Assessment Guide & Kit for Clients who require Augmentative and Alternative Communication Rehabilitation

Abstract

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) has grown as an independent field to provide a means of communication for those individuals with Little or no functional speech. Over the past few years, different assessment methods have been developed. At present in the West and in India, no single assessment tool is used universally to define candidacy issues for AAC, the system requirements and AAC therapeutic goals. The lack of a comprehensive and exhaustive protocol prompted the preparation of the Assessment Guide & Kit for clients who require AAC rehabilitation. In this study an assessment tool was developed that consisted of a 'guide' and a 'kit'. In the 'Guide', the domains and sub-domains were selected with great care after an exhaustive review of previous assessment methods. Items were placed in a comprehensible manner and validated by two Speech Language Pathologists. Suitable modifications were incorporated. The assessment guide & kit was tested upon three clients of different disabilities (Cerebral Palsy, Mental retardation and Autism) in the age range of 2 to 10 years (Mental age range). Appropriate changes were incorporated in the protocol based on the responses obtained from the clients in terms of 'Comprehensibility of instructions' & 'Scoring' of the sub domains, after which the protocol was finalized. The assessment 'Kit ' was prepared simultaneously by collecting the items required to carry out the activities finalized upon.