Assistive Technology and Emerging Practice – Spring, 2019
Mini-Case Study
30 points
Tanisha is a 22 year old woman with an intellectual disability and cerebral palsy. She lives at home with her mother, who is her primary caregiver. Tanisha does not currently work or attend school, (she graduated from a special education program at age 21) and she requires frequent cueing and physical assistance to sequence and complete ADL and IADL tasks. You have recently begun working with Tanisha, and are told by Tanisha and her mother that they would like her to be able to perform a morning routine (shower, brush teeth, dress, apply deodorant), simple shopping tasks (ie. Buy one familiar item at a familiar store), and simple meal preparation (ie. Warm up a plate of food, assemble a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, etc) with no more than distant supervision (mom/OT can watch task performance from a distance to ensure safety, but provide no direct cueing). In addition, Tanisha’s mother is aware that Tanisha’s verbal communication skills are effective with familiar people (ie. family), however she would like Tanisha to be able to communicate her wants and needs to strangers more effectively (ie. Ordering at a restaurant, requesting help in a store).
After watching the video, please identify 5 pieces of assistive technology that you would like to trial with Tanisha (you do not need to target all goal areas with this assignment). For items 1-4, include: (1) name of/type of technology, (2) why it’s appropriate for Tanisha, (3) how you would implement the technology, and (4) what outcome you would expect to achieve with the technology. Item #5 should be some form of AAC – for this item, please include the following: (1) name of/type of technology, (2) what access method would Tanisha use for this AAC/any supports to facilitate access, (3) what would you recommend in regards to positioning while using this device, (4) expected outcome.
If Tanisha and her family wished to trial some or all of the assistive technology before making a final decision, what would you suggest? What are some options for Tanisha in regard to external funding sources for her recommended technologies (include at least 3)?
Name two referrals you would consider making to support Tanisha’s needs. What can these disciplines offer Tanisha and her family?
Please answer in list or table format (not essay/narrative). Your response should fill no more than 2 sheets of paper, double sided. You are not required to double space text, but please use size 12 font.
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzTCrz9Xynw to learn more about Tanisha.
Scoring Rubric
| þ | Points | ||
| Tech 1 | Name/type | /4 | |
| Why appropriate | |||
| How to implement | |||
| Expected outcome | |||
| Tech 2 | Name/type | /4 | |
| Why appropriate | |||
| How to implement | |||
| Expected outcome | |||
| Tech 3 | Name/type | /4 | |
| Why appropriate | |||
| How to implement | |||
| Expected outcome | |||
| Tech 4 | Name/type | /4 | |
| Why appropriate | |||
| How to implement | |||
| Expected outcome | |||
| Tech 5: AAC | Name/type | /4 | |
| Access Considerations | |||
| Positioning Considerations | |||
| Expected outcome | |||
| Trials, funding | AT Trial considerations | /4 | |
| Funding options | |||
| Referrals | 2 Disciplines | /4 | |
| Benefits | |||
| Grammar/Professional Language | /2 | ||
| Total | /30 |
