Functional Assessment Week 8

Functional Assessment Week 8 UpdatesTask Analysis on Communication Skills due today.Wednesday, May 18th- Instructional Plan for Functional Skills DueTask analysis on academics due May 23rdMay 25th- Instructional Plan for Communication SkillsJune 1st- Instructional Plan for Academic SkillsEcological Assessment Report due June 6thJune 8th- Implementation Plan

Quick Review Explain the difference between functional routines, discrete trials training (DTT), & pivotal response training (PRT)Functional Routines InstructionCue(opportunity to respond)Response/BehaviorConsequence PauseFR

Environment provides a natural cueStudent does each step needed to complete the activityStudent gets natural outcome of activityStudent focuses on next routineEXStudents bus arrives and door opens.Other students get off busS gets off bus, goes in the correct direction, enters building, goes to class, puts away materialsStudent is now inside with other students and has inviting activities to do. Teacher offers praise Student transitions to next routineDiscrete Trial TrainingCue(opportunity to respond)Response/BehaviorConsequence PauseDTT

T provides instructional cue (prompting may be needed) Student RespondsTeacher praises and give child a positive reinforcerThere is a pauseEXStudent indicates interest in chipsTeacher says Give me a carStudent gives car to teacherTeacher praises student and gives student a chipStudent eats chip and teacher waits a few seconds before next cuePivotal Response TrainingCue(opportunity to respond)Response/BehaviorConsequence PausePRT

S indicates interest Teacher withholds access to desired item/activityStudent RespondsS gets desired itemThere is a pauseEXStudent reaches for car.Teacher withholds and says, CarStudent imitates the word car. Teacher gives student access to carStudent plays with carMore Review When would you decide to use a functional routine vs a discrete trial approach?

What is meant by prompt hierarchy?

Discuss your communication task analysis with a partnerLook at their steps.are they logical?

Look at the relevant/critical stimuli to vary box.are they programming well for generalization?

Discuss with them their plan to prompt these steps.total task chain, forward chaining, backward chaining..why? Augmentative & Alternative Communication isany means that helps a person communicate when conventional speaking, writing, and/or understanding others are not possible. (McCormic, Loeb, & Schieffelbusch, 2003)

any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the self, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities. (IDEA, 1990 ~ Federal Register)Two types of AAC techniquesUnaided- Do not require any external equipment (i.e. manual signs, facial expressions, gestures)

Aided- Incorporate external devices (i.e., computers, microswitches, or speech-generating devices (SGDs)

Most people use both to communicate in different situations with different people

Communication SystemCombination of all of the techniques used by an individual student

Unaided CommunicationTeachers need to be attuned to how student communicates

Understand what various gestures, vocalization, and other techniques mean

Gesture DictionaryWhat John DoesWhat it meansHow to RespondRuns to the doorI want a drink of waterLet him go for a drink of water from the water fountain or set a timer for when he can goGrabs another students armI like youExplain the meaning to Johns classmate & help them work togetherWhen is unaided communication appropriate?Used when students have no other way to get their messages across

Must be socially acceptable & intelligibleManual Signs: Pros & ConsSome people who can hear use manual signs (e.g. ASL)

Advantage: requires no equipment

Disadvantage: Many people do not understand signs, therefore limited communication partners

What are other pros or cons?When to teach signsPoor prognosis for speech

Signing partners available

Physically able

Adequate cognitive skills

A portable communication system is desirableAided CommunicationLow-Tech/Non-electronic: symbols, and communication displays

Hi-Tech/Electronic: Speech-generating devices

Advantages/ Disadvantages of both?Symbols for CommunicationReal Object Symbols

Photographs & Pictures

Line Drawing Symbols

Textured Symbols

Letters & Words18Define these types of symbols and for whom they may be appropriate for. How would you be sure if symbols are appropriate for the student?Selecting SymbolsWhat to look for?Should make sense to the user & communication partners (assess with range of choices)

Similarity between the symbols & what represents should be obvious

Students sensory modalities should be considered

Symbols introduced gradually building on current communication skills

Communication Displays--examplesVelcro board with a few picture symbols that students point to

Plexiglas eye gaze display that a student uses eye to point (Figure 8-19, p.261)

Communication Book or Wallet

Considerations for Designing DisplaysMessages: which are needed, in what contexts

Symbols: depending on the individual & messages

How symbols are displayed: booklets, notebooks, wheelchair trays, scanners

Organizing symbols: context specific, how many per page, etc.

