CHC33015: E1145 - Certificate III in Individual Support Assignment

1. Background/Overview

CareShore is the city based community organisation you work for and it provides adult Disability Support services to a wide range of people across Supported Accommodation, Day Services and Respite Services. The mix of people being supported is ethnically and culturally diverse

You are a Disability Support Worker employed on a part time basis at CareShore and you have been working in the job for the last 9 months. You love working in this support role and have developed rewarding professional relationships with the people you support. One of the people you support with community access is Emma.

Emma is a 47 year old female person who receives support from CareShore and you work with her on a regular basis. She is from Denmark originallyand English is her second language which she speaks quite well but, at times she does have trouble with a limited English vocabulary. Emma has progressive multiple sclerosis, uses an electric wheelchair and her ability to speak is decreasing noticeably. At times it is hard to understand what she is trying to say and she gets frustrated at this. Recently she has noticed that as it is more difficult for her to access the community on her own, she has fewer opportunities to catch up with friends and when she does, chatting with them is harder now. She sometimes feels isolated and would like more opportunities to catch up with her friends. Your support work with Emma is mostly to facilitate community based day activities for her

Peter is 64 and has been working as an engineer until recently. He had a stroke three months ago and was left with weakness on his left side. He has only recently come to CareShore for leisure activities to give his wife respite as she battles to adjust to Peter’s changed circumstances. As a result of his stroke, Peter’s speech has been significantly affected.

2. Brief

At various places in this assessment you will be required to work from scenarios and case notes. Draw on the information above as necessary to work through each of the assessment tasks.

3. Assessment tasks:

In your own words, respond to the following questions, making sure that you observe the word counts and that you provide sufficient detail in your answers so that your assessor can gauge your understanding of the topic.

Question 1: Describe what the general principles and practices of augmentative and alternative communication are (50 words)

Question 2: Describe what tools are used to assess people with complex communication needs at your organisation for the potential use of augmentative and alternative communication? (50 words)

Question 3: Complete the following form. List three forms of documentation you might use in the process of identifying a person’s communication ability and their communication needs. Explain the purpose of each piece of documentation.

Question 4: What can cause communication impairment in a person with a disability? (50 words)

Question 5: Communication assistance can occur at two basic levels – unaided and aided. Describe the differences between them. (30 words)

Question 6: Provide an example of how you would vary your communication style when interacting with a person with a different cultural background to your own. (50 words)

Question 7: Describe what role and function might a speech pathologist have in the development, implementation and maintenance of augmentative and alternative communication strategies and devices for Emma (50 words)

Question 8: Describe what you see as your role when supporting a person who uses augmentative and/or alternative communication? (50 words)

Question 9: How does your work in supporting a person to use a suitable communication system, add to their independence? (50 words)

Question 10: Provide 3 examples of causes and conditions that are associated with communication impairment, including stroke and ABI (30-50 words)

Question 11: Describe the basic steps in an AAC assessment (75-100 words)

Question 12: Provide 2 reasons as to why you may need to refer difficulties to another professional. Outline the documentation that would need to be provided to a supervisor. (75-100 words)

PART B: The role of the support worker in developing effective AAC strategies

In your own words, respond to the following questions, making sure that you observe the word counts and that you provide sufficient detail in your answers so that your assessor can gauge your understanding of the topic.

Question 13: Describe what a communication board is and how it is used correctly (50 words)

Question 14: How can you ensure that augmentative and alternative communication strategies are correct for the person’s level of communication? (50 words)

Question 15: What adjustments could be made to an aided AAC device to meet individual needs considering that this device is going to require long term effort and motivation? (30-50 words)

Question 16: Without using spoken word, written word or sign language, how would you assist Emma to communicate a message to staff e.g. “my medication is making me feel sick”, “I want to talk to my sister”? (50 words)

Question 17: Lack of understanding of cultural influences will make communication with the person with disability more difficult (e.g. a person who comes from a culture where hand gestures are not used very often may interpret the behaviour of a person who uses their hands a lot when communicating as indicating nervousness, or even aggression.) What could you do to overcome this situation (50 words)

Question 18: Describe a different communication strategy you could use with each of the groups of people below. What other professionals could you consult with in each of these groups?(30 words each):

1. People with a hearing impairment
2. People with a sight impairment
3. People who have dementia
4. People who do not speak English

Question 19: Demonstrate how you could assist a person to use one of their AAC tools. Below is:-

• An example of a service participant profile for Raoul who is a non-verbal person you support
• An example of a Community Request Card for Raoul to use at a restaurant
• Example instructions for the use of the card.

PART C: The role of the support worker in implementing an AAC strategy

In the spaces provided, describe how you might assist with the following communication barriers.

PART D: Monitoring, reporting and reviewing communication strategies

In your own words, respond to the following questions or tasks, making sure that you observe the word counts and that you provide sufficient detail in your answers so that your assessor can gauge your understanding of the topic.

Question 20: Describe what opportunities a formal review of a person’s AAC strategy provides (30-50 words)

Question 21: Why is it important to complete reports within the identified timeframe? What can go wrong if reports are completed late? Provide an example to illustrate your answer. (30-50 words)