Browsing by Author "Niskanen, Kirsi"

Background and Objectives. An individual with complex communication needs mainly communicates otherwise than by means of speech, for example by sign language, writing or a communication device. However, the purpose of the messages may remain unclear to the communication partners. A person may be at risk of being left out in interaction situations. In order to set rehabilitation goals, it is advisable to evaluate communication skills using a variety of methods, and it is therefore justified to look for new kinds of assessment methods. The purpose of this study was to try out two assessment methods from the EMC3 communication assessment and rehabilitation model: sensory assessment and communication assessment. It is known that the EMC3 method has not been widely used in Finland, and there are no international publications available on it. The EMC3 method is based on mapping out interesting sensations and individual responses and, based on them, creating meaningful rehabilitation goals for communication. Method. In this qualitative case study, the EMC3 method was tested on one five-year-old child with autism spectrum disorder. The research material consisted of interviews and comments by two speech therapists, one occupational therapist, and the child's father, as well as the author's observations regarding the method. The interviews were transcribed and the material was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results. Based on sensory assessment some new sensations of interest to the child were found, as well as surprising things about how the child acted. On the other hand, some of the issues that emerged in the assessment contradicted previous knowledge. The child participating in the study may have been more skilled than the intended target group of the method. On the basis of the assessment, the people involved in the study suggested some goals for communication rehabilitation, but setting goals was also perceived challenging. The assessment gave the child's father new ideas for diversifying communication with his child. The goal to determine the meaning of a particular sense did not seem valid. Instead, information about attractiveness of individual stimuli was provided. The Communication Assessment questionnaire proved useful in collecting basic information about a child's communication skills in different situations. Conclusions. Sensory assessment in combination with the Communication assessment questionnaire may be a useful part of creating the goals of communication rehabilitation for a person who communicates at a prelinguistic level. Individual interests that have emerged in the sensory assessment could be used to create successful interaction situations, and thus to increase the motivation and opportunities for communication in people who communicate in a pre-linguistic way.