I remember when this iTouch App was announced. The excitement in the air amongst my AT colleagues was contagious. Finally, an important augmentative alternative communication (AAC) tool that could be used on this mainstream portable device -- the Proloquo2Go. When assistive technology functionality becomes available in these types of portable tools, access is more widely available for all!
Technology is amazing! Take a look at the Logan ProxTalker which is a moveable picture system that talks. Holds 10,000 and can string five words together.
Click on the following link:ProxTalker.com
Collaboration between teachers and speech therapists in using the Picture Exchange System (PECS) is a winning combination for students. Click on the links below to learn more about PECS.
Linda Burkhart's website, Simplified Technology provides a wealth of great tips, resources and websites to help simplify technology use in your classroom.
Click on the link to get started: http://lburkhart.com
A keyboard that will help students with physical or developmental disabilities stay connected to their computers.
Read more by clicking on the following links:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831080957.htm
Click on http://www.disabled-world.com/assistivedevices/ipods-aspergers.php to read about a center in Minneapolis that is experimenting with iPods and how they can be used to assist students with Asperger's syndrome in engaging in appropriate social behaviors. "The staff assisted students in the creation of a series of short videos and slide shows on how to react to various social settings. Some of them are a mere thirty seconds in length, such as, 'Let the other person talk AND change the topic,' or, 'how to respect other people's boundaries,' or,' Use your filter!.' " Let us know if you'd like to get started with your own project like this--we'd love to help!
Read an article by Leslie Broun which reminded me of the importance of the computer as a writing instrument for students with Autism who have difficulty writing. Click on the following links to take a look at some online keyboarding sites, reviews and resources.
http://typing-for-kids-software-review.toptenreviews.com
www.kidsdomain.com/brain/computer/type.html
http://allison.com/courses/Touch-Typing-Training
http://www.assistivetechnologies.com/gallery.asp?category=40&CT=Keyboards
Broun, L. (2009) Take the pencil out of the process of teaching. Exceptional Children. 42(1),14-21.
As usual, Ricky Buchanan at ATMac has a good idea: put your emergency info on the "wallpaper" of your iPhone or iTouch. Click on http://atmac.org/put-emergency-information-on-your-iphone-wallpaper/ to read (and see) how she used the "Close Call" app to put key information onto her iTouch. (Check out her reference to ProLoquo2Go!)
I recently talked about using the iTouch and iPhone as a communication device with the Proloquo2Go application. Today I want to talk about 2 other communication apps available. The first is iConverse (9.99). This application has a very simple interface and design. It features 6 prerecorded buttons for basic communication. "I need help." "I need something to eat" "I need a drink" "I need a break". You also have the ability to create your own buttons using a picture from your photo library and typing in your own text. The buttons are displayed on a separate page in a list view. The buttons you create can be deleted by pressing the picture until the red minus sign appears. You can also set the application to open to the "My Buttons" page automatically. I see this app as being used as a second communication device by many users in the community or as a beginning portable communication device.
Speak It! (1.99) is a text to speech application that was originally designed to for users to make prank calls. However, I see it as giving individuals who are deaf a voice. This easy to use and CHEAP app allows you to type in any message and have the message spoken. It has 4 very natural sounding voices. You can also save the messages once you have created them and have them spoken automatically."
Last time I introduced Proloquo2Go the AAC device on the iTouch. As with all assistive technologies finding the right fit to the right student is the most challenging. P2G is not for every student with communication needs. Every AT assessment needs to begin with using the SETT framework. Look at the student, the environment in which he will use the communication device, and the tasks which are asked of him/her. THEN, decide on the tool. I recently met with a parent and the team of professionals working with her daughter. They were trying to decide the right "tool" to meet the daughters' communication needs. While they were impressed with P2G they weren't sure it would address her needs on a daily basis. What they did like was the portability, the ease of programming, the ability to customize pages, and the multiple uses of the iTouch. (Her daughter loves to watch You Tube videos). This parent felt it was a great solution to use in the car and within the community but felt that her Springboard would be better utilized in the school setting.
The great thing about P2G is the price benefit. Now this student has 2 options for using her voice in multiple settings! Learn more about Proloquo2 Go at this website:
Today I want to look at the most exciting and revolutionary application for the iTouch, Proloquo2Go. Introduced in April, P2G has taken the iTouch device and turned it into a portable communication device with all of the "bells and whistles" of a $5000 AAC device. It brings natural sounding text-to-speech voices, up-to-date symbols, powerful automatic conjugations, a default vocabulary of over 7000 items, full expandability and extreme ease of use to the iPhone and iPod touch. I could go on and on but take a look at this You Tube video which demonstrates the ease of Proloquo2Go. Proloquo2Go was released at the introductory price of 149.00. The price is set to go up to 199.00 the end of July.
