Introduction

Communication Supports Inventory-Children & Youth (CSI-CY)

WHAT IS THIS? The Communication Supports Inventory-Children and Youth (CSI-CY)is a tool designed to make goal writing easier for teachers and speech-language pathologists who work with students who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to communicate effectively. By itself, it is not an assessment, but rather a guide to organize your understanding of the impact of a student’s communication strengths and limitations on participation at school and home. The CSI-CY consists of an Inventory and a Report.

CSI-CY? WHO? Yes, exactly, WHO (World Health Organization) developed the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) in 2007 to provide a global common language for describing the impact of health conditions and disabilities on human functioning. The CSI-CY uses that same global common language.

SO, WHAT’S THE POINT? It’s all about the student’s participation in life at school and home! The CSI-CY (a) identifies major areas in which the child’s participation is restricted because of communication limitations; (b) identifies and qualifies limitations in communication and specific functional impairments that affect communication; (c) identifies environmental facilitators and barriers that affect communication, and d) provides a list of high priority areas of concern that are potential IEP goals.

WHAT DO I GET? After completing the Inventory you will generate the Report that provides a list of high priority concerns that might be addressed in IEP goals for your student. You can save your student's Report and the entire Inventory with your responses on your computer.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? First, you complete the 126-item Inventory, which takes about 30 minutes. You will see a progress bar at the bottom of each page that shows what portion has been completed. Then you can generate the Report-a prioritized list of concerns that you should consider addressing in IEP goals.

BORING, BUT TRUE . . . You will see at the end of most items a reference to one or more ICF-CY codes (e.g., d 3152), just in case you want to look up the source of an item in the ICF-CY.

DETAILS, DETAILS! The development of the CSI-CY was made possible by a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, award number R324A090028.

OKAY, SO HOW DO I START? Fill out the Inventory, then complete the Report to prioritize the items of concern for consideration in the student’s IEP. When you finish, you will be able to print or download a pdf of the student's CSI-CY Inventory and Report.