Day+6+-+AAC

What are some important factors when choosing an AAC device for a student?[|Voice for Living]

[|American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)]

[|United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication]

[|International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication]

[|Dynavox]

[|Prentke-Romich]

[|Mayer Johnson] (Boardmaker)

[|Boardmaker tutorial]

Brian- Some important factors when choosing an AAC device for a student are their environment, cognitive ability, and fine motor ability. Another important issue is if the student has other impairnents or disabilities. These factors have to be taken into consideration when chosing an assistive device and should be done by a team of professionals that work with the student and are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Once a device is chosen, other considerations need to be thought out, such as behavior, when it is used, how often, where it is used. After these items have been taken into consideration, the team can make an infromed decision about an AAC device.

When choosing an AAC device it is important it is collaboration among professionals and parents. I think it is really important to consider parent support when choosing a device. If a parent will not use the AAC device properly it will not benefit the child. I also think it would be a great idea to use the SETT framework when choosing a device. This could help determine which device would be the most effective for the student's needs.-Katie

Jamie: There are some important factors to consider when choosing an AAC device for a student. First, you need to consider the environment. Whatever the child is using needs to be accepted as meaningful communication by those around him or her. So whether is it a high-tech device, or a picture board it needs to be accepted as useful and purposeful language that will serve a function. Next, one needs to consider the size of the device. If the child is young and small then some big, heavy device obviously isn’t going to be appropriate. Also, you need to take into consideration cognitive levels. A child needs to understand the AAC device and be able to work with it effectively. Therefore, it is also important to consider the child’s individual abilities. In general, what device is going to work best for that child to meet his or her needs? What device is going to provide assistance to that child so that he or she may communicate with others? These are both important questions that need to be considered when choosing an AAC device. Also, you need to consider the child’s vocabulary. Do not pick a device that is too complex or too simple. Again, it needs to meet the child’s needs.

Jessica - In order for an individual to benefit from an augmentative or assistive device it must suit their needs. Vital to consider are their phyical and congnitive abilities. While many devices seem wonderful to us, someone who needs to benefit from it may not find it accessible. Various entry points can make the technology accessible, such as ease-of-use, the vocabulary chosen to be represented on the device, and features that motivate individuals to want to use the device. Matching the student's ability with the features on a device can ensure that they find it useful, continue to use it, and access education and social situations. The boardmaker program we used today provided great practice in making a simple board to accomplish a particular function. I could see myself using such a communication board, either with the program or just creatively on my own with word/powerpoint/etc. Giving those, without sufficient ability to talk, the ability to communicate via pictures can ease frustration and be powerful, giving students a voice in an otherwise silent world.

Bill: I think one point that we have touched on in our discussions of AT and that Marvin emphasized today is that one should always consider the low-tech options before moving on to the more expensive mid- and high tech devices. I was really impressed today with the simple restaurant booklet that we saw today. It had everything that many people would need to be able to communicate with a waiter or cashier at any type of eating establishment. That small laminated book could replace a whole "layer" of inputs on a high-tech device, and would cost nearly nothing in comparison. As always, it's vital to consider the needs of the student in choosing a device, and obviously not all would benefit from the low-tech restaurant menu. Despite this, it is clear that the device really needs to fit the individual and must be customized to fit the unique needs of the individual. I have a student who has never used an AAC device besides PECS, and one day he comes to school with a 6000 dollar VOCA that has far more functions than is appropriate for his needs. He spends a lot of time playing with the device, trying to garner a laugh by repeatedly saying "I want to throw up." I think it's unfortunate that our tax dollars have purchased more technology than this child needs. As we saw today, the layout of the various buttons on a VOCA is nearly as important as matching the correct device to the student. If the boards are layed out logically, and represent the communicative needs for the student in different settings, then the device can truly facilitate communication and assure that the thoughts and needs of the student are conveyed.

Rob Based on what I saw today during the presentation and the quick boardmaker activity, I would say the most important factor of selecting an AAC device for a student is to test all options starting with the lowest tech possible and work your way up to find the instructional level device. The age, experience, temperment, and mobility of the individual may set the boundaries for the AAC devices that child can use. A board that leads to boredom or frustration obviously is a waste of money for whomever purchased it. So finding the happy medium is the key factor. Aside from that, a board that a parent or educator can modify to meet specific needs or situations the child will find themselves in seems the most logical. I found the boardmaker software at the end of class to be very valuable. I found the ease of the interface to be surprising, almost as surprising as the number of symbols offered. I loved that you could adjust the text for each symbol and truly make it specialized for an individual and what they wish to say. It is great that boardmaker can accommodate any board even pecs or handmade picture walls.

Kristin When chosing an AAC device for a student the most important thing to think of is the student.You have to remember where the student currently is functioning, their age, their cognitive level, and what device will work best for them in their environment. Because many of these devices are so expensive a good way to start is to think of what devices that are low in cost could possibly work for the student. sometimes a pecs book is just as effective or more so than a GoTalk20. A student who is low in cognitive ability might not have the ability to use a more sophisticated device but will be able to use a pecs book or a simple communication board. You must think of the student's age as well because a young preschool student might function better with a GoTalk4 rather than the Tango.

Melissa: There are so many important factors! I would like to examine both factors that enable and disable choice. Factors that enable the choice: Most importantly, I would consider the SETT framework. I would think about the student and the needs of the student. At what level can the student communicate? I would think of the student’s environment and the tasks he needs to do. In school, what tasks does the student need to do that are affected by communication? Then I would think of possible AAC devices. What AAC device would best assist the student communicate in his environment with his tasks? Factors that disable the choice: Probably and unfortunately the most important disabling factor is cost. Imagine a world where we could have any assistive technology we wanted! Choosing assistive technology would become entirely different. It is a shame that we have to depend on finding the money to get devices. It is amazing that agencies such as insurance companies and the government makes decisions about who gets what. What do they know about education? Another disabling factor is effort. It takes so much effort to get what students need. While Marvin was talking I thought about my students, their environment, and the tasks they have to do. My students have extreme communication deficits, and it takes a lot of effort just to get low tech devices together for them. Don’t get me wrong; I work long days to assure quality programming for my students. Though, that’s just it; it’s a lot of effort even for low tech.