Starting from Scratch

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Starting from Scratch

• Setting up an AAC Assessment Service
• Alison Webb
• Speech and Language Therapist
• alison.g.webb_at_cft.cornwall.nhs.uk

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• An AAC assessment service for Children in
  Cornwall was jointly commissioned by Health and
  Cornwall Council in September 2009

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The Team then
Alison Webb SLT 1 day per week
Anne Williams AAC Officer 1 day per week
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What you will hear about

• Barriers to Multi- disciplinary working
• How to provide a service on limited hours, with a
  limited budget
• The development of our referral pack
• The development of our service Pathway
• Case studies through the Pathway
• The need to provide training and development on
  low tech solutions
• The continual need to revise the above
•  What worked and what didnt!

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Barriers

• Working across 2 agencies
• Clarifying roles
• Sharing documents
• Accessing documents
• Videos
• Lack of time
• Lack of resources
• Lack of team leader

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How did we do it?

• Limited hours - Involve local SLT
• Limited budget - Use loan equipment from
  suppliers, rather than having a bank of aids
• Strict referral criteria
• New waiting list

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Referral Pack

• 3 months in development
• We used
• Previous service forms
• Ace Centre Oxford forms
• Discussed the importance of video
• Service Leaflet

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Referral Pack

• Consent to video
• Child Support Team information
• Background Information Form

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Service Pathway

• Link to old pathway

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Case studies

• Kyle
• Harvey
• Millie

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Kyle

• Age 15
• Learning Disabilities Special School
• Referred April 2010
• Little experience of Speech Output
• Loaned Go Talk
• Lost Interest/School not supportive
• Loan of Tellus Smart August 2011

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Harvey

• Age 9
• Down Syndrome and Learning Difficulties
• Mainstream School
• Referred October 2010
• Little experience of Speech Output
• Using Clicker 5 at present
• About to trial Fizzbook

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Millie
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Millie

• Age 10
• Epilepsy and Learning Difficulties
• Special School
• Referred May 2010
• Had Go Talk and Communication Book
• Had seen Dynavox Express and trialled a
  Springboard Lite successfully

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Millie - Decisions

• Dedicated aid
• Weight and screen size important
• 3 to compare
• Discussed with parents
• Loan of Dynavox V came available

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Pre-requisites

• Comprehension level is above expressive level -
  as determined by SLT report 
• Understands and demonstrates Cause and effect
• Shows Intentional Communication the child is a
  Developing Communicator (as in Communication
  Development Profile)
• Has the ability to generate one form of
  consistent and reliable movement e.g. hand, eyes,
  foot
• Has a communication system in place, e.g.
  signing, communication book with evidence of use
  across 2 settings (e.g. home/school)
• Has had experience of speech output device, e.g.
  Big Mack, Go Talk, Clicker 5
• Commitment to AAC (home/educational settings)
  CAACAT Service Leaflet shared with
  parents/carers/education
• Has a communication passport
•  

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What weve changed

• Referral system
• Documentation
• Service Pathway National standards
• Triage system
• The team
• AAC awareness in community AAC reps, training,
  equipment, shared drive information

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• What Works
• Casework meetings
• Objective sheets
• Triage
• Drop Ins
• SLT involved
• Programmer identified
• Equipment List
• Team leader
• Discharge from Team
• 3 heads are better than 1

• What Doesnt
• Not having a loan store
• Only having 1 day a week
• Video storage
• Cross agency documents
• Not having an overall leader
• Having 2 people with the same name/initials

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The Team now
Team Leader Mel Meadows
Alison Webb SLT 1 day per week
Ann Nicol OT 2 days per week
Anne Williams AAC Officer 1 day per week