Graphic arrays Designing communication boards or communication notebooksChoosing itemsSize of each itemPositioning each itemAccessibility of each itemPerception of each item (both user and communication partner)Item placement/ordering- groups? Effort in scanning?Motor involvement in using array- vertical or horizontal? Using Symbols to Promote Participation/ConversationCalendar/Schedule SystemsChoice DisplaysRemnant (e.g. Movie ticket, scraps from activities) DisplaysConversation Displays

Hi-Tech: Speech Generating DevicesDevices talk when a student touches a symbol on the device

What are advantages/ disadvantages??

24Advantages: Voice, can be easily integrated in everyday environmentsDisadvantages: Cost, cumbersome, break down (when broken downstudent has no voice), requires a lot of training for student , staff, and familyTypes of Electronic DevicesSingle-level Devices: deliver a limited number of messages (about 20), simple to program & operate (e.g. BIGmack)

Multi-level Devices: Up to thousands of messages, more difficult to program, multiple symbol displays to program messages on two or more levels.

Comprehensive Devices: dynamic display technology

25For whom do you think each fits??---most likely dependent on physical & cognitive impairmentsSupporting AAC learners is a collaborative effortFamily/caregivers & friendsPresent & future employersTeachers (SPED & Gen Ed.)Speech/language specialistsPhysical & occupational therapistsStudent

Supporting AAC Learners (continued)Access to AACAvailableAccessibleAppropriate

Atmosphere of acceptanceNonjudgmental - OK to make mistakes, model correct response, praise attempts, allow more time, minimize peer pressure, reinforce tolerance of individual differences.Teaching Communication SkillsGeneral Education Classroom Ideal environment- numerous opportunities to communicate with responsive communicative partners

However, students need specific & systematic instruction to acquire desired skills

Educational Team must develop teaching strategies and implement them consistentlyThings to Consider with AACMode of communication Input: how the student receives the message;

Output: means in which the student transmits the messages to others

Mechanism for communication Gestures, Vocalizations, Graphic

Type of selection - Direct selection, Scanning

Physical display - Number of graphic symbols, Spacing and arrangement, Background, Orientation, Fixed or dynamic

Vocabulary selection

Output - Print copy, Speech, Scan display29Direct Selection - one movement necessary; generally faster; requires sufficient range of motion; requires pointing skill - fine movementsScanning - conducted by listener or speaker; generally slower than direct selection; less fine motor required; Encoding - indicate through pattern or series of signals/codes; rapid access to small number of items; faster than scanning in large vocabulary; What do we choose to teach?Consider:

What to communicate about

Activities/environments used in

People communicate with30Initial Instructional StrategiesEstablishing Want/No

Response Prompt Strategies (Time Delay, System of Least/Maximum Prompts)

Milieu Teaching- modeling, manding, time delay, incidental teaching

Environmental Arrangement & Interrupted-chain Strategy

Conversation skill training

Supporting AAC AAC TrainingTraining for student, parents/family/friends, teachers, employers, peers

Training in the use/maintenance of the system

Training in facilitative/instructional techniques that promote communicationIn-Class Activity Please complete both sides of your in-class activity.Please take about 30 minutes to complete the activityWe will discuss this together! Brief Experimental Analysis of Sight Words (Baranek et al., 2011)Multiple interventions for academic instruction compared to determine which intervention is best suited for an individual student.

Used for oral reading fluency, oral reading comprehension, mathematics, leetter formation, and spelling.

In this study used for sight words

Self-Directed Science Concept Learning (Jimenez et al, 2009/2010)Currently, limited research on science instruction for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities

Inquiry-based science instruction= a set of interrelated processes by which scientists & students pose questions about the natural world and investigate phenomena; Students acquire knowledge and develop a rich understanding of concepts, principles, models, and theories