The provision of communication aids to children: an evaluation of the Communication Aids Project CAP

1
The provision of communication aids to
childrenan evaluation of the Communication Aids
Project (CAP)

• Jannet A. Wright

2
Collaboration between

• Department of Human Communication Science,
• University College London
• Centre for Health Economics,
• University of York

3
Project team

• Jannet Wright Professor in Speech and Language
  Therapy,
• De Montfort University
• Michael Clarke
• Chris Donlan
• Caroline Newton
• Claire Lister Institute of Child Health,
  London
• Jasmina Cherguit
• Elizabeth Newton
• Helen WeatherlyYork University

4
BECTA
BECTA

• British Educational and
• Communications Technology Agency

5
Communication Aids Project (CAP)

• to help pupils who have communication
  difficulties by providing technology to help
  access the curriculum and interact with others
  and support their transition to post school
  provision
• http//cap.becta.org.uk

6
ACE Oxford
ACE North
Abilitynet
BECTA
SCOPE
London CAP
DCCAP
7
CAP Centre
LEA
Local CAP Assessor(s)
8
Phase One National Survey

• Investigate national referral patterns to and
  from BECTA
• Document centre specific referral patterns,
  evaluate assessment processes, outcomes and
  examine costs
• Identify LEA liaison person
• Identify local CAP assessor(s)

BECTA
CAP Centre
9
Phase One National Survey

• Explore impact of CAP from LEA perspective
• Identify CAP impact on assessment for and
  provision of communication aids
• Document costs

LEA
CAP Assessor
10
Phase Two Individual Case Studies Child,
Family School

• Identify 2 cohorts of children through the 6 CAP
  centres.
• (a) children receiving communication
  aids (interview twice)(b) children with
  communication aids within transition.
• Interview parents, education staff, SLTs and
  children about changes in childrens functional
  abilities in communication. Interview those in
  group (a) twice.

Child Family School
11
BECTA

• Detailed knowledge of patterns of referral and
  provision throughout England
• Views of parents, SLTs and education staff

CAP Centre
LEA
CAP Assessor
Child Family School
12
Patterns and processes of application and
provision

• Phase One Survey
• Database analysis

13
Data

• Records based on information entered from the
• Application Form
• Assessment Form
• Applications between January 2002 and January
  2004
• Analysis of 3060 anonymised records

14
Patterns of application

• How comprehensive is CAP coverage?
• Which children is CAP supporting?

15
Applications to CAP and their geographical
distribution

• Applications came from 147 Local Education
  Authorities (LEAs) in England except
• Rutland
• City of London
• Isles of Scilly

16
Applications to CAP by age
17
Applications to CAP by educational placement
18
Applications by type of need

• The application form asks
• Is the communication aid mainly needed for
• Understanding language
• Communicating verbally
• Using written communication
• One or more category was ticked by 2032 applicants

19
(No Transcript)
20
147 other diagnoses / syndromes 600 other
conditions
21
Perspectives of parents, education staff and
Speech and Language Therapists

• Telephone interviews

22
(No Transcript)
23
Impact

• The impact of CAP
• CAP did come up with the goods and that was
  absolutely great because the piece of equipment
  Robert has, we just would not have been in a
  position to buy this for him at all
• we would never have got the communication aid
  for Hannah if we hadnt had CAP to go to

24
Impact

• Its very hard to explain to somebody that
  hasnt had twelve years of well stop, lets
  start again, you know left or right yes or no
  and suddenly shes just able to basically say
  what she wants to say. So yes I think the whole
  thing is quite amazing really

25
Impact

• Impact on school work
• Hes slightly embarrassed of his handwritten
  work in his book, oh no no whereas if hes
  printing stuff off the computer this morning I
  walked past and I said oh can I have a look?
  and it was oh yes
• It means that Emily no longer has to have a
  classroom assistant sat next to her. The
  assistant sits at the back of the class, makes
  notes of what the teacher is saying and emails or
  texts Emily

26
Timescale
APPLICATION
ASSESSMENT
DELIVERY

• Differing views from parents of what is a
  reasonable length of time to wait.
• An accurate indication of probable timescale
  until delivery would be welcome.

27
Information

• A contact for information/advice
• I think it probably needs someone to oversee the
  whole process and be some sort of mediator over
  the referral, supply and delivery of the thing
• it would have been useful actually to have a
  contact person or phone number, perhaps kind of
  highlighted that the SENCO at the primary school
  would also have known this is the person you
  could contact and theyll come in and liaise with
  you

28
Training

• Very favourable feedback on initial training,
  especially when the schools were able to release
  relevant staff.
• More training/expertise needed
• this has been a very steep learning curve for
  me. I just wondered if there was any way the
  training could be more open-ended I feel like I
  know so little about computers that I dont even
  know what I need to find out

29
Training

• when we did the training we invited the childs
  new school because we knew he was going to be
  going it worked well because it wasnt us
  going in telling them we were all learning
  together, which made it more on equal footing
• because its everybodys confidence thats
  important

30
Future developments

• Training, lifelong learning and CPD
• Multi-professional training
• Who delivers the training?

31

• Evaluation of the
• Communication Aids project
• (CAP)
• www.dfes.gov.uk/research