If you are interested in seeing a demo of Proloquo2Go contact our TTAC office.
A press release about Dynavox joining with Blink Twice (the Tango) is big news for the AAC community. Read about it here.
The QuickStart Literature Kit includes a durable, laptop-style tote bag, two sets of exciting pre-adapted books with pre-recorded modules, a Jelly Bean switch and the BookWorm literacy tool, complete with an adaptation kit for turning virtually any book into a "talking book." - That's Life Literature Series: Going Places Book Set engages struggling readers and visual learners in developing social skills and the ability to move within the community and the wider world.
Click on the following links:
http://caineassociates.com/products/bookworm-quickstart-literature-p-210.html
http://www.pcieducation.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=46461#bottomTabs
Michael Callahan experienced a short term brain injury due to a skateboarding accident when he was 17. Because of that experience he realized how many skills he took for granted. Five years later he came up with the Audeo at the University of Illinois. It is a tiny device that detects electronic activity between the brain and vocal chords and turns it into audible speech. People use all English-language phonemes to create words. There is some training time involved for learning how to speak in phonemes, and currently the Audeo can only pick up 30 words per minute, but the freedom it could allow someone might be well worth the wait! Read more about it:
The ability to communicate is the key to success for every individual. I know I may be "preaching to the choir", but often I hear that students who communicate differently are not actively involved in making decisions about their goals for the future. For those of you involved in secondary transition you may be facing some challenges assessing your students who do not communicate in a manner that allows you to collect information using formal assessments. I challenge you to think about how you might adapt these products so that every student can be actively involved and their interests and preferences captured and so that meaningful postsecondary goals can be reached. What do you think?
Click on http://www.assistiveware.com/podcasts.php for "exploring the frontiers of assistive technology." This is a series of vodcasts (video podcasts) with people who are using AT to communicate, express their creativity, play games and just live their lives. There are a few episodes per year, each starring a different person. It's Mac-focused and covers a range of topics.
The New Voices Online Assessment Tool is a part of a grant funded by the NEC Foundation of America in 2007. Its purpose is to provide access to high quality AAC assessment and device recommendations. Many school divisions do not have the skills or capacity to assess students need for AAC in a manner that is precise and meaningful. Often time's students are sent outside of their division for assessments, which means they are not assessed in their natural environments and schools are spending a lot of money for this service. This Internet based assessment tool might provide a way in which to meet both the needs of the student, as well as the school. New Voices will also address a nationwide shortage in the availability of assessment services that are required in order to secure Medicare, Medicaid and third-party insurer payment for essential AAC technologies and devices.
Follow along the progress of the development of the tool with Karen Erickson and Patricia Porter at
As a mandated reporter of suspected child abuse and neglect in Virginia, teachers of students with disabilites using an augmentative communication device may be asked to provide assistance during the interview. The augmentative devices students use within the classroom and at home will allow them to communciate instances of abuse or maltreatment when interviewed.
Links to communication devices:
http://www.donjohnston.com/products/low_incidence/index.html
http://acaiberrysite.com/aac/aac-devices.htm
Check out the segment from the Today's show featuring a new communication device, The DynaVox Eyemax System, giving people with communication challenges access with the blink of an eye. Augie Nieto, vice president and co-chairman of the ALS division of the MDA and founder of Augie's Quest, communicates in the segment using this device. This segment is an opportunity for communities to start talking about how communication comes in many forms and people with challenges in this area just need an opportunity and an audience of listeners with open minds.
If we would just listen!
When given the opportunity, students can really change the world through the power of communication!
Check out what students in Virginia created when they gathered in March 2009 for the Youth Summit at the Virginia Transition Forum in Norfolk, VA.
Click on the video "Youth Summit '09 Credo"
Tiger's Tale is a program which motivates students to improve their communication abilities. Click on to take a look at the program and to read a review....
http://www.laureatelearning.com/products/descriptions/tigerdesc.html
Tiger's Tale Review
Looking for a small lightweight communication device for secondary students? Take a look at the new Go Talk Pocket.
http://www.attainmentcompany.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16585&cat=0&page=1
Overwhelmed answering hundreds of emails everyday? Wish you could type faster when you’re creating class materials and research articles?
Worry about carpal tunnel syndrome with all the computer work you do? Know a student who has trouble typing and using a keyboard, but no trouble with ideas? Know a student who could use a little extra support in reading or writing?
YOUR VOICE IS THE ANSWER! Introducing Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 for the Education Market. Turn talk into text and go hands free!
Learn how educators across the country are using Dragon NaturallySpeaking to be more productive and to meet key learning needs of their students! Learn all about it at Live Webinar: March 11th, 2:00pm Eastern. To register go to: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/920550936.
