Dr. Sharon Rogers

Handouts from 2007 Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference

On Thursday March 22, I'll be presenting at the Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference.  I'll be presenting three new tools: (click on any of the following titles to download a Microsoft Word version of the file):

(1) Hearing Them Into Voice organized by Communication Functions,

(2) Communication Partners’ Responses and Goals Chart, and

(3) Measures of Functional Communication.

I have reorganized the Hearing Them Into Voice protocol now so that each description of the child’s communication fits into one of 3 meaningful communicative functions.  These functions are (1) social interaction, (2) sharing of information, and (3) expressing unique identities.  The Summary page and Especially for parents page remain the same.  This organization guides the discussion of communication partner response and measures.

I have added a suggested Communication Partner Response Chart and Related Communication Goals for most of the descriptions of the child’s communication, as interpreted by parents, educators, and speech language pathologists on the Hearing Them Into Voice instrument.  These too are organized around the communication functions.  Goals are written for further instructional use of these messages including using augmentative and alternative communication.  Educational teams can prioritize the strengths of each communicative function and select meaningful goals that the student will communicate across environments.

Finally a 4 page Measures of Functional Communication has been added.  Beginning with the baseline on the 1st descriptions on the Hearing Them into Voice instrument, the team members observe and record the child’s increase or decrease of each communication function 3 months to 1 year later.  Each communication function goal will be rated on a scale of -2, -1, 0, +1, +2.   -1 is baseline, -2 regression from goal, 0 achieving goal, +1 exceeding expectations and +2 consistently used across environments.  Social Interaction can be monitored by reviewing the specific indicators listed.  Descriptions of Sharing Information also yield an overall rating on the scale of -2 to +2.  Finally descriptions of a child Expressing His/Her Unique Identity are used to evaluate changes in this important communication function.  The Summary includes the scores on all three functions.  Based upon that information, the team selects the next, most important functional need for instruction and support.

Measures of Functional Communication records the forms of communication each person uses to fulfill his/her everyday communication functions/purposes.  Beginning with nonverbal communication, the team can writes down the forms (words, pictures, sentences, questions) each person uses during the daily communication opportunities.

Welcome to my website!

Greetings!

The purpose of this website is to make it easy for people to access the assessment tool I designed called Hearing Them Into Voice.  Hearing Them Into Voice measures current communication proficiency in children who do not speak.

I designed this assessment to help parents, teachers, speech pathologists, and aides together develop instructional plans for non-verbal children--especially those with autism, cerebral palsy, Rett Syndrome, traumatic brain injury and other disorders.

Why We Need a New Assessment Tool

I served for fifteen years as a speech-language pathologist in the public schools where I learned the importance of accurate and sensitive assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse communication. But for my Ph.D. dissertation at Claremont Graduate University, I went into the homes of seven children who do not speak. Some of the children had been diagnosed with autism, others with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, muscular dystrophy and developmental delays. In the homes, I observed the everyday interactions between family members and the children and interviewed the parents.

What I found startled me.

Hearing Them Into Voice (English Version)

For a Microsoft Word version of Hearing Them Into Voice click (here).

For an Adobe PDF version of Hearing Them Into Voice click (here).

For a free Adobe (PDF) Reader click (here).

For an HTML version of Hearing them Into Voice click (here). 

Hearing Them Into Voice (Spanish Version)

Hearing Them Into Voice has now been translated into Spanish!  It is called Escuchandolos En Voces and is available below in several different formats. 

For a Microsoft Word version of Escuchandolos en Voces click (here).

For an Adobe PDF version of Escuchandolos en Voces click (here). 

For a free Adobe PDF reader click (here).

For an HTML version of Escuchandolos en Voces click (here). 

Who Needs this Instrument?

This instrument was developed for:

    * Speech-Language Pathologists
    * Educators
    * Paraprofessionals (Classroom Aides)
    * Parents of children who cannot speak.

They need an instrument that brings together information from reliable sources so that together the children, their families, and their educators may develop more effective communication partnerships. First they need help talking about the way communication works naturally in the lives of children who are unable to use speech. Second they need to plan steps to talk with the children and coordinate teaching communication efforts at home and at school. The team member will have a much easier job in designing communication boards or programming electronic devices with voice output because he/she has this much-needed information. This instrument helps them find alternatives when important messages are confused. The initial practice can be more successful using the most motivating topics for each child.

How can parents and professionals use the instrument?

Who completes the instrument?

