LDR-11: Beyond the Assessment –

Creating and Using AT/AAC Implementation Plans

Rachel Kuberry, MS.Ed., Ed.S.Amy Golding, M.A., CCC-SLP

January 30th 2014 1:00-2:00

Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts 1

Outline:

• Assistive Technology Implementation Plan Background

• Assistive Technology• Preparation Steps• Process• Practical Tips

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication• Preparation Steps• Process• Practical Tips

• Q&A

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Lexington Public Schools• Suburban district outside Boston

• Approximately 6600 students

• District-wide specialized programs serving students with:• Intellectual impairment• Autism• Language-based learning disabilities• Emotional, behavioral, and/or therapeutic learning needs

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What is an Implementation Plan?

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A concise document that describes the AT tool and how it will be implemented within the environment.

Think of it as an “AT Lesson Plan”

Implementation Plan Resources

• Making It Work: Effective Implementation of Assistive Technology Guide (free book by SETBC found here)• Section 5: Develop Assistive Technology Implementation Plan

• Implementing Trials with Assistive Technology (free form by WATI found here)

• Hey Can I Try That? (free book by Gayl Bowser and Penny Reed found here)• Section called “Make a Plan” addresses incorporating the student into making

and AT Plan

• Samples:• Oregon Technology Access Program Form• University of Kentucky Form• Georgia’s Assistive Technology Intervention Plan

5Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts

AT Implementation Plans Always Include:

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1. The specific AT tool/s• Where it is located• What specific features are used

2. The goal of the AT• How will we know if the tool is working?• How will we know if the tool is not working?

3. When the tool will be used• What specific activities will the student use the tool for?

4. Roles and responsibilities of the staff involved

5. Ongoing monitoring• What do we do if the Student, Environment, or Tasks change?• What do we do at the beginning of the new school year?

AT Implementation Plans Sometimes Include:

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1. Trial information• How long will the trial last?• How will we know if it worked?

2. Non-AT strategies• Does the student still need to learn through remediation?

3. Training information• How will the adults learn to use the tool?• How will the student learn to use the tool?• Are the parents going to be included in training?• Are there new or different strategies that will require training?

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The good:

• Keeps all team members on the same page

• Outlines clear roles and responsibilities

• Increases use of the AT tool

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The bad:

• It takes TIME to create and embed within our service delivery model

• Might not contain adequate detail for consistent implementation

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AT Implementation Plan – Prep

1. Know Your Technology… What does each program/classroom have available?• Create an “AT Continuum” for most common assessment

areas• WATI: http://www.wati.org/?pageLoad=content/supports/free/index.php • Lexington: http://lps.lexingtonma.org/Page/2062

11Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts

• Complete “Programmatic AT Assessments” for your special education programs

• Work together with your Instructional Technology Specialists to know what general education technology is available

AT Implementation Plan – Prep

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2. Develop Forms and Blank Templates• Forms for you to fill out as you gather information:

• Observation form• Team interview form• Student interview form• Work sample review form• Find all of my forms here: http://lps.lexingtonma.org/Page/3429

• Blank templates for Implementation Plans • Checklist for the steps of the process• “Canned” introduction email to send to Team members

13Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts

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AT Implementation Plan – Prep

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3. Create Method for Storing and Sharing the Plan… the AT Binder!

AT Implementation Plan – Process

1. Gather information from the Team

2. Observe the student

3. Meet with Teams to draft the Plan

4. Finalize the Plan and share it

5. Ongoing monitoring

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Tips for making this work:

• Make blank templates

• Don’t use the student’s name, when possible

• Do not go back in time. Create Implementation Plans only for new students.

• Time is important. If you can’t get time with the teachers, go to the administrators for help.

