Communication Assessment Strategies for Individuals with Severe Disabilities Western Carolina University, March 22, 2006

1. Communication Assessment Strategies for Individuals with Severe DisabilitiesWestern Carolina University, March 22, 2006 Nancy Brady, University of Kansas nbrady@ku.edu

2. Assessment Purposes • Describe current level of functioning to qualify an individual for services • Identify promising intervention practices • How are they currently communicating? • When and where are they currently communicating? • Communication environment? • Supportive contexts available?

3. Sample videos

6. Assessing current communication • How are individuals communicating in real contexts? • Use questionnaires and forms supplemented with direct observation • e.g., Inventory of Potential Communicative Acts by Sigafoos, and Woodyatt. • “Please describe how the individual (greets, gets your attention, seeks comfort, let’s you know they are happy…..)” • Summarize responses in a behavior x function grid

7. IPCA: Examples of Potential Communicative Acts

8. IPCA continued • Organized by communication function • Social convention • Attention to self • Reject/protest • Request an object • Request an action • Request information • Comment • Choice making • Answer • Imitation

9. IPCA continued • Open-ended interview questions • Reject/Protest: • What does person do if … • 1. their routine is disrupted? • 2. they are required to do something they don’t want to do? • 3. they don’t like something? • 4. a favourite toy/food is taken away?

10. Summary Grid Layout

11. IPCA summary grids

14. 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

15. Communication matrix • C1. Refuses or Rejects Something • whole body movements (twist, turn away) Mastered • scream, whine Emerging • frown, grimace Emerging • pushes away object or person Emerging • gives unwanted item to you Mastered

16. Communication Matrix • Matrix summary grid • Presented by level and function • Color coded according to not used, emerging or mastered

17. Direct Observations • How do individuals communicate in specific contexts? • Described as the Verification stage by Sigafoos, Butterfield and Arthur-Kelley (in press)

18. Verification Phase • Set up opportunities to observe some of the behaviors that were reported in interviews. • Reaching to request? • Clapping to request food? • Individualized

19. Standard Protocol • Present opportunities for individuals to communicate • e.g., CSBS (Wetheryby & Prizant, 2003), ECBS (Seibert and Hogan, 1981), (McLean, McLean, Brady & Etter, 1991, Brady, McLean, McLean and Johnston, 1995) • Examples

20. For example, do they comment?

23. Do they repair communication breakdowns?

24. Specific Adaptations: sensory and motor

25. Examples of adaptations • Does he comment?

29. Advantages/disadvantages to standard protocol • Chance to see how different individuals perform under similar circumstances • Sometimes they will surprise you! • May see behaviors that were not reported by informants • More efficient in terms of time • But, less individualized = less likely to accommodate individual strengths or probe unique interests

37. Summary of Protocol Results- Marlee

40. IPCA summary grids

41. Requests: point, moves toward, claps, signs more • Rejects: sign stop, sign finish, bites self and others • Comment: smiles • Social conventions: pinch, wave, look at

42. Assessment thus far • Inventory of potential communication acts • Data regarding the extent to which communication used during direct observation • Need to use this information to establish instructional priorities • Which of the many gaps in their communication profiles need to be addressed first?

43. Assessing communication environments • Does the individual’s environment provide opportunities for the child to communicate? • Ecological assessment • Design to Learn Inventory evolved from ACE, by Rowland and Schwiegert (1993) • Communication Supports Checklist • Social Networks by Sarah Blackstone and Mary Hunt Berg • PCO Checklist by Houghton et al.

44. Design To Learn • Teacher observes an activity, beginning at the time the child makes the transition to the activity and ending with the completion of the activity • Each observed behavior is marked • 70 different statements • Transitions; activity; adult’s interaction; students communication system; peer interaction; opportunities to communicate; opportunities to use objects; materials

46. Sample Page: Profile Design to Learn

47. Communication Supports Checklist • Written by members of the NJC, published by Brookes • Covers philosophy, protection of communication rights, environmental support, goal setting practices, program implementation, team competencies • 97 items • Environmental support, • Expecting communication, providing interesting and age-appropriate materials, including communication partners who know how to use AAC systems and devices used by individual…..

48. Social Networks • Interview format • Information about individual’s communication with different social partners • Summarized according to Circles of Communication Partners

50. Promoting Communication Outcomes for Children with Deaf-Blindness:Environmental Checklist • Physical and Environmental Characteristics • The lighting and/or illumination is adapted for child’s visual condition (e.g., shades, glare, focused lighting, contrast, dim, etc.). Specify • Communication • Communication is accessible to child (e.g., access to communication that is matched to sensory processing disabilities.) • Instructional Arrangements and Programming • Anticipatory information for every activity is provided