For those of us addressing communication needs with our students, here's a device that allows our students the opportunity to communicate with one or numerous words.
The Partner/Plus is an augmentative communication device that lets you record and play back a message of up to 30 seconds in length.
There's also a graphic overlay--you can put different words on there (anything you want your students to know and use). You can just use pictures, too--they slide nicely into the little display! (There's a disk that gives some pictures, etc...)
It's relatively lightweight-many students can lift and use this device.
Added bonus: objects can be placed on top of the Partner/Plus which has a velcro strip, so students can see what they are communicating about--the real live object. You can velcro anything (within reason!).
The best part is that the manufacturer states that "messages can be stored for up to a hundred years with no power." How's that for faith in your technology!
Telephone calls can be challenging for individuals with speech and language difficulties. There is a new device available that can make phone calls by individuals more independent and private.
The Speech Assistant is a small device that is easy to set up:
(1) Connect the Speech Assistant to your PC or speech generating device; and
(2) Connect the telephone or cell phone to the Speech Assistant. (setup illustration is included)
(3) Plug in the included headset.
And you are off and talking!!
More information is on the web:
http://www.the-speech-assistant.com/index.html
The Washington, DC university for people with hearing impairments is planning a universally designed architectural vision called "deaf space" that focuses on the visual and tactile experience of being in a community.
" 'It's a way of designing buildings that support and express deaf cognitive and social sensibilities,' Bauman [the architect of the project] said. "It means lots of spaces that encourage people to come together as a community and be free of barriers to visual communication." The university has tested the aesthetic on campus with the construction of a $32 million language and communication center, which features a glass elevator and rooms spacious enough to allow students to sit in large circles and converse. The aesthetic also could mean avoiding wall patterns that are distracting or colors that blend too easily with skin tones and make reading sign language more difficult. For the Sixth Street project, it will probably mean a preference for ramped walkways, as opposed to stairs, which can be difficult to navigate while conversing in sign language. 'You have to stop and look at the steps, and it interrupts the conversation,' Bauman said."
Click on http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/03/AR2008100303708.html to read more about their fascinating plans!
Click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z30mZ8lJuRY to see a six-year-old with autism communicate at dinner using the Tango. What a cute kid!
For more about the Tango AAC device and autism, go to www.blink-twice.com/aac/autism.html.
Pacing Boards are a low-tech tool used to facilitate language development. You can watch a short movie on Pacing Boards and listen to a podcast here: http://attipscast.wordpress.com/2008/02/17/attipscast-episode-5-udl-and-lre-for-a-healthy-diat. Also try http://www.bcps.org/offices/assistech/notebooks.html for some how-to ideas!
At the start of this school year, I would like to highltight some of my favorite sources for free activities for students with significant intellectual disabilities. I believe that teaching this population requires a teacher to be creative and invest time in creation of appropriate learning tools. In this day and age of the internet and the availability of posting items on school websites and personal blogs, making use of shared resources not only saves time but allows teachers to provide more variety in their lessons. So here goes some of the tops on my list to get you ready (in no particular order).
Special Education Technology-British Columbia has a collection of accessible books in a variety of formats useful for all ages.
Carbon Lehigh Schools has a wonderful collection of cause effect switch accessible activities and sample papers from the Star Reporter program.
Priory Woods School in the UK offers hundreds of online switch accessible cause effect activities.
New York City Department of Education Special Education District 75 offers an adapted book collection of various formats.
Baltimore City Public Schools Assistive Technology site has over 700 adapted books available for download.
Bry-Back Manor has a collection of picture recipes.
Tar Heel Reader has a collection of adapted books for all ages.
ISAAC's organization’s mission is to inform everyone in the world about AAC. As we know there are many children and adults who are using AAC, but many who are not. ISAAC works with AAC users and those with speech difficulties to research ways to find new and improved AAC, as well as to make AAC recognized , valued and used everywhere in the world. They have a list of accomplishments on their website. Check it out!
13th Biennial International Conference of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Designed for speech and language pathlogists, families, individuals who use AAC and/or who have speech challenges, teachers, occupational therapist and anyone else who who like to learn more about communication.
The conference will take place in Montréal, Québec, Canada, from August 2-7, 2008. In 2010 the conference will be held in Barcelona, Spain.
Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display (PODD) Training
What a great opportunity to learn from two of the leading AAC experts in the world! Gayle Porter, from Melborne, Australia, has over 25 years of experience working with people with complex communication needs. She has developed and published resources on the PODD communication books and pages sets for speech generating devices. Linda Burkhart, from Maryland, a former teacher and AT/AAC expert, has worked with many children and adults with significant disabilities and has developed adapted materials and innovative strategies for working with them. If you have a chance, and some money, go see these two in action!
