WELCOMEWELCOMECSW -110CSW -110WELCOMEWELCOMECSW -110CSW -110

Week 1 Week 1 Introduction to Alternative Introduction to Alternative

Communication and Assistive Communication and Assistive TechnologyTechnology

Instructor: Paul Hamilton and Maureen Instructor: Paul Hamilton and Maureen LaFlecheLaFleche

Course Outline• Introductions• Who is SEAC or CSW students?• Anyone currently working in school or

community setting?• Attendance• Experience with computers (0-10)• Knowledge about or experience with

assistive technology?

Course Information• Schedule tentative – review expectations • Required for class - readings, headphones, mic, USB flash stick• Note: 3 assignments• Break about half way through 3 hours• Office hours Thurs. 5-6 • Classroom/Lab• Vocabulary/jargon used in class – if you don’t know please ask

or email • Handout – Webquest Assignment – Due January 29, 2009• Readings – will begin each class with brief discussion of

readings – pair and share – then report to whole group – discuss the following with your partner – One thing you learned from the article– One thing you didn’t understand

Class Wiki• http://csw110.pbwiki.com

INTRODUCTION: AUGMENTATIVE COMMUNICATION

AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

• What is it?Activity - KWL Chart

Assistive Technology Continuum

Assistive Technology is a continuum of tools, strategies, and services that match a student’s needs, abilities and tasks.

Explore possible solutions needed to meet goals

Low Tech ToolsPencil gripsColor codingHighlightersSlanted surfacesReading and writing guidesEnlarged worksheets

Mid Tech ToolsBooks on tapeTalking spell checker, dictionaryWord processorTape recorderAdaptive eating utensilsSwitch controlled toy, light, blender

High Tech ToolsText readersVoice recognitionEnvironmental control devicesAugmentative communication deviceSoftware for manipulation of objectsElectronic books

People with Disabilities Can Use This Technology

to:• Assist them with learning• Make the environment more

accessible• Enable them to compete in the

workplace• Enhance their independence

Who Uses It?• Students with

– Autism, Visually Impaired, Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing, Cognitive Impairments, Physical Disabilities

Assistive Technology Can Support the Curriculum in

Many Ways• Early childhood issues (such as play, early literacy)• Positioning• Physical access for learning tools/computers• Motor Aspect of Writing• Composing Written Material• Learning/Studying• Organization• Reading• Math• Communication• Specific needs of students with sensory deficits such as

hearing or vision • Needs of Daily Living

Communication is more than just speech

• What is communication?• Communication is a learned

skill• Most people are born with the

physical ability to talk, but we must learn to speak well and communicate effectively.

Communication is more than just speech

• Speaking, listening, and our ability to understand verbal and nonverbal meanings are skills we develop in various ways. We learn basic communication skills by

• observing other people• taught some communication skills directly

through education, and• practicing those skills and having them evaluated

Some Children Do Not Develop Speech

• May be delayed in their communication skills, which means they learn skills much slower than their peers

• May be disordered in their acquisition of communication skills – may be slower, but also what they do learn is different, unusual or doesn’t work very well

Forms of Communication

• Natural gestures (reaching, touching, pointing, smiling)

• Vocalizations (crying, grunts, screaming, sounds)

• Body language (taking a person by the hand somewhere, establishing eye contact)

• Using props or supports (giving or showing something)

• Less desirable behaviours (biting, kicking, throwing, tantrums etc.)

Functions of Communication:

• In the beginning the most common purposes are:– Pleasure: social attention, social

interaction– Requesting: food, objects, to do

something– Protesting: something undesirable or

not wanting to do, or not happy

As a child matures they expand their reasons for

communicating:• Social greetings• Labeling• Asking/Answering questions• Commenting• Expressing feelings, etc.

Types of Communication

Problems:• Hearing and vision difficulties• Cognitive Impairments – have difficulty interpreting

communication and social information e.g., lacks understanding of verbal direction, gives an answer to a different question asked

• Ineffective communication intent – some people demonstrate little or no communicative intent, don’t persist long enough (e.g., person sees someone eating something that they want, they look at the food, person continues to eat, they start to hit self on head, intent is the person wants food, but others are unaware that this is the communicative intent

Types of Communication Problems con’t

• Difficulty with social interaction – child walks up and hits people, needs to learn appropriate way to get attention

• Impaired expression – difficulties with structure or content of their language

• Ineffective non-verbal communication – some people are very good at using non-verbal comm., even though they don’t have speech, others do not know how to use those skills e.g., person sits and cries when they want something, does not know how to show or point at desirable object; person has an angry look on their face even though they are not angry

Types of Communication Problems con’t

• Speech problems – unable to produce words or use voice effectively for communication

• Language delay or disorder – may have learned words, but cannot always find the right words to say what they mean (e.g., child asks for cookie, when gets one screams, when given juice is happy; might also have processing problem – needs time to respond)

