Chapter 1 Assessment, Command, and Training Theory

Purpose In 2011, the United Nations estimated there were between 180 and 220 million youth with disabilities living around the world, and 80% of them resided in developing countries. Over the last 6 years, this number has increased significantly, and now, over 1 million people live in the Caribbean with some form of disability such as communication disorders resulting in complex communication needs (CCN). Method This publication discusses the benefits of an exploratory, descriptive, nonexperimental study on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) classroom integration training for 8 special educators in the Bahamas who work with children with CCN. Results The results of this study revealed that 100% of the participants reported the study to be effective in increasing their knowledge and skill in the area of implementing AAC into their classrooms, enhancing their ability to team teach and incorporate AAC opportunities for all students with CCN within their classrooms, and increasing their knowledge and skill overall in the areas of AAC and CCN. Conclusion The findings highlight an important area of potential professional development and training that can be replicated in other English-speaking Caribbean territories focused on AAC classroom integration training program for special educators who teach students with CCN.

Download Full-text

A Qualitative Examination of User Perceptions of User-Driven and App-Controlled Hearing Technologies

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2019_aja-19-0022 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 993-1005 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gitte Keidser ◽

Nicole Matthews ◽

Elizabeth Convery

Keyword(s):

Hearing Aids ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

New Technology ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Semistructured Interview ◽

User Perceptions ◽

Template Analysis ◽

Training And Support ◽

And Training

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine how hearing aid candidates perceive user-driven and app-controlled hearing aids and the effect these concepts have on traditional hearing health care delivery. Method Eleven adults (3 women, 8 men), recruited among 60 participants who had completed a research study evaluating an app-controlled, self-fitting hearing aid for 12 weeks, participated in a semistructured interview. Participants were over 55 years of age and had varied experience with hearing aids and smartphones. A template analysis was applied to data. Results Five themes emerged from the interviews: (a) prerequisites to the successful implementation of user-driven and app-controlled technologies, (b) benefits and advantages of user-driven and app-controlled technologies, (c) barriers to the acceptance and use of user-driven and app-controlled technologies, (d) beliefs that age is a significant factor in how well people will adopt new technology, and (e) consequences that flow from the adoption of user-driven and app-controlled technologies. Specifically, suggested benefits of the technology included fostering empowerment and providing cheaper and more discrete options, while challenges included lack of technological self-efficacy among older adults. Training and support were emphasized as necessary for successful adaptation and were suggested to be a focus of audiologic services in the future. Conclusion User perceptions of user-driven and app-controlled hearing technologies challenge the audiologic profession to provide adequate support and training for use of the technology and manufacturers to make the technology more accessible to older people.

Download Full-text

Effect of Computerized Auditory Training on Speech Perception of Adults With Hearing Impairment

Perspectives on Aural Rehabilitation and Its Instrumentation ◽

10.1044/arri20.3.91 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 91-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rachel Pizarek ◽

Valeriy Shafiro ◽

Patricia McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Literature Review ◽

Low Cost ◽

Experimental Designs ◽

Auditory Training ◽

Hearing Impairments ◽

Communicative Disorders ◽

And Training

Computerized auditory training (CAT) is a convenient, low-cost approach to improving communication of individuals with hearing loss or other communicative disorders. A number of CAT programs are being marketed to patients and audiologists. The present literature review is an examination of evidence for the effectiveness of CAT in improving speech perception in adults with hearing impairments. Six current CAT programs, used in 9 published studies, were reviewed. In all 9 studies, some benefit of CAT for speech perception was demonstrated. Although these results are encouraging, the overall quality of available evidence remains low, and many programs currently on the market have not yet been evaluated. Thus, caution is needed when selecting CAT programs for specific patients. It is hoped that future researchers will (a) examine a greater number of CAT programs using more rigorous experimental designs, (b) determine which program features and training regimens are most effective, and (c) indicate which patients may benefit from CAT the most.

