AAC Assessment: Adults with DD

Author: OCALI

Description: A team-based assessment process is required to determine the appropriate tools which best match the needs of individuals with communication challenges. This module provides users with information about the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) assessment process for adults with developmental disabilities (DD), the variety of communication supports, and the selection criteria for communication devices and apps.

Focus:  AAC Skills

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  SLP Report: Rating Scale, Observation

Format: Web-based Learning Module

Population: Adults with DD

AAC Checklist & Rubric

Author: Lori Tufte

Description: This observation rubric is intended for use at the end of an AAC assessment or therapy session. Rating for basic AAC skills at an  Emergent, Developing or Proficient Level.

Focus:  AAC Skills

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  SLP Report: Rating Scale, Observation

Format: Downloadable PDF

Population: All Ages

AAC Skills Assessment-R

Author: Vicki Clarke, MS CCC-SLP

Description: This tool provides instructions for assessing on-screen cause & effect, targeting, picture discrimination, choice-making, noun symbol use for commenting, core word use, multi-symbol use and many more.  A prompting hierarchy assists with performance analysis

Focus:  AAC Skills: Early Skills

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Direct Assessment 

Format: Downloadable Fillable PDF

Population:  School Age

AAC-Aphasia Categories of Communicators Checklist

Author: Garrett & Lasker (2005)

Description: This checklist helps the SLP identify appropriate AAC strategies to teach based on the type of aphasia experienced by the individual. Both skills and challenges are considered.

Focus:  AAC Skills: Skills & Challenges

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  SLP Report: Rating Scale, Observation

Format: Downloadable Fillable Checklist

Population:  Adults with Aphasia

Communication Function Classification System

Author: Hidecker et al. (2011)

Description: Classification system for every day communication performance of individuals of any disability into one of 5 levels by ordinal scale. Originally developed for use with individuals with cerebral palsy, the CFCS focus is on being able to participate.  Specific AAC skills of focus includes ability to communicate with familiar and unfamiliar listeners, pace of communication, conversational turn-taking, and intelligibility. 

Focus:  AAC Skills: Communication Effectiveness

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Caregiver, Professional, Self Report: Rating Scale

Format: Downloadable PDF 

Population:  Individuals with any disability

Communication Supports Inventory – Children & Youth (CSI-CY)

Author: Charity Rowland, Ph.D,  Melanie Fried-Oken, Ph.D. CCC-SLP & Sandra Steiner, MA CCC-SLP

Description: This tool is "designed to make goal writing easier for teachers and speech-language pathologists who work with students who rely on AAC to communicate effectively. It is a guide to organize the impact of a student’s communication strengths and limitations on participation at school and at home and to plan for IEP meetings by prioritizing areas that should be targeted. This tool uses the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children & Youth Version used by the World Health Organization.

Focus:  AAC Skills

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Professional Report: Rating Scale

Format: On-line entry or Downloadable PDF 

Population:  Students using AAC

Dynamic Area Goals Grid 2  (DAGG) 

Author: Patricia Dowden, Ph.D. CCC-SLP & Janice Light, Ph.D.

Description: Descriptive form for caregiver to fill out to gather functional, routines based information to customize a child's communication system.  Routines based caregiver inventory for customizing child's SGD

Focus:  AAC Skills: Communication Competence

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  SLP Report: Checklist

Format: Downloadable Fillable PDF/App with Rating Scales 

Population:  All ages

Dynamic Assessment AAC Protocol 

Author: Vicki Clarke, MS CCC-SLP

Description: Dynamic Therapy Associates provides an AAC skills assessment protocol. This form collects your information about a wide range of AAC related skills gathered from observation and results from TASP, AAC Genie App and Dowden's Ability Level Continuum.

AAC Skills: Protocol, Feature Matching

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  SLP Report: Interview, Checklist,Direct Assessment, Observation

Format: Downloadable Fillable PDF of Protocol 

Population:  All Ages

Eye-Pointing Classification Scale

Author: University College London (UCL)

Description: The eyePoint scale is a systematic tool to support professionals and families in describing looking behaviors related to eye-pointing in non-speaking children with cerebral palsy affecting their whole body. The eyePoint scale describes looking behaviors in five levels (I-Uses eye pointing, II-Shifts Gaze to Face, III-Fixes, Disengages & Shifts Gaze, IV-Fixes Gaze, V-Other Behaviors

Focus:  AAC Skills: Eye Gaze

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Caregiver, Professional, Self Report: Rating Scale

Format: Downloadable Classification Scale

Population:  Non-Speaking Children with Cerebral Palsy

Index of Augmented Speech Comprehensibility in Children (I-ASCC)

Author: Patricia Dowden, Ph.D. CCC-SLP

Description:  The I-ASCC is a non-standardized clinical measure to determine single-word speech comprehensibility in children (Dowden, 1997).  Children are shown picture stimuli and their answers are recorded. Familiar and unfamiliar communication partners then listen to the recorded samples with unknown and known contexts. The I-ASCC can be used to help teams resolve conflicts about need for AAC and to develop effective speech-supplementation strategies for students who speak. Jill Senner & Matthew Baud provide the link to resources about how to use this tool.

Focus:  AAC Skills: Clarification Strategies

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Direct Assessment 

Format:  Downloadable PDF & Doc

Population:  Children & Youth

Inventory of Functional Communication 

Author: Patricia Politano, Ph.D., MA CCC-SLP/L, ATP

Description: The Inventory of Functional Communication (IFC ) was created to help record the communication skills of adults with developmental disabilities and to guide professionals in the development of functional communication programs. It is based on the understanding that the purpose of functional communication programs is to provide ways to increase who the individual can communicate with, situations within which they can communicate and increase what they can communicate abouInventory of communication including: independent communication levels, communication dictionary, messages communicated, and communicative competence. 

Focus:  AAC Skills: Protocol, Communication Effectiveness

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Professional Report: Interview, Checklist, Observation

Format: Downloadable PDF 

Population:  Adults with Aphasia

Pragmatics Profile for People Who Use AAC

Author: Ace Center

Description: This profile should be used with individuals who have used AAC in the past, are currently using AAC, or when individuals are ready to move from informal to formal AAC methods. Includes a summary sheet for progress monitoring.  

Focus:  AAC Skills: Pragmatics

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Caregiver Interview

Format: Downloadable Fillable Doc

Population:  All Ages

Tool for Analysis of Language and Communication

Author: Jill Senner, Ph.D. CCC-SLP  & Matthew Baud, MS CCC-SLP

Description: This language sampling form has been designed for collecting data on expressive language use in individuals using AAC and other modes of communication.  By signing up with TALC, you'll gain free access to many great tools.  You are sent a passcode to access the Free Resources section.  This tool is listed in the Evaluation Resources for Clinicians. 

Focus:  AAC Skills: Expressive Language

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Language Sampling

Format: Downloadable Doc 

Population:  All Ages

Trial Data Collection Sheet

Author: PRC-Saltillo

Description: This form provides easy data collection to support the medical need for funding and SGD. It includes sample communication functions, environments, and partners. 

Focus:  Assessment

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Language Sampling

Format: Downloadable Fillable PDF

Population:  All Ages

Feature Matching Comparison Chart

Author: Oklahoma Assistive Technology Center (OUHSC)

Description: Feature matching checklist to compare/contrast up to 3 different AAC devices that can be matched to AAC User needs

Focus:  Feature Matching

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Professional Report: Checklist

Format: Downloadable Docx

Population:  All Ages

SGD Features Checklist

Author: Jill Senner, Ph.D. CCC-SLP  & Matthew Baud, MS CCC-SLP

Description: This Speech Generating Device (SGD) Features Checklist has been designed to help teams determine what features are required in a speech generating device.  It provides a quick list of features across many popular speech generating devices. By signing up with TALC, you'll gain free access to many great tools.  You are sent a passcode to access the Free Resources section.  This tool is listed in the Evaluation Resources for Clinicians. 

Focus:  Feature Matching

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Professional Report: Checklist

Format: Downloadable PDF

Population:  All Ages

GPAT AAC Evaluation Protocol

Author: Georgia Project for Assistive Technology

Description: Georgia Department of Education provides this free AAC evaluation protocol. 

Focus:  AAC Skills: Protocol, Feature Matching

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  SLP Report: Checklist, Direct Assessment, Observation

Format: Downloadable PDF 

Population:  School Age

Student Inventory for Technology Supports (SIFTS)

Author: Ohio Department of Education

Description: SIFTS is a feature matching guide to assist in finding appropriate assistive technology. SIFT'S purpose is to guide the feature matching portion of the AT assessment process. Either student or adult is selected, then questions about specific domain are asked for the identified area of functional difficulty. For AAC select "Communication" to compile an individual AAC Feature Profile.

The goal of this specific tool is to help identify a comprehensive listing of features that might be included in a communication system. The descriptions, images and videos are provided to enhance your understanding of each individual feature. Use these features to begin the process of matching appropriate AT solutions to your student's needs. Feature matching checklist allow a compare/contrast of up to 3 different AAC devices based on answers to questions about the individual.

Focus:  Feature Matching

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Professional Report with Checklist

Format: Web-based survey tool 

Population:  School Age

FIATS-AAC

Author: Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Center, Toronto

Description: The Family Impact of Assistive Technology Scale for Augmentative and Alternative Communication is a parent-report questionnaire designed to detect functional change associated with AAC interventions for the families and individuals 3 years to 18 years. 13 dimensions measure overall and domain-specific functioning associated with AAC system use including seven child-related factors (behavior, communication, contentment, doing activities, education, self-reliance, social versatility) and six parent- and family-related factors (caregiver relief, energy, family roles, finances, security, supervision).

Focus:  Outcome Measure

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Parent Report: Questionnaire

Format: Downloadable Fillable Doc

Population:  Children & Youth

National Outcome Measurement System (NOMS)

Author: American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA)

Description: ASHA's 7 point scale measure is designed to assess functional change with sub-section measuring AAC. Voluntary data collection system that illustrates the value of speech-language pathology services. In exchange for submitting data to ASHA, you and the organization have access to your data benchmarked against national data. Pre- and post-therapy functional communication measure (FCM) ; All ASHA SLPs can utilize for free after registration and reliability training. NOMS Registration link: https://www.asha.org/noms/register-for-noms/

Focus:  Outcome Measure

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Professional Report: Rating Scale

Format: Online database entry

Population:  All Ages

Responsiveness of an AAC Outcome Measure

Author: Stephen Ryan, Tracy Shepherd, et al.

Description: This form is designed to measure communication competencies, training history, and AAC systems to track progress at three times over the first ~12 weeks a client has an AAC system 

Focus:  Outcome Measure

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Direct Assessment

Format: Downloadable PDF 

Population:  All Ages

QUEST Version 2.0

Author: L. Demers, R. Weiss-Lambrou & B. Ska

Description: Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (Version 2) measures patient satisfaction with various assistive technologies.

Focus:  Outcome Measure

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  Self Report: Questionaire

Format: Downloadable PDF 

Population:  Ages: 13-65+

Minnesota Assistive Technology Manual (Update) 

Author: Minnesota Department of Education

Description: This full manual update is a source for legal statutes and best practices for consideration and evaluation of assistive technology in special education. In addition, it includes helpful forms that can be used in AAC consideration to gather multiple perspectives (page 84 & on) from the families, students, educators.  Many other forms included.

Focus:  Quality Guideline

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  SLP/Parent/Student/ Interview

Format: Downloadable PDF with Fillable Forms 

Population:  School Age

SETT Framework

Author: Dr. Joy Zabala

Description: Framework for gathering information across several key individuals and settings. Interviews may be repeated. 

Focus:  Quality Guideline, Feature Matching

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  SLP/Parent/Student/ Interview

Format: Downloadable PDF 

Population:  All Ages

Assessing Participation in Students Who Use AAC

Author: Beukelman and Mirenda (PrAACtically Speaking)

Description: A participation inventory used to assess how individuals who use AAC participate across environments by looking at participation patterns.  Use it to begin to plan intervention for short-term and to look ahead for longer-term planning to determine communicaiton needs. Adapted from Beukelman and Mirenda (2013). 

Focus:  Vocabulary, Environment, Interests

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  SLP Report: Observation

Format: Downloadable PDF 

Population:  Students using AAC

Ecological Inventory: Vocabulary Selection Worksheet

Author: The Bridge School

Description: This ecological inventory may be used to select age appropriate vocabulary for an individual's AAC system.  It assists in systematically gathering information about the language requirements in an individual's customary environments for fuller communication. Specific messages and vocabulary used by non-handicapped peers during the activities are documented and then considered for inclusion in an individual's AAC system.

Focus:  Vocabulary, Environment, Interests

Tools, Techniques & Data Sources:  SLP Report: Observation

Format: Downloadable PDF 

Population:  Students using AAC

To suggest a new AAC resource or to report a broken link, please send an email to mnshaaac@gmail.com.