AT Implementation

Overview

https://atinternetmodules.org/m/802 

Effective assistive technology (AT) implementation facilitates students' ability to participate in educational activities, work toward mastery of Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, and make progress within the general education curriculum. The content of this module focuses on planning for the use of AT devices and services that IEP teams have determined to be needed for students with disabilities to benefit from a free, appropriate public education (FAPE).

Although the principles of AT implementation included in this module are directly related to the IDEA, the processes and strategies discussed are generally appropriate for AT implemented under other legislation, such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112). The information and processes presented in this module may be used, with little or no change, in a wide variety of environments, such as employment, home, group living, and postsecondary educational environments.

Expected Results of Effective AT Implementation

When needed, effective use of AT has the potential to increase a student's ability in academic areas like reading, writing, and math. Effective use of AT might also help with functional performance areas such as motor skills, activities of daily living, or self-help skills. Ideally, the use of AT results in a student's increased academic achievement and functional performance. In a more general sense, students' use of AT of any kind can:

• Support achievement of goals

• Expand educational / vocational options

• Increase participation in educational settings and activities

• Increase productivity

• Increase independence

• Improve quality of life

AT implementation involves people working together to support students using AT to accomplish tasks necessary for active participation and progress in typical educational environments. In this AT Implementation module, you will learn about the ways that AT devices and services, as included in the IEP (including goals and objectives, related services, supplementary aids and services, and accommodations or modifications), are delivered and integrated into the student's educational program. 

Four Principles That Form the Foundation for AT Implementation

1. AT Implementation involves the use of AT devices and services to promote student achievement.

Student achievement and increased functional performance is the critical outcome of AT implementation in educational settings. Effective AT implementation that leads to this outcome not only involves AT devices and services, but may also involve many instructional and therapeutic strategies and tools that are NOT specifically in the IEP as AT, but that support student needs and use of the AT.

2. AT Implementation focuses on functional areas of concern when and where they occur.

Throughout consideration and evaluation, the IEP team thinks about and gathers information about areas of concern that present barriers to the student's achievement. As the team moves to planning for implementation, it is important to give thought to when and where those areas of concern occur for the student in school, home, and community settings to ensure that implementation takes place at those times and in those places whenever possible.

3. AT Implementation is an ongoing process that involves all those who work with the student.

Each step of AT implementation yields evidence of the amount of success of the student's AT use and sometimes evidence of the need for changes.  Effective implementation involves continuous examination of progress and application of needed improvement in the student's program of AT use.

4. AT Implementation requires a plan that is collaboratively developed by all who will be involved.

The development of a collaborative plan to guide effective implementation is the main focus of this module. A well-developed plan is developed with the input of the people who will be involved in the activities in which the AT is used.

Keeping these four principles in mind, the remainder of the module will focus on the development of an effective implementation plan, which includes evaluation of effectiveness. To address the question, "what should be included in an implementation plan?" the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT) for Implementation and for Evaluation of the Effectiveness may be used as guidelines and will be explored in the next section.

Basic Concepts Involved in Planning AT Implementation

When implementation is dependent on only one person, success over time is much less likely than when a collaborative team of implementers is involved. Thus, sharing responsibilities is critical if successful implementation is to take place. Further, although effective implementation may start within a single activity or a single location, it moves as quickly as possible to multiple environments and a variety of activities. 

Effective AT implementation does not mean that the student's AT is used for everything or in every instance. Students need to learn when to use AT and when other strategies are more effective. Thus, effective implementation encourages the use of multiple means of participation and expression. 

Training, not just for the student, but also for the staff, the family, and others, is a part of implementation, as is the management and maintenance of materials and equipment. If the AT is not working or the people who are supposed to support the student do not know how to provide support, it is very unlikely that implementation will be successful.

Finally, it is important to make changes in the implementation plan if data indicate that the student is not making appropriate progress.

In summary, the QIAT indicators state that high-quality AT implementation:

1. Follows a collaboratively developed plan

2. Is based on evaluation data and present levels of performance

3. Shares responsibilities

4. Occurs across environments and activities

5. Encourages multiple means of participation

6. Includes training for student, staff, family, and others

7. Includes management and maintenance of materials

8. Changes based on formative evaluation

Essential Components Related to Evaluating the Effectiveness of AT Implementation

Moving from the quality indicators for implementation to a review of the quality indicators for evaluation of effectiveness, the sixth guiding principle, from the Study Group on the Provision of Assistive Technology Services in Rehabilitation (1990, cited in Zabala, 1992, p. 1), noted below, underscores the cyclical nature of assessment and implementation processes. 

"Assessment and intervention form a continuous, dynamic process" 

This principle emphasizes the importance of thinking from the beginning about how effectiveness will be determined as the implementation plan is developed rather than trying to figure out later whether or not the AT implementation has made the difference that it was expected to make.

Quality indicators for evaluation of effectiveness describe the evidence needed to convince team members that the student's AT use is making a difference, how supporting evidence will be gathered, and how to determine when changes in the implementation plan are needed.

In summary, the QIAT indicators state that high-quality evaluation of effectiveness of AT:

• Includes clearly defined responsibilities

• Is related to one or more goals

• Includes quantitative and qualitative measurement of changes

• Takes place across environments and activities

• Requires analyzing student achievement to identify supports and barriers

• Expects that changes are made based on data

• Is an ongoing process

The QIAT indicators also emphasize the importance of clearly defined, shared responsibilities for gathering and analyzing data related to how the student is using AT to address one or more goals. Just as environments and activities are taken into account when first considering AT use, it is important to decide what qualitative, quantitative, and other measures will be used to determine effectiveness in each of the environments and activities in which AT is used. Therefore, consideration and evaluation data should be the starting point of implementation planning. 

With the four foundational principles for AT implementation and Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (2012) in mind, teams are better able to address the "how to" aspect of developing an effective implementation plan. The best place to start is with the information that was gathered in the earlier stages of AT service provision - consideration, evaluation, the IEP, and what is expected to happen in educational environments. In order to move forward, the team will need to organize and use the information that has been gathered in the earlier stages of AT service provision and complete a series of steps that lead to the development of an effective implementation plan that includes evaluation of effectiveness.