A good place to start is by noting down what children respond to, the circumstances and how they respond. A simple observation grid can be used to note responses as they happen. It is important to include information about the child's surroundings, the activity and the behaviour of the person working with the child.
Video recording is hugely helpful, because it allows an episode to be viewed again and again, perhaps by different people, allowing layers of understanding to develop.
Over time, patterns of circumstances or responses may emerge. For example, you might suspect that the child prefers rough textures to smooth, or cannot use sight and hearing at the same time, or freezes at the sound of the dinner trolley. These suspicions can be checked for accuracy, and the information used in deciding appropriate targets or teaching strategies.
Structured approaches
An alternative approach is deliberately to present children with a range of objects or activities and to note their responses. The Affective Communication Assessment uses this approach to identify patterns of behaviour meaning 'I like . . .', 'I don't like . . .' and 'I'm not sure about . . .'. Video recording is almost essential, as otherwise small responses are very easily missed. The approach can also be used to assess responses to specifically visual, auditory or tactile stimuli.
Checklists
A number of assessment frameworks and checklists are available, although very few have been developed specifically for deafblind children. Those developed for other children should be used with great caution, because the very different information available to children who are multi-sensory-impaired will affect their behaviour and hence the significance of checklist items.
Where to get help
Most local education authorities have specialist teachers, qualified in the education of children who are multi-sensory-impaired, often as part of their visiting teacher service or sensory support service. These teachers will be able to help with assessment, interpretation and intervention.
Further information
Vision for Doing by Stuart Aitken and Marianna Buultjens, is primarily about visual assessment but has a wealth of more general information and ideas. It is available online at the Scottish Sensory Centre website.
The Affective Communication Assessment is available from Melland High School, Holmcroft Road, Gorton, Manchester M18 7NG.
