Please discuss what you did this weekend with a partner

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Please discuss what you did this weekend with a
partner.but only using the communication board
provided

• Welcome to Functional Assessment Week 7

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Updates

• Preference Assessment Due today
• Task Analysis on Functional Skills due next week
  May 9th
• Task Analysis on Communication Skills due May
  16th
• Task Analysis on Academic Skills due May 23rd.
• Article Review 2 due May 9th
• Ecological Assessment Report due on June 6th.

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If I could not express myself, I would become
like the tree in the forestthe one for which it
does not matter if it makes a sound when it comes
crashing down, because there is no one around to
hear it. Unfortunately, there are still many
silent fallen trees all around us if we stop and
look.

• Bob Williams, AAC user with complex communication
  needs
• (Williams, 2000, p. 250)

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Entry Activity 1

• Get together with a partner and discuss the
  preference assessment you conducted.
• You can use your communication board or your
  typical communication system

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Entry Activity 2

• Communication Bill of Rights

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Communication Bill of RightsEach person has a
right to

• Request desired objects, actions, events,
  people
• Refuse undesired objects, etc.
• Express personal preferences feelings.
• Be offered choices alternatives.
• Reject offered choices alternatives.
• Request receive another persons
  attention/interaction
• Ask for receive info about changes in routine
  environment.
• Receive intervention to improve communication
  skills

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Communication Bill of RightsEach person has a
right to

• Receive a response to any communication, whether
  or not the responder can fill the request.
• Have access to augmentative and alternative
  communication and other assistive technology
  services devices at all times.
• Be in environments that promote ones
  communication as a full partner with other
  people, including peers.
• Be spoken to with respect courtesy.
• Be spoken to directly and not spoken for or
  talked about in 3rd person while present.
• Have clear, meaningful, and culturally
  linguistically appropriate communication.

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Entry Activity 2 Contd

• How you can ensure these occur for students
  within your current and future teaching
  situations?

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Entry Activity 3

• This activity is designed to be used throughout
  todays discussion.
• Based on the chapter you read and what we are
  talking about today, explain how the assessment
  procedures weve been talking about all term
  apply to assessing communication.

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K-W-L about Communication skills for students
with sig. disabilities
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Outcomes

• Define communication identify who needs
  communication intervention
• Identify ecological and observational approaches
  to determining communication skills and needs.

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Communication is

• the complex process of information transfer that
  individuals use to influence the behavior of
  others.
• (Orelove Sobsey, 1996)

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Resources

• Downing, J.E. (2005)Teaching Communication Skills
  to Students with Severe Disabilities
• Snell, M.E., Brown, F. (2011). Instruction of
  Students with Severe Disabilities

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Pre-Requisites for Communication?

• Competence in a symbolic and language system
  (e.g., spoken English, manual ASL)?
• Formalized rules of word representation,
  production, use?
• Breathing is the only real pre-requisite
  (Mirenda, 1993)

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Communication is essential to quality of life

• Necessary to define oneself
• Share ideas, feelings
• Demonstrate knowledge skills
• Socialize
• Perform job daily tasks

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Communication Basic RightWhen communication
fails

• Wars are fought
• (communication fails between countries)
• Divorce
• (communication fails between partners)
• Fired from jobs
• (communication fails between co-workers,
  supervisors)

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Communication in Daily Life

• Allows control over physical social environment
• Allows for acquiring new skills (strong
  correlation between literacy communication
  skill development for students with severe
  disabilities Beukelman Mirenda, 2005)
• Allows for socially acceptable way to express
  feelings of frustration
• Allows for development of friendships

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Least Dangerous Assumption (Cardinal, 2002
Donnellan, 1984)

• Better to err on the side of assuming competence
  even if it is not there, rather than err on the
  side of assuming incompetence when competence is
  the case.
• All individuals need to communicate

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Who Needs Communication Intervention?

• Students who demonstrate minimal communication
  skills that they are not adequately expressing
  themselves.
• Cognitive Referencing---Many professionals still
  believe that for children with severe
  intellectual challenges communication services
  are irrelevant (Downing, 2005)
• Question should not be whether students will
  benefit from communication intervention,
• but how best to provide support

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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

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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).