Communication Difficulties Can Affect

Behaviour• Behaviour situations frequently occur

because:– The person does not understand– The person has difficulty expressing

themselves – The person does not know what else to do –

will do what they know how, so need to learn new or different skills to help them participate in life routines

Introductory Activity• Pair off • Hand-out• When activity is complete move into

groups of 6-8 – using the information provided by the person who introduced themselves, the partner introduces that person to the group

6 Basic Principles That Will Help Promote the Use of Augmentative

Communication

• The vocabulary on the board “fixes what is communicatively broken”

• The augmented communicator is given opportunities to communicate using the board or device

• The augmented communicator is expected to communicate with the board or device

• The augmented communicator is given time to communicate with the board or device

• The cost to the augmented communicator of NOT communicating with the board gets too high

• The augmented communicator is praised/rewarded for using the board

Sign Language – Who Uses It?

• Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing• People with language delay or

disorders

When Does It Work Best?

• Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing people without significant cognitive delay or without motor difficulties

• For many it works best as a language support – one of several communication strategies

Can Signing Work For All Persons With Disabilities?• Students with motor difficulties are not

able to replicate the fine motor movements necessary for many signs

• Motor and memory difficulties result in people producing their own personal signs

• Many people are not able to interpret the subtle differences in signs if introduced to too many

Can Signing Work For All Persons With Disabilities?

Con’t

• Even though some students learn quite a few signs they are unable to use them because the people they are communicating do not know their vocabulary

• Students who have a concrete learning style are trying to learn an abstract system

• Sign language is not a universal system – people in the community do not tend to know sign language

STAGES: A Framework for Alternative Assessment by

Madalaine Pugliese

• A framework for selecting appropriate software for individuals with disabilities. It can also be used to provide an alternate means of assessment.

Stage One: Cause and Effect

• Learner begins to use an appropriate input device to control the computer

• Realization that if you touch the screen or a switch something will happen

• The purpose of the software at this stage is not to present information but to motivate the learner to discover how to control the computer

• Example of S1 software – Switch Kids from Simtech Publications

Stage Two: Language Readiness

• Learner is exposed to language• Learn that objects have names and actions have words

to express them• The learner is not asked to identify objects but be a

sponge and absorb information• This stage develops receptive language and pre-

linguistic skills• Finding software is difficult because you are moving

from content-light to content-rich environment• Example of S2 software – Teach Me to Talk from Soft

Touch

Stage Three: Emerging Language

• Learner demonstrates an understanding of language through object identification and categorization i.e., identifies a dog and states that an apple is a fruit (category)

• First stage where the learner is asked to make a selection or asked to make a selection or respond to question based on a prompt

• Example S3 software – First Words from Laureate Learning System

Stage Four: Early Concepts

• Major turning point in learner’s development – academic and social readiness

• S4 software focuses on colors, numbers, shapes, letters, patterns, and sounds

• Targets specific skills– Reading – letter recognition, sounds, rhyming, retelling

stories, matching pictures to their intial letter sound – if a program asks a learner to find or recognize a word other than his name, it is not appropriate e.g., Bailey’s Bookhouse

– Math – number recognition, counting, one-to-one correspondence, patterns, and the specific math vocabulary i.e., large and small – if a program asks a learner to operate on numbers it is not appropriate

Stage Five: Advanced Communication

• The majority of the learner’s academic growth occurs at Stage Five

• Learners expand their skills from– performing simple mathematical operations

to solving more complex problems e.g., MathPad by Intellitools, Inc.

– Performing basic spelling skills to full and fluent literacy e.g., Balanced Literacy

Stage Six: Functional Learning

• Applies academic concepts to the real world• Learner is interested in world around them and begins to make

connections that will allow independence• Focus changes from academics to applied knowledge and functional

learning skills commonly referred to as activities for daily living (ADL)• Material must be authentic and connect with an authentic experience

i.e., the learner might rehearse money skills within the electronic learning environment, then use those same skills when shopping

• The graphics shown on the screen should present realistic-looking objects

• This helps the learner make the connection between the representation and the real world object

• Example S6 software is TimeScales and Dollar and Cents by Attainment Company

Stage Seven: Written Expression

• Learner works towards mastery of written skills, moving from early letter and sound association to full independent composition

• Children with learning challenges can benefit from using a word processing program that offers text-to-speech technology

• Example S7 software: Write:Outloud by Don Johnson, Inc.

• Using auditory feedback can enhance learner’s abilities to correct their own writing errors – builds both independence and self-esteem

Handout and Practice• Fingerspelling Handout• Practice with a partner• Next week read articles re: UDL

and Chapter 4, 5 and 6 in Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age

Alphabet

                                                                       

Alphabet taken from: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/cedir/kidsWeb/amachart.html

Numbers from 1 - 10

                                                  

Numbers taken from: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/cedir/kidsWeb/amachart.html