Are you sure you want to delete this post?
Remove
Cancel
Internet Explorer is no longer a supported browser for the Communication Matrix so features may be missing. Please switch to a different browser, such as Firefox or Chrome.
1 likes
528 views
Getting to know a new student and team members
Brooke Barnhill
6/21/2016 10:24 AM
My former job as a statewide educational consultant (to support children who are deafblind, their families and school teams), often meant that I was called in to work with children and teams that I had never met before. In order to learn a little about the child who was deafblind before I visited, I would ask for someone on the educational team to complete the Communication Matrix and share it with me. Being able to look at the results from the assessment gave me a starting point before visiting the team. Not only did it give me useful information on the child’s expressive communication skills, but it also provided me with information for determining what kind of support the family and team may need and what materials to bring with me. If the assessment couldn’t be completed before my visit, I would often sit down with a few members of the team and a family member to fill out the Communication Matrix together. In doing so, we were able to discuss and work together to answer each question. If one of us wasn’t sure or if there was a disagreement it pushed us to be more clear about what we saw and to explain the context in which the communication took place. This collaboration in completing the assessment as a team lead to a deeper understanding of the child’s communication level and provided ideas for interventions.
When I met a new school team I would also ask them to help me fill out a few simple forms that would give me a better understanding of the child we were serving. The Skills and Implications form from Assessing Communication and Learning in Young Children Who are Deafblind or Who Have Multiple Disabilities (from the Rowland, C., Ed.), provides a template to compile information on the child’s communication skills, attributes, sensory losses and accommodations. I also found that a team could really come together when talking about a child’s likes and dislikes.
The Skills and Implications form is available at:
http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/centers-institutes...
The likes and dislikes form can be found at Washington Sensory Disabilities Services website:
http://www.wsdsonline.org/video-library/deaf-blind...
Please share your own experiences in working as a team with children who fall on the beginning levels of the Communication Matrix and any tools or tips that you use.
This post is part of the collection
0 Replies
© 2024 Charity Rowland, Ph.D.
Site by State33 and Smith & Connors
Add this post to
Write a note about why you chose this post to appear in your collection.
Try the Matrix
Please select a statement below that describes the type of matrix administration that you would like to begin.
Please wait while we process the matrix ...
You are about to TRY the Matrix Assessment tool.
Your information will not be saved unless you register. You may register for free at anytime throughout the tryout by clicking the orange button bottom right.
Your information is private.
The information you enter in the assessment is completely secure and cannot be identified. When you use this free service, we ask you to provide some very basic information about the individual you are assessing (gender, age, ethnic background, country of residence, disability and specific impairments) and your relationship to that person. However, we have no way of indentifying who has used this service.
Teachers:
Many teachers require their college students in communication disorders or child development classes to complete a Communication Matrix online. Please have your students use the Test Drive site for this purpose. You may ask them to print out the Profile and Communication Skills List as proof of their work.
Statement A
My child doesn't seem to have real control over his body yet.
The only way I know that he wants something is because he fusses or whines when he's unhappy or uncomfortable, and he smiles, makes noises or calms down when he's happy and comfortable. Does this statement describe your child?
Statement B
My child has control over her own behaviors, but she doesn't use them to try to communicate to me.
She doesn't come to me to let me know what she wants, but it's easy for me to figure out, because she tries to do things for herself. She knows what she wants, and her behavior shows me what she wants. If she runs out of something to eat, she will just try to get more, rather than trying to get me to give her more.
Does this statement describe your child?
Statement C
My child clearly tries to communicate his needs to me through gestures, sounds or language.
He knows how to get me to do something for him. He uses some of the kinds of behaviors below to communicate:
- Gestures such as pointing, shaking his head, tugging at my arm or looking back and forth between me and what he wants
- Sounds such as squealing to show you he wants something or fussing when he doesn't want something
- Language or symbolic forms of communication such as speech, written words, Braille, picture symbols, 3-dimensional symbols or sign language
Does this statement describe your child?
How to score your child
Each question you will see is related to a certain message that your child might be able to express using a variety of behaviors. Read the question and decide whether your child is able to express the message described using any of the listed behaviors. If the answer is YES, then you must also decide whether your child has mastered the use of each behavior or whether it is still at an emerging stage. Check either the mastered or emerging box next to any behaviors your child uses to express the message. Use the following definitions to decide whether a behavior is mastered or emerging
Mastered
– Does this independently most of the time when the opportunity arises
– Does this in a number of di erent contexts, and with di erent people
Emerging
– Does this inconsistently
–
Only does this when prompted or encouraged to do so. Only does this in one or two contexts or with one person.
Tips on Communication Devices
Each question you will see is related to a certain message that your child might be able to express using a variety of behaviors. Read the question and decide whether your child is able to express the message described using any of the listed behaviors. If the answer is YES, then you must also decide whether your child has mastered the use of each behavior or whether it is still at an emerging stage. Check either the mastered or emerging box next to any behaviors your child uses to express the message. Use the following definitions to decide whether a behavior is mastered or emerging