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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.

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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

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Communicative Functions/ Intent

• Request
• Initiate/greeting
• Terminate
• Attention
• Naming
• Accept/Reject
• Protesting situations
• Affirming situations
• Expressing choices or preferences

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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

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Communication Skills

• Speech
• Articulation,Resonance, Voice, Fluency
• Language
• Phonology, Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics
• Conversation Skills
• Turn taking, content, initiation, closure

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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

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• Expressive Deficits
• Spoken language may include incorrect grammar or
  syntax
• Limited use of vocabulary
• Frequent hesitations/cant 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 no how to ask
  questions.

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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
  interventionTeam Effort
• Interviews with Significant Others
  Ecological-Functional Assessment Process

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Considering assessment options?

• Current communication
• Environmental conditions
• Motor capabilities
• Cognitive/linguistic capacities
• Language capacities
• Literacy capacities
• Sensory/perceptual capacities

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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

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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?

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Significant Other Interview(s)

• See Communication Style Assessmenthandout
• Interview questions for
• professionals---handout

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Questions for professionals

• What modes is the student using to communicate
  throughout the day?
• Does the student have a means to initiate an
  interaction? How?
• Does the student have opportunities to initiate
  an interaction? When? With whom?

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More professional questions

• Do others in the environment understand and
  respond appropriately to the student?
• Does the student have a means to engage
  different functions of communication, or does he
  or she primarily make requests or protests? (List
  the functions/purposes of communication how the
  student conveys them)

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More Questions to ask

• Does the student have different things to talk
  about? What are they?
• Does the student have the means to respond to
  others and maintain conversation? How?
• Does he/she have a way and know how to end a
  conversation? How?

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Last Question

• Does the student have a way to correct a
  communication breakdown? How?

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Assessing current communication

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

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Ecological-functional Assessment Process

• 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)

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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 activity
• 4. Review listed words and determine which words
  skills need to be taught to the student.

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Example of Communication Ecological Inventory

• Where does the student spend time?
• Environment Community McDonalds
• Subenvironment McDonalds counter area
• Activities Ordering food, waiting in line,
  socializing in line
• Select activity Ordering Food

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Example Contd

• Observe vocabulary used in activity
• Expressive I want, hamburger, fish sandwich,
  small, medium, large, coke, milkshake, yes/no,
  thats 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
  dont understand, Your total is_____
• Review listed words which are above, below, and
  at the students level. Which are within or
  outside students experience, which are
  necessary for the task

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Ecological Inventory of Functional Skills
Steps in Activity Natural Cues Comm. Skills Needed Student Performance Discrepancy Analysis Interv. Plan
Receptive or Expressive or - Why student isnt doing the step suggestions





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Think of the student you are working with for
your task analysis.Use the examples presented
and outline how you will determinehis/her
communication needs

• 10 minute partner activity

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Augmentative Alternative Communication is

• any means that helps a person communicate when
  conventional speaking, writing, and/or
  understanding others are not possible.
• (McCormic, Loeb, Schieffelbusch, 2003)
• any item, piece of equipment, or product system,
  whether acquired commercially off the self,
  modified, or customized, that is used to
  increase, maintain, or improve the functional
  capabilities of children with disabilities.
  (IDEA, 1990 Federal Register)

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Two types of AAC techniques

• Unaided- Do not require any external equipment
  (i.e. manual signs, facial expressions, gestures)
• Aided- Incorporate external devices (i.e.,
  computers, microswitches, or speech-generating
  devices (SGDs)
• Most people use both to communicate in different
  situations with different people

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Communication System

• Combination of all of the techniques used by an
  individual student

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Unaided Communication

• Teachers need to be attuned to how student
  communicates
• Understand what various gestures, vocalization,
  and other techniques mean

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Gesture Dictionary
What John Does What it means How to Respond
Runs to the door I want a drink of water Let him go for a drink of water from the water fountain or set a timer for when he can go
Grabs another students arm I like you Explain the meaning to Johns classmate help them work together
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When is unaided communication appropriate?