The instrument is designed so that parents, siblings, caregivers, educators, aides and speech-language pathologists each contribute to describing the everyday communication of children who cannot speak. When each person of a team completes the instrument, he/she can reflect on and offer unique insights. The team can obtain a comprehensive profile of the child's functional communication by sharing their experiences and insights about the child as drawn from a wide range of situations with a variety of people over a significant period of time. In the process of triangulation, all persons strengthen the assessment and instruction as they accurately describe, compare, and thus validate their real life observations of the child. This combined picture provides an integral key both to the child's current communication and to effective educational planning...

Overview of The Instrument

The instrument consists of a total of sixteen pages. The first page, the title page, identifies the name of the child and the team members, all participants in the child's assessment and instruction. Of primary importance is child's name and date of birth. Children respond to those who use his/her name correctly throughout assessments and planning. The date of birth is an initial point of reference for the team. Noting the child's chronological age may suggest possible interest levels, not to mention when to celebrate his/her birthday. The team members begin with the names of family and caregivers, then educators, aides, and speech-language pathologists. The last space is to identify which team member is completing this protocol and when the protocol was completed...

References and Resources

Books and papers used in developing Hearing Them Into Voice

Beukelman, D. & Mirenda, P. (1998).  Augmentative and alternative communication-Second Edition.  Baltimore:  Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.     

Some Helpful Websites

Click on any of the underlined links below to find additional information.

Computer Access Center http://www.cac.org The goal of the Computer Access Center is to increase awareness, understanding and implementation of assistive technology by children and adults with disabilities.

About Sharon Rogers

I am an educational consultant living in Pasadena, California. Currently I teach as an Adjunct Faculty member in Communication Disorders at California State University Fullerton. Previously, I served as an Assistant Professor in Teacher Education at Claremont Graduate University and as Adjunct Faculty at Pacific Oaks College.  I also worked as a consultant and instructor at the Computer Access Center in Santa Monica, California.

Individual Consultation for Your Child

The materials provided in this website are intended to give you the tools to complete the assessment Hearing Them Into Voice with your child.  Moreover many parents then use Hearing Them Into Voice and the information they complete as a tool to advocate for their child with school personnel--educators, administrators, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists. 

However, often parents request that I conduct an independent consultation with their child.  The consultation usually consists of the following elements:

• Working with the child to understand his/her particular communication patterns;
• Reviewing the responses to Hearing Them Into Voice with the parents;
• Identifying educational goals for the coming year;
• Identifying appropriate augmentative communication tools; and
• Brainstorming the best ways to advocate for the child in the Individual Education Program (IEP) meetings and beyond. 

Following the consultation, I prepare a report that parents can use with their teachers in developing an IEP. 

Training for your Department, School, or School District

Hearing Them Into Voice represents a paradigm shift in how we view teaching non-verbal children. It emphasizes the critical role of parents and challenges us to achieve new levels of collaboration (between children, parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, and speech-language pathologists working as a single team). As such, many parents, schools, and departments within the school district have asked for additional training in how to implement this new paradigm.

I conduct a 4-hour training workshop on how to implement Hearing Them Into Voice in your school district. The workshops are broken down into the following components:

• Hearing Them Into Voice: How it was developed, results from field tests, implications for the classroom (PowerPoint Presentation);
• Role Playing:  Experiencing Hearing Them Into Voice first-hand in everyday settings;
• Comparing Observations:  How our belief systems inform our interpretations;
• Discussion:  Reshaping the role of assessment;
• Expectations:  Comparing the different goals of parents and teachers of non-verbal students; and
• Using Hearing Them Into Voice for goal setting and making Individual Education Programs (IEP).

In order for these workshops to be most effective, I ask schools and special education departments to be sure to invite and include parents as equal participants.

CSUF Readings

Readings each week include: 

    Beukelman & Mirenda, Augmentative & Alternative Communication: Supporting Children & Adults With Complex Communication Needs (Hardcover)

    Complete an inventory on one child each week from the Social Networks inventory booklet  (which is available at Augmentative Communication, Inc. website).

CSUF Comprehensives

You must be able to demonstrate competency in "modalities of communication" in order to be approved by the American Speech Language Hearing Association.  You will write answers to these questions during the 14th week of the semester during one class session.  Click here for the questions.

We will study the same components of Augmentative and Alternative Communication that are listed in the KASA questions--using nonverbal and verbal communication, language function, symbols, access methods, importance of support and interaction, literacy, and optimal learning environments.  Each of these components contributes to overall AAC success.  Each of these components apply to the AAC user and his/her communication partners.