Integrated
Technology Services
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ITS
TechTalk - April 2002
Theme of the Month: Augmentative and Alternative Communication
(AAC) |
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The
TV Program "Becker" and the
LightWriter |
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by
Bill Reeder |
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Since
TechTalk is focusing on augmentative
and alternative communication (AAC)
this month, I hope that many of you
had an opportunity to see the March
18, 2002 episode of the TV show, Becker.
In this episode, Tom Poston plays a
man with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS),
who has lost his ability to speak.
Dr. Becker, played by Ted Danson, helps
acquire a communication device for
him called a LightWriter, to "give
him back his voice." Tom Poston's
character doesn't always use his device
to communicate in a positive manner,
but he is able to "speak" what
is on his mind, for better, or worse.
We have several FCPS students using
this particular device and hundreds
of other students with verbal communication
disabilities using a variety of other
communication devices as their "voice." This
AAC moment in prime time is also a
good time to point out that the need
for communication devices is not always
a result of a birth defect, but sometimes
is due to an accident or the onset
of a disease later in life. Imagine
what life would be like if you suddenly
lost the ability to speak. The power
of technology is never more evident
than when you see the impact that AAC
devices have in these circumstances
every day. |
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Assistive
Technology Certificates
Congratulations
to our newest recipient:
David
Mathis, LD Teacher, Washington
Mill ES
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On-line
Discussions on Assistive Technology
Closing
the Gap is offering a series of moderated
on-line discussions on their website.
Coming
in April:
AlphaSmart 3000: An Essential Part of the AT Toolkit from April
17 - 24
To
join these discussions go to: http://www.closingthegap.com/forums
Back
to Top
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Increase
Your Tech Vocabulary |
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by
Jim Phifer |
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In
each issue of TechTalk, you'll have your
chance to test your tech savvy. I'll
pose a multiple-choice question regarding
a term used in technology or on the Internet.
If you don't know the answer, I'll point
you to a website that does. |
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Here's
the answer to #6 (March's): |
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What
is "googling"?
Googling
is using the search engine Google
(http://www.google.com)
to look up a person's name in an
effort to find out more about them.
You can Google your neighbor, your
old college roommate, or someone
you've recently met to see what information
is available about them on the Internet.
Because Google has a ranking system,
there is an unsubstantiated belief
that the more Google returns a person
has, the more important they are. |
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If
you want to Google someone, just enter
their name (enclosed by quotation marks)
in the Google search box like this: "Jim
Phifer". No, I am not the driver
that took 11th place at last year's
Sprint 100, the VP for marketing at
MedSolutions, or the President of Coe
College. If you Google yourself, it
is called autoGoogling or egosurfing.
Try it!
An
interesting article titled, "Hey,
Quit Googling Me!" can be found
at:
http://www.onmagazine.com/on-mag/magazine/article/0,9985,178549,00.html |
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Now,
here's #7!
What
does "HTTP" stand for? |
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- Horizontal
Time Travel Phenomenon (a science
fiction topic)
- How
Technology Transforms People (a "new
world" theory of technological
growth)
- Hyper
Text Transfer Protocol (a set of
rules for exchanging files)
- Harry,
Terry, Tom, and Phyllis (4 early
Internet technologists)
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Don't
know the answer? Here's 3 places to look
it up, from a simple explanation (Yahooligans)
to a thorough one (What Is?) to one that
is difficult to understand (TechWeb): |
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Overview
of Augmentative and Alternative Communication
(AAC) |
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There
are many reasons why some people are
unable to communicate by speaking. People
with developmental disabilities, retardation,
autism, brain damage, sensory impairments,
or degenerative diseases may benefit
from using a device to supplement or
replace speech. |
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Effective
communication is essential for every
human being. Augmentative and alternative
communication (AAC) can provide the
means for an individual to communicate
in the home environment, at school,
or in a work setting. A variety of
high-tech and low-tech devices are
available on the market today which
accommodate a range of disabilities
and provide unique opportunities for
individuals with severe speech impairments
to interact with others and become
active participants in every endeavor
they wish to pursue. |
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The
Value of a Speech Output Device as
an Instructional Tool
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Using
a Speech Output Device vs. a Non-Speech
Output Device |
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- Provides
a verbal model
- Promotes
verbal imitation
- Clarifies
pragmatic intent for speaker and
listener
- Ensures
listener attention
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Using
a Speech Output Device to Support the
Instructional Activity |
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- Reinforces vocabulary
- Integrates visual, auditory, and
tactile modalities
- Stimulates communication within a
group
- Promotes language development
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Communication
Temptations |
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by
Ellie Stack |
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A communication temptation is a strategy that involves setting
up the environment or a situation in such a way that it "tempts" your
student to communicate with you using their communication
device, signs, symbols, or verbalizations. Here
are a few examples of communication temptations (taken from
a list created by Barry Prizant):
- Eat
a desired food item in front of
the child without offering any
to the child.
- Activate
a wind-up toy, let it deactivate,
and hand it to the child.
- Open
a jar of bubbles, blow bubbles,
then close the jar tightly. Hand
the closed jar to the child.
- Place
a desired food item or toy in a
clear container that the child
cannot open while the child is
watching. Put the container in
front of the child and wait.
- Engage
the child in an activity of interest
that necessitates the use of an
instrument for completion (e.g.
crayon for drawing, spoon for eating).
Have a third person come over and
take the instrument, go sit on
the distant side of the room, while
holding the instrument within the
child's sight and wait.
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ITS
Teacher Feature
AAC
in the Classroom
Karen
Katzberg
Lake
Braddock Secondary
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Karen
Katzberg, teacher in the high school
classroom for students with Moderate
and Severe Disabilities at Lake Braddock
Secondary, has six students in her room.
Two of the six use communication devices:
Robert uses a DynaMyte to assist with
his unintelligible speech and Deepu uses
a Tech Talk 8 to communicate because
he is nonverbal.
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Since
the start of the year, Karen has seen
vast improvements in both of these students
and in how they use their devices to
communicate. One main reason for this
improvement is the fact that she has
made communication a priority in her
classroom. As she says, "It's not
fair if you don't give these kids a voice." She
points out that you should not isolate
work on communication skills solely to
speech therapy class. Karen is teaching
her students to "think, make good
choices, and behave in a grown-up manner." Using
their devices to communicate is one way
for the students to demonstrate what
they are learning. Karen also provides
communication opportunities which encourage
signs, gestures, facial expressions,
tone of voice, picture symbols that are
available around the room, words from
the word wall, and making choices when
items are presented. Developing and using
a whole communication system, like in
Karen's classroom, is important because
students need to learn how to communicate
when their device is not working or not
available.
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When
asked if she had words of advice for
a teacher who is hesitant to start using
communication devices in the classroom,
Karen responded, "Jump in with both
feet. You have to tell yourself that
[the device] is their voice." Karen
strongly believes that her students should
have access to their communication devices
throughout the day. As she says, "You
don't want to take their voices away." Aside
from the traditional ways of using the
communication devices, she has also programmed
each device so that both students can
sing the morning song. On the DynaMyte,
this involved programming the computerized
speech to sing the morning song at the
same pitch and tempo as every other child.
This way, Robert can have his turn singing
and signing the song like every other
student. Deepu not only uses his Tech
Talk 8 to sing the song, he also uses
it to read books. Karen creates overlays
that follow the sequence of the story.
Each page of the book has a symbol "velcro'd" to
it. Deepu removes the symbol and matches
it to one on the Tech Talk 8. When he
presses the cell, it "reads" the
corresponding page of the story. This
strategy enables Deepu to be more independent
when he reads.
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Some
tips from Karen:
- When
introducing a new overlay, encourage
the student to explore the new
messages.
- On
overlays for the Tech Talk 8, place
a tab on the top of the overlay
so it can easily be removed.
- If
you need more than one overlay
for trips out of the classroom,
place them back to back on the
same sheet of paper so that only
one sheet of paper is required
for the trip.
- Regarding
the DynaMyte, attend two of the "Beginner" training
sessions. So much information is
delivered during the first session
that going a second time allows
you to digest everything.
- Emphasize
the importance of the students
using their devices to all of the
staff members who work with the
students.
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Featured
TOPS Teacher
AAC
in the Classroom
Colleen
O'Hara
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Being
a speech-language clinician in Fairfax
County for the past three years has provided
me with many opportunities. I have been
able to work with children with various
exceptionalities, and with teachers and
specialists who have different views
on how to best educate these children.
Not unlike many speech-language clinicians,
I service children ranging in age from
two to twelve in both the general education
and special education classrooms. Aldrin
has a preschool program, LD, NCE, and
PD (physical disabilities) program. Although
the push is now for all children to head
back to their base schools, Aldrin continues
to provide special programs that support
children with such needs. The school
also has a preschool program for children
as young as two years of age. I have
been lucky to work with teachers willing
to "think outside the box" and
try new things for their students. I
have also been privileged to learn from
extraordinary teachers at my school.
Last, but not least, I am in a school
where the administration, parents, and
PTA provide much support with their time
and money. They do their best to ensure
all children have the equipment and educational
support needed in order to learn and
participate in the school environment.
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Technology
in itself is not such a powerful tool.
In order for it to work, people must
help the user realize its potential and
must create environments where the child
will be successful. This works best when
teachers, assistants, specialists, parents
and peers are all involved in programming
and using the communication device and
other software. Not only will this improve
the quantity and quality of the child's
interactions, it will drastically decrease
the amount of time you spend setting
up and programming. Older classmates
are quite good at entering new vocabulary
and presentations, and it's beneficial
for all involved.
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When we set up devices at Aldrin, we try to program from the "lips" of
the child. We think of what peers say and program based on that
model. It is also important to keep in mind the child's language
skills and personality. One child I work with who uses a DynaMyte
was playing dress up the other day. Using her device, she told
all of her friends and teachers, "I'm a princess!" The
little girl got such a kick out it, and the interactions were priceless.
This girl is just learning that the DynaMyte can be her voice,
and it was clear that this was a moment when she definitely made
that connection. When possible, we include the AAC user in making
decisions about vocabulary and placement of words and phrases being
entered. That way the device is programmed using vocabulary and
categories meaningful to the user. Keep in mind that communication
devices should not be used as a schedule reminder or prompt for
a job that needs to be done. Communication systems are to be used
so the child can interact with other people.
One
really neat thing I've learned through
ITS and my teammates is that IntelliTools
products are amazing! You can program
an activity related to the curriculum
for general education students and
those who need minimal support. With
a few quick modifications everyone
in your class can access the activity
regardless of how much support they
need. IntelliKeys overlays are easy
to make and modify, and switches
can be added so children with limited
mobility can access the activity.
I
find that I am continually learning
about new devices and software to
facilitate the communication and
education of children with special
needs. I know it can be frustrating
figuring out how each one works.
Just keep in mind that the more you
use it, the easier it gets. Try new
software with your students. If it
doesn't work, you can always send
it back to ITS and try something
else. That is one of the benefits
of working for this county. |
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Featured
ITS Staff Member
Lisa Givens |
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Lisa
graduated from Western Carolina University
and taught in Jackson County, NC, for
one year where she worked with 6th-8th
grade students in an MR program. She
then married and moved to Fairfax County
in July of 1989. Since then, she has
worked at three elementary schools -
Fairfax Villa, Westmore, and Willow Springs.
She worked mostly with primary students
in the MR program, but was also involved
in piloting the Coordinated Services
Model at Willow Springs. This gave her
the opportunity to work with students
with many types of disabilities. Lisa
was a TOPS teacher for many years and
was the computer lead teacher for her
school. She has always enjoyed using
technology to support students with many
different learning needs. She joined
the ITS staff at the beginning of the
2000-2001 school year. Lisa has a daughter
in the third grade. In her "free
time" she enjoys shopping for antiques
and spending time with her family. |
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Back
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