AT is required to be considered for all infants and toddlers with disabilities. However, all infants or toddlers with disabilities are not required to receive AT devices and services. The need for AT devices and services must be determined on an individual basis by the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) team.
A child’s need for AT devices and services must not be based upon a category, severity, or class of disability. AT devices and services must be provided as outlined in the IFSP. The IFSP team must specify what, if any, AT device(s) and service(s) are needed to achieve child or family outcomes.
See Appendix A for details on the IFSP
IDEA does not provide specific guidance for how AT Consideration should be conducted. Research should be used to develop and adopt operational procedures that guide SoonerStart teams in the AT Consideration process so that this happens the same way for all children on an IFSP.
One model that can be used to consider the AT needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities is the SETT (Student, Environments, Tasks, and Tools) Scaffold created by Joy Zabala, Ed.D. The SETT Scaffold is a four-part model intended to promote collaborative decision-making in all phases of AT service design and delivery from consideration through implementation and evaluation of effectiveness. This model can be used to consider the AT needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities as well.
The SETT Scaffold for Consideration includes the review of nine different areas. SoonerStart personnel can use this form to indicate any areas in which there are concerns about the child's ability to function as independently as possible regardless of disabilities. Those areas are explored to determine the appropriate AT devices and/or services. Two of the nine areas, Academic and Vocational, do not need to be considered for children receiving SoonerStart services. The table below provides a brief overview of the areas covered in the SETT Scaffold for Consideration. The full worksheet is in Appendix A.
