AAC Assessment for AAC Implementation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A school-based SLP is assessing a student for AAC. Which team member's input is MOST critical for determining positioning during AAC use?
- Special education teacher
- Physical or occupational therapist (Correct answer)
- School psychologist
- Speech-language pathology assistant
Correct answer: Physical or occupational therapist
Physical and occupational therapists assess seating, positioning, and motor access to ensure the AAC system can be used efficiently and safely.
Question 2: Which assessment approach evaluates communication across multiple environments and partners rather than only in a clinical setting?
- Standardized language testing
- Ecological inventory (Correct answer)
- Cognitive-referencing evaluation
- Criterion-referenced testing
Correct answer: Ecological inventory
Ecological inventory examines the communication demands and participation patterns across all relevant natural environments, informing holistic AAC planning.
Question 3: During switch scanning assessment, a child activates the switch reliably but the scan rate is too fast. What should the clinician adjust first?
- Change the switch type
- Reduce the scan rate to match the child's processing speed (Correct answer)
- Switch to direct selection
- Increase the number of items in the array
Correct answer: Reduce the scan rate to match the child's processing speed
Scan rate should be adjusted to match the individual's motor response time and cognitive processing speed before changing other parameters.
Question 4: What is the significance of assessing 'communicative competence' rather than only linguistic ability in AAC evaluations?
- Communicative competence focuses only on vocabulary size
- It captures operational, linguistic, social, and strategic skills needed for functional communication (Correct answer)
- It determines which language the AAC device should use
- It is required for Medicaid funding approval
Correct answer: It captures operational, linguistic, social, and strategic skills needed for functional communication
Light's framework of communicative competence encompasses operational, linguistic, social, and strategic knowledge, providing a comprehensive picture beyond vocabulary or grammar alone.
Question 5: An AAC assessment reveals that a client can use two-finger typing but has poor endurance. Which AAC feature would best address fatigue during extended communication?
- Word prediction (Correct answer)
- Larger key size
- Text-to-speech with louder volume
- More pages of vocabulary
Correct answer: Word prediction
Word prediction reduces the number of keystrokes needed, directly addressing fatigue in users with motor limitations or poor endurance.
Question 6: Which of the following is an 'access barrier' according to the Participation Model?
- A school policy preventing device use in the cafeteria
- A family that is not trained in AAC support
- A motor impairment limiting direct selection accuracy (Correct answer)
- Insufficient funding for a high-tech device
Correct answer: A motor impairment limiting direct selection accuracy
Access barriers are intrinsic factors such as motor, sensory, or cognitive limitations that directly restrict the individual's ability to use an AAC system.
Question 7: When selecting vocabulary for an AAC system during assessment, which principle supports including both core and fringe vocabulary?
- Core vocabulary covers all topics; fringe is redundant
- Core words enable frequent, flexible communication while fringe words provide topic-specific content (Correct answer)
- Fringe vocabulary should replace core vocabulary for school-age children
- Core vocabulary is only appropriate for adults
Correct answer: Core words enable frequent, flexible communication while fringe words provide topic-specific content
Core vocabulary (high-frequency, versatile words) supports efficient everyday communication, while fringe vocabulary addresses specific topics, interests, or needs.
AAC Assessment for AAC Implementation 3
A school-based SLP is assessing a student for AAC.
Which team member's input is MOST critical for determining positioning during AAC use?