• Used when students have no other way to get their
  messages across
• Must be Socially acceptable Intelligible

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Manual Signs Pros Cons

• Some people who can hear use manual signs (e.g.
  ASL)
• Advantage requires no equipment
• Disadvantage Many people do not understand
  signs, therefore limited communication partners
• What are other pros or cons?

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When to teach signs

• Poor prognosis for speech
• Signing partners available
• Physically able
• Adequate cognitive skills
• A portable communication system is desirable

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Aided Communication

• Low-Tech/Non-electronic symbols, and
  communication displays
• Hi-Tech/Electronic Speech-generating devices
• Advantages/ Disadvantages of both?

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Symbols for Communication

• Real Object Symbols
• Photographs Pictures
• Line Drawing Symbols
• Textured Symbols
• Letters Words

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Selecting SymbolsWhat to look for?

• Should make sense to the user communication
  partners (assess with range of choices)
• Similarity between the symbols what represents
  should be obvious
• Students sensory modalities should be considered
• Symbols introduced gradually building on current
  communication skills

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Communication Displays--examples

• Velcro board with a few picture symbols that
  students point to
• Plexiglas eye gaze display that a student uses
  eye to point (Figure 8-19, p.261)
• Communication Book or Wallet

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Considerations for Designing Displays

• Messages which are needed, in what contexts
• Symbols depending on the individual messages
• How symbols are displayed booklets, notebooks,
  wheelchair trays, scanners
• Organizing symbols context specific, how many
  per page, etc.

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Graphic arrays

• Designing communication boards or communication
  notebooks
• Choosing items
• Size of each item
• Positioning each item
• Accessibility of each item
• Perception of each item (both user and
  communication partner)
• Item placement/ordering- groups? Effort in
  scanning?
• Motor involvement in using array- vertical or
  horizontal?

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Using Symbols to Promote Participation/Conversatio
n

• Calendar/Schedule Systems
• Choice Displays
• Remnant (e.g. Movie ticket, scraps from
  activities) Displays
• Conversation Displays

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Hi-Tech Speech Generating Devices

• Devices talk when a student touches a symbol on
  the device
• What are advantages/ disadvantages??

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Types of Electronic Devices

• Single-level Devices deliver a limited number
  of messages (about 20), simple to program
  operate (e.g. BIGmack)
• Multi-level Devices Up to thousands of messages,
  more difficult to program, multiple symbol
  displays to program messages on two or more
  levels.
• Comprehensive Devices dynamic display
  technology

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Supporting AAC learners is a collaborative effort

• Family/caregivers friends
• Present future employers
• Teachers (SPED Gen Ed.)
• Speech/language specialists
• Physical occupational therapists
• Student

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Supporting AAC Learners (continued)

• Access to AAC
• Available
• Accessible
• Appropriate
• Atmosphere of acceptance
• Nonjudgmental - OK to make mistakes, model
  correct response, praise attempts, allow more
  time, minimize peer pressure, reinforce tolerance
  of individual differences.

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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

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Things to Consider with AAC

• Mode of communication Input how the student
  receives the message
• Output means in which the student transmits the
  messages to others
• Mechanism for communication Gestures,
  Vocalizations, Graphic
• Type of selection - Direct selection, Scanning,
  Encoding
• Physical display - Number of graphic symbols,
  Spacing and arrangement, Background, Orientation,
  Fixed or dynamic
• Vocabulary selection
• Output - Print copy, Speech, Scan display

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What do we choose to teach?

• Consider
• What to communicate about
• Activities/environments used in
• People communicate with

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Initial Instructional Strategies

• Establishing Want/No
• Response Prompt Strategies (Time Delay, System of
  Least/Maximum Prompts)
• Milieu Teaching- modeling, manding, time delay,
  incidental teaching
• Environmental Arrangement Interrupted-chain
  Strategy
• Conversation skill training

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Supporting AAC Learners (continued)

• AAC Training
• Training for student, parents/family/friends,
  teachers, employers, peers
• Training in the use/maintenance of the system
• Training in facilitative/instructional techniques
  that promote communication