Chicago, Il - July 21, 22, and 23, 2008
Sponsored by Easter Seals DuPage and the Fox Valley Region
Trying to stay abreast of the latest on social networking? Wondering what this entails and why it is important? Visit a wiki that was created and recently shared at the Virginia 2008 Transition Forum on "Social Networking Tools and Techniques: What Every Transition Practitioner Needs to Know". VCU TTAC Technology Coordinator Fran Smith chose this medium to share her handouts and resources while modeling the technology and sharing multiple web-based examples.
http://socialweb20.pbwiki.com
Many of you VAAP folks are working with students on recognizing signs; this site seems like a nice place from which to pull images. (Added bonus- we learn more about India--some of their signs are very different from ours..!) Click on http://www.hscripts.com/freeimages/icons/traffic/regulatory-signs/index.php
In a follow up to the blog posting on Friday....Hear Sara sing the National Anthem before a Pittsburg Pirates game using her Dynavox communication device.
Click on http://www.atia.org/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageID=3396 for a great story from the Assistive Technology Industry Association about a college student who uses the DynaVox AAC device as well as a few other pieces of AT to fulfill her goals of being a composer and performer.
For those of you who work with students who benefit from visual supports for understanding and communication, display surfaces are a constant struggle during instruction. Will the Velcro stick? Is the surface to large or small? Can the students’ access the pictures if necessary? Is it portable? Have you ever tried a tri-fold board? If you make it as described by Caroline Musselwhite, you could have actually six areas to display visual supports---which allows instruction to move more smoothly. I will send the link to the PDF from the March 2003 Tips
http://www.aacintervention.com/tipthre.html#May%202003---get out your sewing machine and start stichin’! If anyone has other ways to make one, post directions!
If you missed the Summer issue of Remedial and Special Education, you may want to go back and glance at one of the articles...here's the abstract:
"Many individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) have difficulty recognizing emotions in themselves and others. The present pilot study explored the use of assistive technology to teach emotion recognition (ER) to eight children with ASC. Participants were between the ages of 8 and 11 years and had a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome (AS). ER testing was conducted using a computer at pre- and postintervention. The intervention consisted of 10 weeks of using the computer software Mind Reading: The Interactive Guide to Emotions™ in either home or school settings. The results indicated that after intervention, participants improved on face and voice ER for basic and complex emotions that were in the software, as well as for complex voice ER for emotions not included in Mind Reading. The implications of these findings are discussed."
LaCava, P., Golan, O., Baron-Cohen, S., & Myles, B. S. (2007). Using assistive technology to teach emotion recognition to students with Asperger Syndrome. Remedial and Special Education, 28, 174-181.
When we are working with children who use augmentative communication systems, many of us struggle with what to put on the device. If you only had 8 things to access at a time, what would be most critical? Test it for yourself. Use only 8 words or short phrases to communicate with others throughout the day. Is it possible? Did you have to sit and listen a lot or use gestures to get more specific information across? I bet it was frustrating! Caroline Musselwhite’s Tip for November 2007 on her site http://www.aacintervention.com has a book to down load comes from Jane Odom, PRC consultant in Phoenix, and an amazing group of people who use AAC devices, who worked to share tips to younger AAC users. When talking about what would have been useful for them to learn during their many years of therapy, this book offers a range of sample messages, often in form of a social script, for a variety of community situations. These messages were created by AAC users themselves, which is much more beneficial than teacher created scripts.
HELP to support AAC communities affected by the hurricanes in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Work with USSAAC members, as well as professionals and families from affected areas before, during and after the conference.
When: February 21-23, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Look here for more information and the many ways you can help.
The first annual International AAC Awareness Month is sponsored by ISAAC and USSAAC to raise awareness and support for individuals who use AAC. How many times have you tried to explain to others that your child/student uses AAC for communication and without it (if it’s broken or not maintained) he/she doesn’t have a “voice”? There are lesson plans and activities for students that involve experiencing communicating without using their voice, listening to AAC users as they lead some of these discussions and finally visually expressing their thoughts about these experiences using artwork or writing that can be shared across the world!
Imagine the impact not only in schools, but the potential to change the world!
I am attaching the lessons and information.
If you would like more information about the event, contact Tom Reed, at treed@tjreed.com
The latest WATI Monitor reports: "Sign Smith Studio adds an animated character to sign text you type. You may get your animated character to sign directions, ask questions, or have them lead your child on a tour signing the whole way. People who are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) can create a script to change the characters facial expressions, mouthing, and eye gaze. Studio creates web page HTML, script or video output."
Click on http://www.vcom3d.com/Studio6b.pdf or visit http://www.vcom3d.com/index.php?id=signsmith for more information.