Assessment

The following resources are some that are available for teams to use when assessing students with deafblindness combined 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.  After the Communication Matrix has been completed, interventions are determined.  If teachers need more information and ideas about the next steps, the PowerPoint, "Using the Communication Matrix Intervention Modules for Students with Complex Communication Needs" provides direction for future planning.

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 potential hearing loss on educational functioning for students with visual impairments and multiple disabilities. 

The above link is the Google Form for the Informal Functional Hearing Evaluation - Interview.  Many students who are deafblind have large IEP teams who might prefer to use a Google Form for collaboration.  Teams will be forced to make a copy to begin using the Form.