• After the Plan is in place, rely on the Team to notify you if anything changes or the plan needs to be adjusted

19Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts

AAC – in LexingtonSimilarities

• Tools alone are not enough

• Strategies training is important

• Varying levels of staff familiarity and comfort with tools/strategies

Unique Features• All low-incidence

populations

• Greater need for family training and involvement

• Tools and strategies always used across multiple environments and tasks

• Often asking people to significantly change the way they do things

20Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts

AAC – Important Concepts

• Core vocabulary

• Aided Language Stimulation

• Prompting

• Functional communication/problem behaviors

• Descriptive teaching

• Activity/task specific communication partner skills• See the work of Cathy Binger & Jennifer Kent-Walsh at:http://tinyurl.com/nas923y • See links from PrAACtical AAC at:http://praacticalaac.org/tag/partner-training/

21Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts

AAC Implementation Forms and Handouts

Find all my forms at:

• Continuum• Interview forms• Data sheets

http://lps.lexingtonma.org/Page/3429http://lps.lexingtonma.org/Page/3454

• Implementation plan• Overview handouts• Communication

protocol• Binder forms

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AAC Implementation Plan – “Light Support”: Linear Process

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AAC Implementation Plan – “Complex Student”: Ongoing Process

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Gather Information

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• Interview• Teachers, therapists, paraprofessionals• Parents• Student

• Observe student• Across environments• Across tasks

• Try tools• Directly with the student• Across environments• Across tasks

Draft Plan

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• Discuss with team members

• Mutually draft brief implementation plan including:• Tool(s) and strategies to be tried• Duration of trial• Plan for communication partner training• Roles and Responsibilities• Data to be collected

Train

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• Emphasis on strategies over tools!

• Emphasis on collaboration and valued opinions and different needs of varying stakeholders• Lecture• Print and digital materials• Overlap sessions with professional staff• Ongoing consultation• Structured parent training• Trying tools directly with student

• Frequently assess the needs and skills of communication partners

• Provide differentiated instruction

Draft and Implement Protocol

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• Discuss with team members

• Mutually draft detailed communication protocol

• Modify any data collection as needed

• Provide additional training to communication partners to ensure consistent implementation

Review and Analyze

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• Review data after trial and on regular basis

• Modify as needed• Data collection• Implementation plan• Communication protocol

• Communicate and train communication partners on changes

• Collect additional information when needed

Strategies for involving the Team

• Encourage the student’s liaison to invite other people to participate• If scheduling is an issue, the liaison can gather input from the other team

members outside of the scheduling planning meetings

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• Send questionnaires and checklists via email

• Draft the AT Implementation Plan with the team!• Use blank copies of a Plan• Have a face-to-face brainstorming session with the team• Type up the plan and send it out to the team for additional feedback

• Send a finalized copy of the AT Implementation Plan to ALL Team members, including the parents

Strategies for involving the Team• Including multiple communication partners is strongly

recommended

• May need to be flexible to include family members (e.g., phone calls, multiple meetings)

• Establish and maintain a positive rapport with team members

• Support the student’s SLP and/or liaison in moving toward a leadership role

40Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts

Tips for making this work:• Do not go back in time. Create Implementation Plans only for new

students.

• Create and share data sheets and informational handouts on strategies

• Meet communication partners where they are; build skills and success

41Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts

• For ongoing consultation, document services in the IEP as needed

•Consider what student, environment, task, and/or tool characteristics impact the need for different levels of service•Provide enough support and monitoring to reduce or prevent the tool from being abandoned or only used during speech

Thank you for attending this session

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• CEUs – Session Code: LDR-11• More info at: www.atia.org/CEU• For ACVREP, AOTA and ASHA CEUs, hand in completed Attendance Forms to

REGISTRATION DESK at the end of the conference. Please note there is a $15 fee for AOTA CEUs.

• For general CEUs, apply online with The AAC Institute: www.aacinstitute.org

• Session Evaluation• Please help us improve the quality of our conference by completing your session

evaluation form.• Completed evaluation forms should be submitted as you exit or to staff at the

registration desk.

• Handouts• Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts• Handout link remains live for 3 months after the conference ends.

Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts