Guideline and Procedures

• Consideration is meant to be accomplished within the context of the IEP meeting.
• AT consideration is meant to be short, accomplished in approximately 20 minutes or less
• At least one member of the IEP team should be knowledgeable about AT

If the IEP team cannot reach consensus or if the team decides that they lack the expertise to have a thoughtful discussion about AT, an AT assessment should be triggered. The Idaho Assistive Technology Project (IATP) can provide AT assessments at no charge to schools and families.

An Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) credentialed through RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America) will perform the AT assessment. ATPs have an educational background in occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, special education, or rehabilitation ongoing work experience (.25 to .50 FTE) of direct AT consumer-related services passed a rigorous exam on all areas of AT annual continuing education on AT

• Fill out an online AT assessment application
• An ATP will be assigned to the assessment
• The ATP will follow the Fundamental Assessment Process utilizing a team approach
• The ATP looks at the student, environment, and tasks through observation, review of records, and input from Individualized Education Program (IEP) team members
• Through a feature-matching process, potential AT devices and software are identified and tried with student
• The continuum of devices and software are considered to ensure cost effectiveness and identification of the most appropriate device
• A written report will be provided within two weeks of the school visit for the IEP team to use as one tool in making AT decisions