Gathering Communication Information

This communication sample allows an observer to collect data regarding a child's early communicative behavior, with a specific lens of the possible communicative function of the communicative behavior. Additionally, the antecedent (what happened right before the communicative behavior) and the communication partner response (what happened right after the communicative behavior) give the observer added information about the child's overall communication and communicative motivation.

This form helps a team document the ways in which a child communicates in subtle ways, what the team thinks these communicative behaviors mean, and how the team can response to and shape the communication. This document can be utilized across all communication partners so that a child's spontaneously initiated communication can be reinforced consistently. Additionally, the team may use this form to document the conventional communication behavior they will model and shape for the child in order to support the child to develop more conventional modes of communication.

The Communication Matrix assessment tool can be used to document a child's communicative behavior over time. It is a particularly sensitive tool for children with deafblindness who communicate in subtle and idiosyncratic ways. This overview provides an outline of how the Communication Matrix assessment tool can be used to document current child communication and create communication goals.

When determining communication modes and methods for children with combined vision and hearing loss and complex bodies it is helpful to carefully observe the ways in which the child gathers information about their world. For instance, if a child tends to gather information through auditory more than through vision or if a child tends to gather the most information from reaching out and getting tactile input, then this information can be used to help determine what modes of communication may be the best fit for any individual child.