discussion guide.

Do this for about 20-30 minutes.

LECTURE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCeOMoQPn_8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz2HpGC9vbw

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

SOCIAL ISSUES IN COMMUNICATION Students in special education classrooms

tend to have interactions with adults but limited interaction with other students (Foreman et al., 2004)

What affects does this have on: learning communication, and making friends?

Foreman et al., found that students with disabilities in general education were involved in significantly higher levels of communication interactions than their matched pair in special education classrooms (2004).

TWO KEY PARTS OF LANGUAGE… Receptive Language:

Understanding what people mean when they speak to you.

Expressive Language Being able to speak/communicate so that others

understand you.

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

COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTIONS/ INTENT

Request Initiate/greetingTerminateAttentionNamingAccept/Reject

Protesting situations Affirming situations

Expressing choices or preferences

CONTENTS OF COMMUNICATION When there is nothing to say, there is no

communication (i.e. the awkward pause when run out of things to say)

Individuals with severe disabilities need to have access to a variety of objects, pictures, and photos

COMMUNICATION SKILLS Speech

Articulation, Resonance, Voice, Fluency

Language Phonology, Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics

Conversation Skills Turn taking, content, initiation, closure

PROBLEMS IN THE CLASSROOM? Receptive language deficits

Cannot recall sequences of ideas presented orally

Difficulty understanding humor, sarcasm, figurative language

May not understand questions Trouble following directions Cannot retain information presented

orally Difficulty understanding compound

and complex sentences

Expressive Deficits

Spoken language may include incorrect grammar or syntax

Limited use of vocabulary Frequent hesitations/can’t find

right words Difficulty discussing abstract,

temporal or spatial concepts Jumps from topic to topic Afraid to ask questions, does not

know what questions to ask, does not know how to ask questions.

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

RESEARCH ON ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Arose out of dissatisfaction with failures in

adapting standardized assessments for students with significant disabilities Information obtained had minimal impact

on educational planning(Sigafoos et al., 1987; Blankenship, 1985;

Cole et al., 1985) Ecological reports result in:

Higher ratings of expected educational outcomes (Linehan & Brady, 1985)

Educators more likely to recommend related services and less restrictive placements

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

CONSIDERING ASSESSMENT OPTIONS?

Current communication

Environmental conditions

Motor capabilities

Cognitive/linguistic capacities

Language capacities

Literacy capacities

Sensory/perceptual capacities

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

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?

SIGNIFICANT OTHER INTERVIEW(S)

See Communication Style Assessment—handout

Interview questions for professionals---handout

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.

EMBEDDED IN-CLASS ACTIVITY

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

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.

EMBEDDED IN-CLASS ACTIVITY

ECOLOGICAL-FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS FOR COMMUNICATION

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)

1. List Domains

2. List environments

3. List sub-environments

4. List activities associated with each

sub environment

5. Task analyze each activity to identify

skills

6. Observe the performance of the

activity to identify needs

COMMUNICATION ECOLOGICAL INVENTORY WORKSHEET (FIGURE 8-10, P.249, BEST, HELLER, BIGGE, 2005)

1. Ask: Where does the student spend time? (environment, sub-environment, activities)

2. Select Activity: (e.g., ordering food)3. Observe: (for vocabulary used in activity) List Expressive Vocabulary used in the

activity List Receptive Vocabulary used in the

activity4. Review listed words and determine which

words & skills need to be taught to the student.

EXAMPLE OF COMMUNICATION ECOLOGICAL INVENTORY

Where does the student spend time? Environment: Community: McDonald’s Subenvironment: McDonald’s counter area Activities: Ordering food, waiting in line,

socializing in line Select activity: Ordering Food

EXAMPLE CONT’D Observe vocabulary used in activity

Expressive: “I want, hamburger, fish sandwich, small, medium, large, coke, milkshake, yes/no, that’s all, thank you, my order is wrong, I need, extra ketchup, for here, please repeat that, how much?”

Receptive: “May I help you?, Is that all?, Here or to go?, Your order will be ready soon?, I don’t understand, Your total is_____”

Review listed words: which are above, below, and at the student’s level. Which are within or outside student’s experience, which are necessary for the task

Complete the communication ecological inventory worksheet on your in-class activity.

Use only one activity in the school environment (e.g., asking to play a game at recess, participating in writing activity in language arts class)

EMBEDDED IN-CLASS ACTIVITY

ECOLOGICAL INVENTORY OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Steps in Activity

Natural Cues

Comm. Skills Needed

Student Performance

Discrepancy Analysis

Interv.Plan

Receptive or Expressive

+ or - Why student isn’t doing the step

suggestions

CONCLUDING IN-CLASS ACTIVITY

Use words or definitions provided in your envelope to match with another partner(s).

Match the words and definitions.

56

SELF-EVALUATION & FEEDBACK