השוואת שיטות

	Augmentative and Alternative Communication Assessment	Supports Intensity Scale
תחום	Disability Studies	Disability Studies
משפחה	Process / pipeline	Latent structure
שנת המקור	2001	2009
הוגה השיטה	AAC field (participation model; feature-matching tradition), framed within the WHO ICF	James R. Thompson and the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
סוג	Feature-matching clinical assessment pipeline	Standardized support-needs assessment scale
מקור מכונן	World Health Organization. (2001). International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: ICF. Geneva: WHO. ISBN: 9789241545426	Thompson, J. R., Bradley, V. J., Buntinx, W. H. E., et al. (2009). Conceptualizing supports and the support needs of people with intellectual disability. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 47(2), 135-146.
כינויים	AAC Assessment, AAC Feature Matching, Communication Participation Assessment, AAC Needs Assessment	SIS, AAIDD Supports Intensity Scale, Support Needs Assessment, Supports Intensity Level Scale
קשורות	3	3
תקציר	Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) assessment is the structured process for determining how a person with complex communication needs can best communicate when natural speech is insufficient. Rather than testing for a diagnosis, it follows a participation-oriented, feature-matching logic: the clinician profiles the individual's communication abilities and access capacities, identifies the activities and roles the person wants to take part in, and then matches those needs to the features of AAC systems — the symbol set, access method, vocabulary organization, and output. The approach is grounded in the participation model, which frames the goal as enabling participation in valued life activities rather than remediating an impairment, a stance that aligns closely with the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and its distinction between body functions, activities, and participation in context. By assessing the person, their environment, and their goals together and then matching to system features, AAC assessment aims to find a communication solution that fits the whole person and is then evaluated and adjusted over time.	The Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) is a standardized assessment developed by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) to measure the pattern and intensity of the supports a person with intellectual or developmental disability needs to participate in everyday life. Rather than cataloguing deficits or measuring impairment, the SIS reframes assessment around the supports paradigm articulated by Thompson and colleagues, asking what kinds and amounts of help a person requires to take part in valued activities. It surveys support needs across six life-activity domains — home living, community living, lifelong learning, employment, health and safety, and social activities — together with protection and advocacy and exceptional medical and behavioral needs. Each relevant activity is rated on three independent dimensions: how often support is needed, how much daily support time it consumes, and what type of support is required. These item ratings are converted into standardized subscale scores and an overall Supports Intensity Index that supports person-centered planning and the equitable allocation of resources.