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enABLING Teams -- Team Sharing Idea #5 -- Consider device features     New Activity!

Consider "Device Features" in Decision-Making

Is your team trying to conduct trials with a lot of AAC devices? Is there some disagreement among team members about which devices to try or which to just purchase? Consider devices in terms of their FEATURES and you might find it easier.

1) Familiarize yourself with "Features"
2) See "Features" in action in daily life
3) Understand the clinical considerations in Features
4) Identify crucial Features for the individual

1) Familiarize yourself with features of AAC devices and strategies

Go to the UW Augcomm web site and follow links to the section entitled "Understanding AAC Features". You and members of your team should read about these types of features:

1. Output: the way messages are conveyed to the partner
2. Access: the way the individual runs the device/strategy
3. Selection Set: the size, arrangement and nature of the available vocabulary
4. Message Composition: the way messages are put together
5. Other Features: size, shape, durability, cost, power requirements

2) See how "Features" make a difference in daily communication:

Michael Williams, the editor of Alternatively Speaking, uses several different modes of communication, including his own voice, two AAC devices, a computer and a spelling board. Each of his strategies has a different set of FEATURES that are advantages or disadvantages in different settings. In a video clip below, Michael is very eloquent as he describes his decision-making among these options. Think about the FEATURES he is describing as you listen and watch.

Michael is shown seated in his wheelchair with a communication device before him.

 

View Video Clip in Windows Media Format

This clip is in lower quality format for the web. Find the entire high quality video on the Social Networks DVD available from Augmentative Communication, Inc. and Attainment Company.

3) Understand the "Clinical Considerations" of Features

Throughout the "Understanding AAC Features" web pages linked above, you saw many pages describing the "Clinical Considerations" of specific features. Each of these sections highlights some of the clinical issues that you must keep in mind when considering alternative communication methods for any individual. For example:

On the Output Features web page, there is a list of factors you must consider in deciding upon the output that an individual needs for communicating to his listeners, including:

  • hearing and vision abilities of the AAC user (this was obvious already!)
  • hearing and vision abilities of the listeners (don't forget this one or the next two!)
  • language abilities of the communication partners
  • noise level and light levels of the environments
  • auditory and/or visual memory of the partner (surprised??)

Each Feature section (output, access, selection set, message composition and other) has a list of the clinical factors that you must consider when narrowing down devices or strategies.

4) Identify crucial features with the AAC user, family and team

Meet with the user and the family and your team members to consider these clinical issues and determine the features that are necessary for the individual you are working with. Not all features are equally important. Consider these points:

Some features are absolutely critical (e.g. access through single switch scanning for an individual with severe motor impairments) while others may be optional (e.g. environmental control for t.v.)

Some features are expensive and require justification (e.g. encoding for speed enhancement) while others may be included automatically in some devices (e.g. alarm for emergency use).