These decisions are always made on a case-by-case basis, and the following information is intended only as a set of guidelines. If in doubt about a particular student, always ask the AT specialist for more information!
Please make sure that you have first learned about AT Basics for SpEd Teachers. From there, you can email me if you have questions, such as how to obtain an educator account for Bookshare, Learning Ally, or Read&Write. You do not need to add my services to the student's IEP or 504 plan.
AT Consultation services can be requested for an individual student if ALL of the following statements are true:
The student is eligible under some category of Special Education, and has an IEP.
The student is not meeting their IEP goals, or not progressing as expected.
For reading and writing concerns - The IEP team has already tried text-to-speech and speech-to-text if appropriate for the student.
The IEP team would like to consider some additional type of technology, but needs help identifying an appropriate tool, learning to use the tool, and/or approval to purchase this technology for the student.
Note: An AT referral may not be needed if the student's needs can be met by the occupational therapist (OT), physical therapist (PT), teacher of the visually impaired (TVI), and/or the Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher (D/HH).
To request AT consultation please email me. The result of an AT consultation request will be one of the following:
In most cases - A recommendation for the IEP team as to specific AT device(s) and/or AT services for the team to try, which will be documented via an amendment to the IEP. I will complete any purchase orders needed, and train you on how to use the tools so that you can teach the student and monitor their progress with the tool as part of your progress monitoring toward their IEP goals.
In few cases - A recommendation for the IEP team to write an assessment plan (AP) for the student (see Level 3). This may occur in complex cases, or where there is insufficient information from previous initial and triennial assessment reports.
Some important things to know about AT assessment:
There is no such thing as "eligibility" for AT. All students who are eligible for special education are automatically considered (not assessed) for AT at every IEP, and the team (not a specific person or specialist) decides what accommodations are appropriate for the student.
The AT specialist can therefore often provide input to the team without an AT assessment (see Level 2), and in many cases this results in students receiving their necessary supports and services faster.
There is no magic, standardized or non-standardized "AT Test" that can tell you what technology a child should use.
The process of formal AT assessment by the AT specialist involves records review, interviews, observations, and data collection on trials with different devices. It does require an assessment plan, like other types of IEP testing.
The result of a formal AT assessment is a written report that provides the specialist's recommendations of what technology the child should try, and why, plus the recommended amount of consultation services for the upcoming year. The final decisions of what to try and what services are needed are made by the IEP team.
The following steps should always take place before any AT assessment is proposed:
The child should have at least their initial IEP assessment completed. The IEP team must hold the IEP meeting, determine that the student is eligible, and agree upon goals and services. It does not make sense to consider what AT could help a child achieve their IEP goals, before they even have IEP goals!
A consultation should always be requested by the case manager before any assessment is proposed. This allows the AT Specialist the opportunity to complete a file review first, and determine whether additional information is needed to make recommendations.
Please email me with a brief description of your concerns (and the student's full name, if applicable) at kandriella@cv.k12.ca.us.