About the tool:  This screening tool was developed to help you screen the visual and physical access abilities of a complex communicator for whom you are considering a touch screen communication system.  It was developed using Powerpoint and can be used on Powerpoint for iPad or other tablet devices.  The tasks on the screening involve visually and physically locating a single picture that moves through a series of progressively smaller button sizes and more complex button arrays.  By administering the screening on a tablet, you can get a sense of the access skills a communicator brings to the task of learning to use a touch screen AAC device.  You can also get a sense of what cell size and array may be best to start with and whether touch screen access support, such as screen setting adjustments or key guards, may be best to support direct selection through touch during AAC system trials.  This tool is merely a screening and should not be considered a diagnostic tool or a determiner of a communicator’s potential to LEARN to visually and physically access a touch screen device.  This tool is also not a substitute for comprehensive consultation with a vision and/or motor professional when making feature decisions for complex communicators with concurrent complex motor and sensory (vision and hearing) needs. 
 
What's included:  This screening contains two tasks: Visual and Physical Identification and Visual Discrimination. It does not screen for symbol knowledge or the ability to discriminate between symbols with different meanings. The tool starts with a cell size of 2.5 inches square and progresses to .25 inches square.  The array ranges from 2 cells to 60 cells. This can be used on iPads and tablets running Powerpoint for full features (animations and sounds).  If used on Google Slides, animations will remain in tact but sounds will not be present.  With your download, you receive the Powerpoint file and a PDF and Word version of the data form.  To use the slides in this tool for access screening of static or printed communication supports, simply print the slides on letter sized paper and administer the tasks as if the slide deck was a printed book.  
 
Use in Teletherapy Sessions
You can use this tool to screen touch access on a tablet by sharing the file with your client/s family prior to your session through a cloud storage link.  The family can then run the screening on their tablet in home with your instructions.  They will need to run the file in Powerpoint for mobile devices (Free app) or in Google Slides.  You can also use the tasks in printed form as described above by mailing ahead to your family or asking them to print ahead of your session.