Likes/Dislikes Checklist for Context-Dependent Clients

Resource Toolkit Assignment:  Resource Summary Sheet

1.     Name of the tool, or a brief description: This is a checklist to determine likes and dislikes so that preprogrammed symbols can be effective and maximize the emerging communicator’s ability to express what they want and need.

2.     What type of patient(s) would you use this tool/technique with?  (Describe by characteristics or by etiology.) This checklist is intended to be used with emerging communicators to determine what kinds of symbols should be included on their device. Although it was created for emerging communicators, it would likely also be helpful for context-dependent communicators when determining critical symbols for their device.

3.     How/why would you use this tool?  In what way will it be helpful? I would use this tool to help me determine which symbols should be included on my client’s device. With emerging communicators, it’s critical to find symbols that strongly encourage communicative acts and show the value of communication. For this reason, it’s good to start with symbols that represent highly preferred items and activities in order to make the device something the client wants to use.

4.     What are the advantages of this tool/technique? The checklist helps to make sure you don’t neglect any main category of symbols. Although there are suggestions for checklist items, you can also include things on the checklist that family and friends have told you are important to the client. I also like that the checklist is well-organized and applicable to so many potential clients (especially pediatric clients).

5.     Are there any disadvantages to this tool/technique? The checklist provides some suggestions in each category, but it’s definitely not comprehensive, and if a client likes a more obscure item, it may not be discovered with this checklist.

The next several questions relate to how you obtained this resource:

6.     If you used an existing tool, answer these two questions:

a)    Source/citation for this tool:   (whether published, or from a course, or SPHSC materials) This checklist came from the UW AugComm Website: http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/01_vocab/vocab2_emerging.htm

b)    Did you modify this tool?  If so, in what way? No, I did not modify this tool.

c)     Anything you still don’t like about it and may change in the future? I might consider adding more checklist options as I go through the process of using this tool with a variety of clients.

Likes and Dislikes Checklist from the UW AugComm Website



Introduction
A checklist can be helpful when searching for initial likes and dislikes for an individual with "emerging" communication skills. To use this list, interview familiar partners or conduct some trials with the items. Circle items that are liked, put an X through disliked items and leave blank those that are unknown.

Auditory: This would include sounds you make (e.g. reading, singing) or sounds you cause (e.g. sounds from a pet, environmental sounds, etc.) Be careful about eliciting startle reflexes in individuals with significant sensory-motor impairments.

· Voices: siblings, parents, friends; talking, reading a story, singing a song

· Music: favorite songs (sung on tape or by family member), favorite radio stations, favorite musical instruments, songs and music styles that are hated

· Toys: sounds associated with favorite toys and unpleasant toys · Computer: sound effects with computer games, positive and negative

· Animal sounds: favorite pet, favorite farm animal or people imitating animals

· Environmental: vehicles, car or bicycle horns, crowds, voices, baby crying, doors slamming

Visual: This would include looking at objects (e.g. books, toys, television or movies), watching people do funny or ordinary things, etc. Again, be careful about eliciting startle reflexes from some individuals.

· Television: watching favorite shows or favorite characters, favorite movies or characters in a movie, favorite advertisements.

· Movies: watching favorite shows or favorite characters, exceptional advertisements for movies

· Computer screen: with moving colors and shapes, with characters that move (with or without sound).

· Lights: spinning or blinking lights, Christmas lights, overhead lights turned on and off

· Mirror: looking at self, watching movement reflected, mirrors that distort

· Window to outdoors: watching trees in the wind, animals moving, etc.

· Bubbles: watching someone blow bubbles, watching them land, hitting them

· Moving Toys: vehicles (with or without sound), mobile,

· Fish tank: with fish and with moving parts · Animals: household pets, farm animals

· Faces: familiar and unfamiliar faces

Tactile: This can mean feeling objects, pets or people as well as being touched (e.g. head rub, foot rub, back scratch).

· Temperature: hot or cold on the skin

· Blowing air: fan, hair dryer

· Textures: liquids, sand, beans, macaroni, dry oatmeal, popcorn, rice, jello, foam, soft clay, finger paints, pudding, oil, Silly String, lotion, bubbles, wet oatmeal, cotton, feathers, cotton towel, flannel cloth, fur, sheep skin, nylon fabric, wool, carpet square, sand paper, paint brush

· Rest surfaces: floor, carpet, tile, bed, mat

· Vibration: vibrator, massager

· Touch: stroking or massaging skin, combing hair, washing face, tickling, rough housing

Taste or textures in the mouth: This includes eating or drinking various foods or tasting instead of consuming (e.g. ice chips, oral swab with flavor on it). Be careful about dietary and eating restrictions in some individuals.

· Temperature: hot or cold items

· Tastes: sweet, sour, salty, spicy

· Textures: solids versus liquids, soft versus crunchy

· Foods: Consider favorite foods and disliked foods in all these categories: · snacks: · vegetables: · fruits: · meat dishes: · dairy products: · drinks

Smells:

· Toiletry products: perfume, after shave, shaving cream, mouthwash, toothpaste

· Strong smelling foods: bread, fish, banana, strawberry, coffee · Environmental smells: garbage

· Spices: peppermint, onion, garlic, curry, vanilla, chili, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, honey

Kinesthetic: This includes moving or being moved

· Dancing:

· Swinging

· Spinning:

· Other: