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Extended Assessment is a term borrowed from adult rehabilitation
services. When Vocational Rehabilitation counselors work with a
client they often identify some possible solutions but are unable
to make an immediate decision about what solution might be most
appropriate. They need to try the option(s) in a work environment.
In Vocational Rehabilitation services, the trial period or extended
assessment is often completed over a period of months and assesses
a wide variety of possible work options for the client.
When examining the need for assistive technology for children in
schools, extended assessment refers to a trial period with one or
more assistive technology tools in the child's customary environments.
Extended assessments are not required by law. They are not
part of the question of a child's eligibility for special education.
But extended assessments are an extremely effective tool for determining
what, if any, assistive technology might help the child.
Completing an extended assessment can provide the IEP/IFSP team
with time to make rational decisions based on actual data.
It helps avoid making false assumptions such as "if the device
worked for one child, it will work just as well for another with
the same disability." It can also help in dealing with team
members who have read or heard about new assistive technology, but
have incomplete or inaccurate information about it and want to write
it in the IEP. Several technology solutions may be tried and
data may be collected on each of them to determine which one is
the most effective. The data collection opportunity provided
by extended assessment helps the IEP/IFSP team to consider the need
for assistive technology based on actual performance of the student.
An extended assessment period of any reasonable length can be written
into the IEP/IFSP to allow for appropriate, well planned, well documented
trials with a range of potential solutions. To help plan and
manage an extended assessment, the form: Assistive Technology Extended
Assessment Plan was developed by Bowser and Read (1998). It
is included here and can be downloaded for your use.
AT Extended Assessment
Form
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