How to Choose?
How do you figure out which product is right for you? The answer is assessment. Assessment is a process of gathering and interpreting information about the AAC user.
Please visit our assessment pages for step by step help on how to select a low tech system. (See note)*
The GOAL of a low tech assessment (evaluation) is to match up the individual with the low tech system which best meets their:
- Physical Abilities
- Visual Abilities
- Day to day needs
- Language Needs
- Environment and situational needs
- Communication partners
- Personal preferences
- Rate of progression (if they have a progressive disability)
Assessment is NOT a theoretical process. It is a hands-on, practical process. It is difficult to know if a communication board or system is right without actually trying it out.
For literate individuals with good hand function and vision, selecting a small communication board can be a fairly straightforward process. For people with physical and visual impairments, trying out the board is critical. We provide downloadable fragments of communication boards in order to assist with the physical access assessment.
We also offer assessment kits for Speech Language Pathologists and other AAC professionals.
This website takes it as a given the individual is working together with a speech language pathologist, and has the cognitive and language abilities necessary to use a text based low tech communication system.
(Note: Our assessment pages are currently a work in progress. If you have questions about the low tech assessment process and the answer is not on our website, please feel free to contact us.)