When is an evaluation needed?
-
Sometimes – initiated during an IEP meeting – consideration
for AT
- Most
often – initiated as a result of questions relating to a
students difficulty in coping or questions about possible
solutions which might be more effective for the student.
- Parent
or educational team request / referral
Important Points:
- Purpose
of AT intervention is to assist the student in coping with
learning, and with functional skills.
- Team
approach / team input throughout full process – evaluation
and implementation
- Involve
family at all stages
-
Evaluation is driven by student need, not the types of tools
and equipment on hand
-
Assessment conducted in usual and customary environment
Results and
Recommendations from evaluation is NOT only to determine types
of tools and devices. Should also provide realistic
recommendations and suggestions for implementation, training,
incorporating AT into the curriculum and various environments.
Evaluation Components
- Review
of records and previous reports
-
Evaluation of the users functional skills and performance
must be taken into account during the AT evaluation – see
discipline specific evaluations (OT, PT, SLP, academic,
other …)
-
Questionnaire
-
Observation in natural and customary environment.
-
Observation of specific activities.
- Team
meeting, brainstorming, discussion, mapping and webbing –
including parents
- Hands on
evaluation – during classroom time and one on one
-
Different times of day and different environments
- Various
postures and in positioning equipment
- With
different communication partners
Referral
- can be
generalized and broad ranging or very specific.
- Can
be for a full assistive technology evaluation
- Or
may be for a specific aspect – e.g. communication,
computer access, access for a specific activity or task
School district procedures for
initiating and AT evaluation:
-
Consult or Pre-Assessment profile
- Full
evaluation for a generalized and comprehensive eval.
-
Evaluation of components for a more specific need
Depending on
the student’s needs, the following are examples of the types of
questions which might be generated as questions to be addressed
in the evaluation:
Questions generated from the
‘consideration’ discussion – for planning the assessment
- What
tasks do we want the student to do that she/he is unable to
do?
- What
types of assistive devices may assist the student in doing
the task and remaining in the least restrictive environment?
- Is there
a low-technology device that will meet the student’s needs?
- Is the
device(s) suited to the student’s educational needs and
abilities?
- Is the
suitability of the assistive technology device appropriate
over time?
- If this
is a re-evaluation, what additional information is needed?
Decision Making and
Recommendations
"Putting the
Puzzle Pieces Together"
http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/DecisionMaking/
Analyzing
information collected from evaluation -
CHALLENGE:
using information gathered to determine best possible
configuration of devices, services, support, strategies,
compensatory techniques to compensate for functional problems
Making
decisions based on:
- Trials
with observation and data during the evaluation
- Matching
features of equipment and tools to student needs, goals and
tasks “Feature match”
- AT
continuum - light tech and high tech.
-
suggestions for equipment are based on what equipment is
most fiscally responsible to meet the child's needs
See this full document
here ...
Documentation
- Detailed
Evaluation Report
- History
and background information
- Student
challenges / needs and strengths / interests
- Reason
for evaluation and questions to be answered in the
evaluation
-
Observations
- Use of
varied tools and strategies – observation and data
- Students
responses to the tools and overall evaluation
-
Student’s performance using various tools and strategies
- Parent
responses and wishes
- Analysis
of data and findings
-
Recommendations based on results
-
Recommendations for specific types of equipment, tools,
strategies for use during trial periods and extended
assessment
-
Suggestions on where tools can be rented, loaned, purchased
- Initial
suggestions for development of an action plan and ideas for
integration of AT into the curriculum and various
environments
Documentation for IEP
The data
gathered from the comprehensive evaluation conducted by the
multidisciplinary team must be utilized in the development of
the IEP. Therefore, if an assistive technology evaluation was
conducted as part of the comprehensive evaluation, the IEP team
members must consider the results and recommendations of the
evaluation when developing an IEP.
- Indicate
use of assistive technology for specific goals
- No need
to include specific information about the technology tools
being used
Action Plan
- Team
meeting
- Generate
and Prioritize solutions
-
Hierarchy of possible or preferred options
- Set up a
detailed time line for trials and training
- Decide
what training will be needed
- Who will
provide training, who will participate in training
- Who will
be involved in training student and assisting with
implementation
- One case
manager or key person to oversee the action plan
- Decide
where student will use the technology
- When
student will use technology
- Training
phase vs. actual use in classroom for demanding curriculum
activities
- Changes
in student’s schedule to allow for AT training and learning
time
See
information about how to set up an action plan here
http://www.customtyping.com/tutorials/sr/action_plan.htm
Real life problems with
evaluation
- A lack
of access to current and thorough information
-
Insufficient training in conducting AT evaluations
- A lack
of understanding of the student’s usual and customary
environment
- A gap in
the identification of the types of supports needed for the
student and the technology
- The use
of one-time procedures as opposed to ongoing processes with
consistent follow-up to ensure meeting functional needs are
met and appropriate supports are received
- The high
cost of evaluation (U.S. Department of Education, 2000)
- Those
who know the student best are not conducting the evaluation
- The
required involvement of several students (Bowser & Reed,
1998)
- Current
AT evaluation practices lack standardized or systematic
procedures (Petty, 2002)
- The
existence of multiple definitions of AT service delivery
processes (Sprigle & Abdelhamied, 1998) and diverse
terminology (Case, 2003)
-
Inconsistencies exist in the delivery of AT by geographic
regions and service delivery models (Sprigle & Abdelhamied,
1998)
- The
ambiguity of federal legislation and the lack of
standardization in the field (Case, 2003).
(from
www.texasat.net/docs/Eval.Supp.Lit..pdf )
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