Summary
This page displays the reliable skills checklist for AAC.
Quick Links
- AAC Referral Fillable Form (which contains this table of skills)
Contact Information
Sara Mansfield
smansfield@lesd.k12.or.us
Page Contents
Introduction
The following skills should be reliable before referring for an AAC evaluation. If they are not reliable, then an AAC evaluation will only tend to reveal the need for further focus on these fundamentals. It doesn’t take an AAC Specialist to report that observation.
The question is “How reliable?” When an AAC system cannot rely on these skills, then it is just a training tool, and most actual AAC systems do not make good trainers for these fundamental skills. While room to grow is a necessity, and stretch is good, strain is bad. An appropriate tool will scaffold these in balance. So, if these essential skills are not in place (~90%), then there are better assistive communication materials whose sophistication would match the user’s projected capabilities and growth opportunities.
Reliable Skills Checklist for AAC
| Skill Needed | Present Level | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Description | Describe or List | % |
| Joint Attention | Intentional, purposeful behaviors (e.g., voice, gaze, touch) directed to another person with intent to communicate | ||
| Reinforcers | A number of objects, people, and events known to be reinforcing to the student | ||
| Unambiguous selection (for cause and effect) | Consistent, understandable signal (reaching, vocalizing, and so on) to indicate wanting more of a known reinforcer | ||
| Object scan: sight or hearing | Scanning 2 objects | ||
| Preferred item ID: thing (noun), event (verb), or state (adjective) | Scanning a preferred and a non-preferred object; consistent signal to choose the preferred object | ||
| Field Size | Signal choosing among 3+ items | ||
| Multiple comm. functions | Independently uses current device to spontaneously communicate 3+ functions directed to a partner (e.g., comment, request, etc.) | ||
| Picture Matching | Matching 4+ pictures to items | ||
| Picture Scan | Scanning 2 pictures | ||
| Choice scan (symbol use) | Scanning a field to choose a preferred picture | ||
| Symbols in a field | Preferred symbolic vocabulary 4+ items | ||
This chart was derived several years ago from materials originating with Willamette ESD.