It is very common these days when I walk into a house with a child and parent who has lots of adaptive equipment and needs guidance on how to put all the pieces together utilizing the brains of the entire child's Individualized Family Support Team (IFSP) members. In the assistive technology world, we say that the best AT evaluation happens when the AT specialist collaborates with all of the client's therapists (occupational therapist, physical therpist, speech pathologist, parents, social workers, etc.).
I find that the SETT Framework created by Joy Zabala to be the best AT assessment in the field. It take as a real world look at the child's global abilities through a rubric. Collaboratively, the team determines what sort of equipment (i.e. tools) would be appropriate for the child to complete a task(s) in his/her daily routine.
It breaks down the child's various environments and the physical tasks he/she has to be fulfill in each environment. Then, as a team, it is determined what sort of tools are necessary for the child to access the activities in the specified environments. The best part is that it is very simple and quick! I love that it also breaks down the child's abilities and challenges for caregivers so they people who do not work in the world of adaptive technology understand what the professionals are discussing in real world terms.
For more on the SETT Framework and Joy Zabala please visit her website:
Joy Zabala
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