Download Full-text

Training-the-Trainer on Assistive Technology for Cognition (ATC): Current Practices

Perspectives on Neurophysiology and Neurogenic Speech and Language Disorders ◽

10.1044/nnsld23.2.90 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 90-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Laurie Ehlhardt Powell ◽

Tracey Wallace ◽

Michelle ranae Wild

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Assistive Technology ◽

Acquired Brain Injury ◽

Online Training ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Train The Trainer ◽

Rehabilitation Professionals ◽

Remote Locations ◽

Training Package ◽

And Training

Research shows that if clinicians are to deliver effective, evidence-based assistive technology for cognition (ATC) services to clients with acquired brain injury (ABI), they first need opportunities to gain knowledge and experience with ATC assessment and training practices (O'Neil-Pirozzi, Kendrick, Goldstein, & Glenn, 2004). This article describes three examples of train the trainer materials and programs to address this need: (a) a toolkit for trainers to learn more about assessing and training ATC; (b) a comprehensive, trans-disciplinary program for training staff to provide ATC services in a metropolitan area; and (c) an overview of an on-site/online training package for rehabilitation professionals working with individuals with ABI in remote locations.

Download Full-text

Quick Reference: Chapter 1: The Musculoskeletal System: The Hand and Upper Extremity

Guides Newsletter ◽

10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.2000.sepoct03 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 4-5

Keyword(s):

Dorsal Column ◽

Persistent Pain ◽

Illness Behavior ◽

Abnormal Illness Behavior ◽

Organ Systems ◽

Spinal Cord Dorsal ◽

Objective Basis ◽

Dorsal Column Stimulation ◽

Underlying Pathology

Abstract Spinal cord (dorsal column) stimulation (SCS) and intraspinal opioids (ISO) are treatments for patients in whom abnormal illness behavior is absent but who have an objective basis for severe, persistent pain that has not been adequately relieved by other interventions. Usually, physicians prescribe these treatments in cancer pain or noncancer-related neuropathic pain settings. A survey of academic centers showed that 87% of responding centers use SCS and 84% use ISO. These treatments are performed frequently in nonacademic settings, so evaluators likely will encounter patients who were treated with SCS and ISO. Does SCS or ISO change the impairment associated with the underlying conditions for which these treatments are performed? Although the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) does not specifically address this question, the answer follows directly from the principles on which the AMA Guides impairment rating methodology is based. Specifically, “the impairment percents shown in the chapters that consider the various organ systems make allowance for the pain that may accompany the impairing condition.” Thus, impairment is neither increased due to persistent pain nor is it decreased in the absence of pain. In summary, in the absence of complications, the evaluator should rate the underlying pathology or injury without making an adjustment in the impairment for SCS or ISO.

Download Full-text

Fifth Edition: the New Standard

Guides Newsletter ◽

10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.2000.novdec01 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 5 (6) ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Christopher R. Brigham ◽

James B. Talmage ◽

Leon H. Ensalada

Keyword(s):

Musculoskeletal System ◽

Medical Information ◽

Objective Assessment ◽

Scientific Data ◽

Practical Application ◽

Fourth Edition ◽

Appropriate Use ◽

Medical Evaluation ◽

Single Set

Abstract The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), Fifth Edition, is available and includes numerous changes that will affect both evaluators who and systems that use the AMA Guides. The Fifth Edition is nearly twice the size of its predecessor (613 pages vs 339 pages) and contains three additional chapters (the musculoskeletal system now is split into three chapters and the cardiovascular system into two). Table 1 shows how chapters in the Fifth Edition were reorganized from the Fourth Edition. In addition, each of the chapters is presented in a consistent format, as shown in Table 2. This article and subsequent issues of The Guides Newsletter will examine these changes, and the present discussion focuses on major revisions, particularly those in the first two chapters. (See Table 3 for a summary of the revisions to the musculoskeletal and pain chapters.) Chapter 1, Philosophy, Purpose, and Appropriate Use of the AMA Guides, emphasizes objective assessment necessitating a medical evaluation. Most impairment percentages in the Fifth Edition are unchanged from the Fourth because the majority of ratings currently are accepted, there is limited scientific data to support changes, and ratings should not be changed arbitrarily. Chapter 2, Practical Application of the AMA Guides, describes how to use the AMA Guides for consistent and reliable acquisition, analysis, communication, and utilization of medical information through a single set of standards.

Download Full-text