Assessment

The following resources are some that are available for teams to use when assessing students with deafblindness with additional disabilities.  If you have questions and would like more specific guidance, contact Ann Mayes, education specialist with the Minnesota DeafBlind Project (ann.mayes@brightworksmn.org).

The following assessment approach was developed by Dr. Jan van Dijk of the Netherlands.  He developed child-guided strategies especially for those children who are DeafBlind and emergent communicators.  

The Communication Matrix is a tool used to assess emergent communication skills of students who are deafblind with multiple disabilities.  Another resource that can support the evaluation process and provide support in administering and interpreting the student's communication profile is found on the West Virginia Department of Education website.  The child's development of communication skills can be tracked and intervention strategies are identified to support the child's development. 

The Informal Functional Hearing Evaluation (IFHE) is meant to guide the teacher of deaf/hard of hearing (TDHH), the teacher of blind/visually impaired (TBVI), and other team members in determining the impact of a hearing loss on educational functioning for students who are DeafBlind with additional disabilities.  If the team is using the Google Form below, they'll be required to make a copy to protect data privacy of their student before beginning to use the form.  It can then be saved in the school's Google Drive.