Practicalities and issues from a local service perspective

Anne Williams: AAC Officer, Cornwall

www.cornwall.gov.uk

Sally Chan

www.cornwall.gov.uk

On the road to becoming a spoke in the South West

BCAS/DHR

CAACAT

www.cornwall.gov.uk

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The Remit of the Local AAC Service

• A more limited multi-disciplinary team including at least SLT, OT and teachers where appropriate

Reference:The AAC Subgroup, Advisory Group for the Complex Disability Equipment Clinical Reference Group.

www.cornwall.gov.uk

CAACAT

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Alison Webb SLT

Anne WilliamsAAC Officer

OT

www.cornwall.gov.uk

Cornwall Augmentative Alternative Communication Assessment Team

(CAACAT)• Pediatric service – birth to 21 • Based in Truro covering the whole of Cornwall and

supporting students who are Cornish and educated in other Counties

www.cornwall.gov.uk

• Alison works one day a week for the AAC assessment service and is employed by Cornwall Foundation NHS Trust

• It has been proposed that this SLT support should be increased to 3 days a week

www.cornwall.gov.uk

• I work for Cornwall Council, Education, Health and Social Services for five days a week supporting AAC assessment, ongoing AAC work and assessing and supporting children who use AAC with ICT.

www.cornwall.gov.uk

• There is a proposal that we have a specialist OT working for one day a week this will fulfil the remit for a local service

as well as someone who can support the team with specialist technical support

www.cornwall.gov.uk

AAC Funding

• All AAC funding in Cornwall, until now has come through the Education Authority

• Health have provided one day a week SLT for three years

• We had one day a week of OT support for a year in 2011

www.cornwall.gov.uk

Our caseload is increasing!

www.cornwall.gov.uk

Our expenditure is increasing!

• 2009/10 £18,465• 2012/12 £40,363

www.cornwall.gov.uk

We have referred three children for NHS funding – they all require Eye Gaze

• All three referrals went in at the same time!• One student attends mainstream school• Two students attend special school and Alison is

their SLT• All need specialist mounting for wheelchairs

www.cornwall.gov.uk

Referrals

• Forms• Assessment

• Mounting• Training

www.cornwall.gov.uk

Record keeping once device was delivered

Skill required Evidence (include video evidence)

M T W T F S S

Eye gaze control:              

Screen Engagement              

Able to look around whole screen               Target gaze               Dwell on target to select               Can wake up machine by gaze               Can control device for games, fun

and educational software             

Intentional Communication              

Yes/no               Getting attention               Greetings – Social contact and

connecting to people             

I want – basic needs, choices               Protesting/complaining               Comments – like/don’t like;

describing             

Requesting/Giving information - sharing experiences; talk about things I cannot see

             

Questions               Feelings               Thoughts –preferences; reasoning               Creative Communication – stories,

humour,              

Peer interaction Using combinations of words

             

www.cornwall.gov.uk

Wheelchair Mounting

DHR Devon

www.cornwall.gov.uk

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Cornwall CouncilCounty HallTruro TR1 3AY

Tel: 0300 1234 100www.cornwall.gov.uk