CD 485 Computer
Applications in Communication Disorders and Sciences
Augmentative and Alternate Communication (AAC) Devices for
Communicatively Handicapped Individuals.
Assistive Technologies: The role of many assistive technologies in communication is not immediately apparent, but it is highly crucial. One might question, for example, what a bowl and spoon, which have been modified to make eating more feasible for a motor impaired child, could have to do with facilitating or augmenting communication. The answer is a lot! For example, before an individual can effectively use an augmentative or alternative communication device, he/she must have something to say. Developing the capacity to have something to say begins early in life…before speech ever emerges. The key to development is interactivity with the environment. Infants and toddlers who should be developing speech and language but who have severe motor impairments are cut off from their environment by the very nature of their disability. What is worse, this confinement, denies them opportunities to develop concepts about the world and language (and the sub-summing neural infra-structure) at a time when the their neural development and receptivity to learning is operating at its highest peak—a precious but limited window of opportunity. These children may acquire, as a result, a significant basic language deficit.
Hence, the “cure” is to provide as much assistance as possible to motor impaired infants and toddlers to enable them to interact maximally with their environment. By putting suction cups on a bowl so that it doesn’t fly off the table; and by increasing the size of a spoon handle so it can be easily grasped, we can make it possible for a motor impaired children to have the experience of feeding themselves. A plethora of concepts are acquired in just this one activity. But in addition, this in turn, fosters attitudes of self sufficiency (self concept), which in turn effects attitudes about communicating.
It is important for the speech pathologist (SP)to be aware of this need; to be knowledgeable about assistive technologies; and to be able to advise parents of disabled infants and toddlers, about the pending language and speech problems, and the options for habilitation that are available though assistive technologies. A good place of the SP to begin learning about Assistive Technology is with the Individuals with Disabilities Education ACT (IDEA).
New amendments to IDEA require that the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team consider whether the child requires assistive technology and services (20 U.S.C. Section 1414(d) (3) (B) (v)). There are also other requirements in the new IDEA related to assistive technology. The Western Regional Resource Center (WRRC) has compiled a complete listing of these specific requirements.
IDEA (20 U.S.C. Section 1401) includes the following definitions for Assistive Technology and Services:
1.Assistive Technology Device: The term 'assistive technology device' means any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability.
2.Assistive Technology Service: The term 'assistive technology service' means any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. Such term includes:
The evaluation of the needs of such child, including a functional evaluation of the child in the child's customary environment;
Purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by such child;
Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing of assistive technology devices;
Coordinating and using other therapies,
interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;
Training or technical assistance for such child, or, when appropriate, the family of such child; and
Training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education and rehabilitation services) to, employ, or otherwise
substantially be involved in the major life functions of such child.
What kinds of assistive technology and services are to considered by the IEP team?
It is important that members of the IEP team recognize that technology is just one strategy in a multifaceted approach in addressing the needs and strengths of students with disabilities. IEP teams will therefore need to balance the degree of technology assistance with the student's learning potential, motivation, chronological age, developmental level and goals/objectives, which include:
Low-Tech - Equipment and other supports readily available in schools, including off-the-shelf items to accommodate the needs of students, which can be provided by general/special education through the Student
Study Team (SST)/IEP processes (e.g., calculators, taperecorder, pencil grip, and larger pencils).
High-Tech - Supports students who may need more specialized equipment and support services beyond basic assistive technology, often students with low incidence and/or significant/severe disabilities, which requires more assessment (e.g., closed circuit television (CCTV), FM systems, augmentative communication devices, sound field systems, alternative computer access, and specialized software).
It is also important to consider and use the technology purchased with state and federal technology funds for all students (e.g., computers, basic software), and to request funding for students with disabilities who do not have access to the technology purchased with these funds.
What is the process for considering whether the child requires assistive technology and services?
Assistive technology is as much a process as well as it is a product. A flowchart from Has Technology Been Considered - A Guide for IEP Teams by A.C. Chambers, provides a basic outline of the process which should be used in considering the assistive technology needs of students with disabilities.
Copies may be ordered from the Council of Administrators of Special Education, Inc., Council for Exceptional Children at 615 16th Street NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104. The telephone number is (505) 243-7622 and the FAX number is (505)247-4822.
Who should be involved in considering the need for assistive technology and services?
Assistive technology is a tool for access (e.g., school environment, core curriculum) and for independence (e.g., communication, mobility) and will therefore change as the student's needs change and as technology continues to change. The need for AT should therefore be an integral part of a comprehensive assessment for students with disabilities in all areas related to their disabilities, as
appropriate, for each student and must be considered by the IEP team, based upon the students assessed needs and strengths.
It is important to use a collaborative school-based team approach in education settings for assessment, planning, and provision of needed AT, which includes individuals who are knowledgeable about the student's disability(ies)/needs and strengths in the area of AT.
A more comprehensive version of the above discussion can be reached on the internet at: