AAC module 6 - emmaleatherSENportfolio

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Supporting Communication through AAC
Module 6: Software
Introduction
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This module is number 6 in the package Supporting Communication through AAC published
by Scope. It provides information on software that will assist people with speech,
communication, and/or language difficulties with both their literacy and their communication.
These difficulties are inextricably linked, since improvement in one aspect leads to
improvement in the others. Other modules within this package
Children within the Foundation Stage (Module 7)
Lifelong Learning (Module 8)
Children and Adults with Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulties (Module 9)
The Nuts and Bolts of AAC (Module 3)
also identify software; these modules should supplement rather than replace each other.
This module also provides information on software which will assist in developing materials –
charts, books, etc – as well as on software for direct use by the pupils themselves.
Our aim is to raise awareness of the options available. Readers are also warned that new
software is constantly coming to the market. This module can only give a snapshot of
software available at the time of writing.
Multimedia computers offer access to dictionaries, maps, books, art galleries and museums
through CD-ROMs and the Internet via sound, animation, graphics (including digitised
photographs). These features are very motivating to children. What must be recognised,
however, is that the best use of IT is rarely made in the context of specific task oriented
programs but in the imaginative use of a wide range of programs designed for use in a range
of contexts. Drill and practice programs can be used successfully if they are well targeted and
used frugally, otherwise the motivating effect of the computer is quickly extinguished.
Most children with language and communication difficulties will make progress and gain from
using the computer through imaginative use of software – often using the software in ways
that the developer did not envisage. It sounds negative to say that there is little inherent value
in any of the software, but there are few if any programs from which the child will gain
significantly if the program is loaded and the child is just left in front of the computer.
Success with IT lies in the context of its use rather than in the software itself.
It would be very easy for a chapter like this to become just a list of software; to avoid this
software has been grouped into several sections:
1. Creating communicative contexts around the computer
– talking stories
2. Software for pre-School children
3. An access progression
4. Using symbols, signs and pictures
5. Initial letter to picture matching, sound blends and rhyming tasks
6. Specific concepts (opposites, verbs, prepositions etc)
7. Whole word approaches
8. Word prediction
9. Reading text
10. Wordtasks and wordgames
11. Personal organisers
12. Symbol based software to allow the user to communicate using symbols
13. Symbol based software for constructing charts, books etc.
14. Letter and word based software specifically designed to aid spoken communication
15. Internet sources and resources
16. Software referred to in the text
17. Suppliers
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Supporting Communication through AAC | Module 6 | Section 1
Section 1
Section 2
Creating communicative contexts around the computer
Software for pre-school children
The point that success with IT lies in the context of its use rather than in the software itself
has been emphasised in the introduction. Many programs and CD-ROMs can provide a
starting point to give a shared focus for looking, communication and language development.
This type of use is limited only by the context setter’s imagination, knowledge of computer
use and availability of materials. A user with access to the Internet can find some wonderful
materials – in amongst a great deal of dross! The My World program and its associated
scenarios provide a wide range of topics – if any of them are relevant to the interests of the
user.
The audiovisual features of the computer make it ideally suited for use with younger age
groups and there is much software in this category. Parents, or professionals encouraging
parents to invest in these resources, must realise that children quickly become familiar with
this software and the programs need to be changed regularly – this can involve considerable
expense. We are frequently asked if there is a library of such software, but there are none
that we know of – largely due to copyright problems. This software is not generally available
in high street shops and readers are directed to the Inclusive Technology, REM and SEMERC
catalogues as good sources for this software.
Many children love to play, indeed some would say get hooked on, computer games.
Collaborative play with computer games can provide, however, an opportunity for children to
apply interactive communication and language skills (vocabulary, word order, turn taking, task
sequencing etc) that they have been taught in other contexts.
The computer can also act to ‘up the fun’ of more traditional learning activity. For example, the
development of class and individual pupil books offers enormous scope and lots of
opportunities for shared communicative context around the computer.
Talking Stories
It has also been said that there are few programs which work in themselves to facilitate
language development. An exception to this may be talking stories presented on a multimedia
computer. A wide variety of these is available on CD-ROM (Broderbund Living Books being
excellent examples), the precise features of which vary from one to another. In general the
computer presents a picture with the story written under it in bold text. The story can be read
aloud by the computer, each word highlighted as it is spoken or the words can be spoken as
the child points to them with a pointing device – mouse, trackerball or touch screen. Many
have interesting graphics, features of which can be animated by selecting them with the
pointing device. While the child will nevertheless benefit from exploring the pictures and
reading, or having the story read to them, so much more is achieved if the program is used to
provide a shared focus with another child or an adult with the adult facilitating
language/communication opportunities as appropriate.
Software in this category can be divided into at least three stages:
■ Step 1 covers the basic action and reaction bond – cause and effect software.
■ Step 2 extends simple cause and effect in that
– several actions are required to complete an activity, such as building a picture or
– actions are required to be more accurate or specific.
■ Step 3 introduces the child to making choices and decisions via the computer.
Step 1 – basic cause and effect software
The simplest software involves the child making an action – a movement or sound – and
observing what happens. At this stage the action should result in the computer presenting
something bright and colourful that moves and is noisy! Ideally the screen should then go
blank so that the child is encouraged to repeat the action they made. This should help the
child to:
■ attend to the computer screen until the activity ceases
■ then repeat the action
■ observe what happens next.
In this way, the computer can be used to help the child understand the basic "two way" pattern
inherent in the communication process.
Using a touch screen is the easiest way for the child to make this mental "connection"
between:
■ the action they make: touching the screen and
■ the effect: the computer screen erupting into a frenzy of activity!
Some software, for example Speak Up! will react to the child making a sound (this requires a
microphone to be connected to the computer). If a touch screen or microphone is unavailable
then a mouse or trackerball can always be used. In some instances the software can be set to
accept the press of a space bar or switch. These devices are less satisfactory since the child
can be distracted by the "instrument" of the action (mouse, keyboard etc.) rather than relating
their action directly to the effect on the computer.
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A few examples of software that fit the step 1 description are :Toy Shop
SwitchIt Patterns (set to one press)
Ghost train on Touch Funfair (set to "touch anywhere" on the screen);
CatherineWheel on Touch Games 1 (set to "touch anywhere" on the screen);
Wake Up on Touch Games 2 (set to "touch anywhere" on the screen);
Magic Painting on Touch Games 2 (set to one colour)
First Steps
Touch Here!;
Blob on Blob 1
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Step 2 software
All the above programs, except the last three, can be used at stage 2, but here the child would
be required to be more accurate where it touched the screen – on the target – or be required to
make several actions to complete the task and get a response from the computer. Other
software suited to this stage is:
Build It!;
Kaleidoscope
Switch Suites
Buzz Off on Touch Games 2
Rockets, Annabel and Dasher the Dog, Honey Bee on Touch Games 1
Lucky Dip, Darts, Hoopla and Coconut Shy on Touch Funfair
Spikey on Blob 1
Abrakadabra
Any programs in the SwitchIT series or Switch On Series
Touch Balloons
Hey Presto!
Big Bang
Happy Duck
Step by Step
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Step 3 software
At this stage the child is required to make simple choices and decisions. For example, a picture
is drawn on one side of the screen and the child is required to indicate which of three options
on the other side of the screen is the same. In a further example, the child selects an option to
match a particular dimension of the picture (e.g. colour). Initially it is important to select simple
presentations, and choices should be between items that are visually very distinctive. As the
child progresses then more distractions can be present in the presentation to develop visual
search and visual discrimination abilities. Software suited to this stage includes:
The remaining programs on Blob1, Blob2
Sort and See and Brian’s Bus on Touch Games 2
Memory Doors and Hectic Highway on Touch Games 1
Choices
Face Paint
Reveal
Lets go to town
Jigsaw
ChooseIT maker
Teddy Games
Songs I Sing at PlaySchool
There are many other programs which could be included in this section. Much depends on the
child’s interests, what catches their attention and the primary focus of the sessions. The
suppliers’ catalogues listed in the resources contain many ideas and some offer a policy of
sale or return within 40 days.
Supporting Communication through AAC | Module 6 | Section 3 – 4
Section3
An access progression
For children with physical difficulties some professionals use what is known as an access
progression:- watching and experiencing; 1, 3 or 5 presses; popups; targeting; and scanning.
This is exemplified in SENswitcher which can be freely downloaded from
http://www.northerngrid.org/sen/Download.htm .
This approach, embedded in a wider range of access devices, is detailed in Module 9
“Children and Adults with PMLD.”
Section 4
Using symbols, signs and pictures
The use of signs, symbols and pictures, used singly or in combination, can support
understanding, communication, access to the curriculum, reading and writing skills. There
are a number of structured signing and symbol systems available and Module 3 "The Nuts
and Bolts of AAC" introduces and discusses these in detail.
Bliss, Compic, Makaton signs and symbols, PCS and Rebus can be handled by readily
available computer software. Two of the most flexible programs that can handle symbols and
are accessible by people of all ages are Clicker4 and Writing with Symbols 2000. Both these
programs are useful in a variety of contexts and more details on their use are given in Section
7 below. For more information on the full range of software that can handle symbols the
reader could also consult “Symbol Software” (CALL Centre 1998)
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Section 5
Section 6
Initial letter to picture matching, sound blends and
rhyming tasks
Specific concepts (opposites, verbs, prepositions etc)
Programs requiring the user to match initial letters to pictures appear in almost all software
catalogues, although Animated Alphabet appears to be an all time favourite. Individualised
versions of this activity can be made with Clicker4 and the task can be extended using this
program to select only those items in a grid of pictures (or symbols) which begin with the
target letter.
There are a very few programs available which have been devised to help the development of
specific concepts. A few which are available:
■ Opposites works on big/little, up/down, hot/cold, in/out and open/closed; Spider in the Kitchen
focuses on positional concepts – in/on/under, above/below/beside, infront of/ behind.
■ Podd assists the exploration and learning of verbs.
■ ChooseIT Maker has relevant options amongst its examples and more can be made.
Inclusive Writer and Clicker4 also provide opportunities for creating your own sound blend
activities. Inclusive Writer includes one such task among its example files: used in
conjunction with symbols – given the word caterpillar, how many words can you make. If they
are real words a symbol is attached, if they are not then there is no symbol.
If the sound option is included the words constructed – real and otherwise – are spoken.
Remember that the open content programs can be used to make relevant materials.
Extra resources can be purchased to be used with the Clicker4 program – Picture Dictionary,
Phonics, Nursery Rhymes (including listening, matching, rhyming and sequencing tasks) and
All My Words.
One of the example activities in ChooseIT Maker requires the user to select which of two
pictures matches the spoken letter.
While the program First Keys2 suggests literacy rather than language tasks, the use of sound
and graphics makes this a useful program in both categories. Oxford Reading Tree Rhyme
and Analogy Activities is another useful program that has stood the test of time.
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Wordbanks, accessible through the first letter of each word, are also always available. This
encourages attempts at "sounding out" and is further supported by a feature which allows the
words to be automatically re-ordered alphabetically when a new word is added.
Section 7
Whole word approaches
For many children language and literacy go hand in hand: work in one area supports the other.
Whole word approaches are literacy oriented. Programs offering banks of words, each of
which can be listened to before being selected for use when writing, are powerful tools to
develop language and literacy skills as well as building self confidence and self esteem so
often lacking in these pupils.
Four programs – Clicker4, Inclusive Writer, Writing with Symbols 2000, and Wordbar – are
widely used with success. At first sight these programs can be categorised as word
processors but they can do so much more and are quite difficult to describe to do justice to the
range of ways in which they can be used. The first three of the programs can be set to use
symbols only, symbols as well as words, or words only. These three programs are open
content programs which can be used in many other ways (for example initial letter matching
and sound blends, as described earlier). Wordbar can only be used with words (no symbols)
and has a presentation style more suited to secondary age pupils.
Clicker4
This program is typically presented as a grid of words at the bottom of the screen with a word
(and/or symbol) processor in the top half of the screen. This is illustrated below using a
Quickfire, level B, Weather Topic grid.
It is very quick and easy to add to the grids or make them from scratch, and classroom
assistants have become very adept at producing new grids on the spur of the moment to
meet new situations and teaching needs. Many grids on a range of topics can be downloaded
from an Internet website http://www.learninggrids.com/uk/
The program allows grids to be of any size, regular or irregular, as well as backgrounds and
text to be in different colours.
The grid can contain words associated with particular topics relevant to various stages in
children’s learning: from animal names and sounds to castles, dinosaurs, the Tudors and
many, many others. The illustration above shows a grid dealing with the weather. Grids can
be linked; for example, an animal grid may be linked to others dealing with baby animals, the
names for groups of the same animal, animal sounds etc. A grid of present tense verbs can
be linked to matching sets of past and future tenses; a grid of sentence starters can be linked
to grids containing objects, actions, and sentence completions.
Hence it supports colour coding for different parts of speech. Auditory feed-back can be
provided in a number of ways. The user can :
listen to the contents of a cell in the grid without adding it to his writing,
have the cell contents spoken as they are added to the writing,
have a keyword appear in the cell but a full sentence or phrase added to the writing,
listen to the sentence under construction at any stage,
have a sentence read as soon as a full stop is added.
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The number of "props" available to the user can be increased or decreased depending on the
situation. These "props" together with the text being directly in front of the user seem to
encourage the user to start on a task, to correct work, and to achieve success.
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Quickfire Grids
These are a progressive series of four vocabulary files, using colour coded Picture
Communication Symbols (PCS) in Clicker grids. The top grid links to topic oriented pages of
vocabulary. The vocabularies gradually increase in grid size, number of symbols per grid,
number of screens, and potential for sentence building. At all levels "sentence starters" are
available – i.e. whole phrases represented by one symbol (e.g. I would like, I’m going to) to
reduce the number of selections needed for sentence building. Each level includes the
vocabulary introduced in previous levels.
One of the Inclusive Writer examples (referred to in the Initial Letter to Picture Matching,
Sound Blends and Rhyming Tasks section above) involves three windows. One window
contains the sounds "ch", "th" and "sh", another contains "is", "at", "urch", "ip", "op", "air", and
"ick", and the third is used to combine the two halves to form words. Another example
includes one window containing the word "Constantinople" presented as a series of letters
and a second window to attempt to form words from it. In both of these examples as the
letters are selected and sent to the "work" window, the program confirms (with a symbol or line
drawing) whether or not the word formed exists, thus supporting word comprehension.
Workbooks are available for each level and are intended to provide a structured approach to
introducing the vocabulary grids, and for recording responses. While designed for children
with expressive language difficulties, the structured approach and presentation style have led
to success in other contexts.
The spell checker also offers pictorial support, particularly useful for homophones (e.g. "pear"
or "pair"). The program allows the user to look at the word in the sentence, hear it, and look at
the pictorial image.
Writing with Symbols 2000 and Inclusive Writer
These two programs come from the same source – Widgit Software – and there is intentionally
a considerable overlap between the two. Writing with Symbols 2000 comes with 5000 Rebus
symbols and 3000 PCS symbols, and the support materials and examples are focused on
symbol use. Inclusive Writer comes with 7000 images, mostly from the PCS Symbol collection
but supplemented by Rebus symbols and line drawings. The support materials and examples
are more word and school oriented and include rhyming words, sequencing activities, story
starters and word banks. Multiple windows can be opened which "talk" to each other allowing
word and phrase banks to be created in one window for use in a task or in the other window.
All windows are visible simultaneously on a single screen. As can be seen in the screen
included below, the user has a completely free choice in their selections.
The graphical support for spell checking is obviously greater for Writing with Symbols than for
Inclusive Writer due the relative size of the graphical libraries. The content of the windows is
easy to create and save as a collection of windows or "environments" as the program calls
them. Words, phrases or syllables can be listened to before being selected. Constructed text
can be listened to at any time.
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Wordbar
Wordbar can be likened to a mini Clicker4 program without the option of symbols and with a
more mature presentation style. It is a tool bar which sits at the bottom of the screen and
attaches itself to whatever word processor is used. It contains a number of banks of grids.
Each grid can be of variable size and contain single words or phrases. It is quick and easy to
add words or phrases to an existing grid or to create a new grid. Grids can be sorted
automatically into alphabetical order. The screen below illustrates Wordbar being used to
provide a range of adjectives for describing individual features.
Section 8
Word prediction
Word prediction software runs alongside other word processors and attempts to predict the
word being typed based on recency, frequency and rules of English grammar. It does this by
offering a list of words which is updated each time a new letter is typed. As soon as the
required word is offered it can be selected and added to the text. This approach can help with
spelling since all words will be correctly spelt and it is easier to recognise the required word
than to recall the correct spelling of a word. Some predictors allow the user to listen to the
predicted words, which is particularly useful when required to distinguish between words that
are similar in appearance.
Since it takes time to scan the list of suggestions a helpful strategy is to teach the user to type
at least the first three letters of the word before looking at the predictions – at which stage the
required word will usually be offered in the prediction list. If they are using a full dictionary
and no words are offered, they have probably made a mistake and should reconsider the
letters that they have typed. Structured teaching around this approach has made this a
workable and useful strategy for some pupils.
For less able pupils a dictionary can be constructed using a smaller number of words so that
there is a high probability of their required word being predicted after just one letter. Such
dictionaries are often based on the 200 most frequently used words with other specific
vocabulary being added as required.
Clozepro
This program is based on a technique well loved by teachers called Cloze procedures. The
user has to fill in gaps in text which may be single or groups of letters, words or phrases. This
program also allows the use of symbols both in the main text and for words to be added in.
The words to be added in are displayed in boxes below the text making it very similar to
Clicker4. It is very quick and easy to make activities which may be then done on the computer
or printed out to be completed by other children in a class.
There are a number of these programs available and purchasers should ensure that the
prediction algorithm is based on grammar as well as recency and frequency rules. Two
programs that have been found to be particularly good are Co:Writer and Penfriend. Prophet
offers a word morphology option, particularly helpful for children with language difficulties:
having chosen the basic word e.g "make", the words "makes", "made" and "making" are also
offered. Another program to consider in this context is Read and Write. While the prediction
algorithm in Read and Write is not so effective, the program can read back text files or parts
thereof (see the section on Reading Text).
Co:Writer
This program is different from other prediction programs in that it opens its own window in the
bottom half of the of the word processor screen (as illustrated below) and the user constructs
their sentence in this window before sending it to the main word processor. This approach
allows a greater range of props to be used to support the writer, including colour of
background, size of text, speech, number of options presented and whether they are
presented below the line of text or in place within the text. This program also has two features
which make it particularly useful for poor spellers and help to justify its relatively high price. It
has a feature called "flexible spelling" and it allows topic dictionaries. The flexible spelling is
based on a corpus of spellings collected from people with poor spellings. The program
therefore not only uses the recency, frequency and rules of English grammar characteristics
to make its predictions, but also compares the spellings to its list of spellings used by other
poor spellers and will therefore, for example, predict "work" based on the letters "wk" and
"cinema" when begun "sin".
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The ability to combine more than one dictionary allows the user to have topic dictionaries for
each subject – e.g history, geography, religious studies. It is then possible to keep the core
dictionary relatively small, adding the appropriate topic dictionary for each piece of work, and
thereby having a high probability of producing the required word with three or less letters.
Supporting Communication through AAC | Module 6 | Section 9 – 10
Section 9
Reading text
While some of the options already discussed will assist with writing there are also programs
which can read text to the user. Hence chapters from books etc required for homework can
be scanned into a computer and the resultant text files can be read to the pupil – or pages
from the Internet can be similarly read. A number of programs are available to do this but the
most easily available and widely used in a schools context is Read and Write.
Penfriend
This program opens a small window on the word processing page to contain the predictions.
Within this window the colour of the background can be changed as well as the colour, size
and font of the text. The number of options can be increased by using a larger window. This
program can also be used with Clicker4 as illustrated below.
Read and Write
This program places an extra tool bar on the page which can be used to control the props
offered to the user. A feature which is very popular with younger users (and many older
ones!) is an animated wizard character that speaks the messages and text –if this option is
selected. The program offers word prediction, thesaurus, and screen reading as well as
options to: spell check as you type, speak each word as it is typed, change text and
background colours, capture homophones and speak the meaning. This program probably
offers the most features to support writers within a single program, but each of its individual
features is not as good as that in programs which only do that particular task. For example
Penfriend is quicker to offer predictions and is more likely to offer the required word than Read
and Write.
Another program which can read text from any program as well as screen buttons etc is
SpeakOUT.
Section 10
Wordtasks and wordgames
The best known program in this category is Wordshark. It provides twenty-six different games
to emphasise word recognition and spelling. Other programs in this category, such as
Clozepro, offer cloze procedures so that the pupil needs to draw on their knowledge of
language as well as of the world to predict what letters/words are required to complete a
piece of text. Once again this is a task that works well as a group activity, or in pairs or with an
adult to encourage discussion and to develop topics that arise. Additional pictorial/auditory
supports can sometimes be included. Clozepro can also be a useful program to allow
children who are slow writers to demonstrate how much of a lesson they have understood
and can remember.
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Section 11
Section 12
Personal organisers
Symbol based software to allow the user to communicate
using symbols
For pupils with pragmatic disorders, organising themselves is a difficulty. Computers running
recent versions of Windows come with a program called Microsoft Outlook. The calendar
option can be used as a diary but also gives alarms at appropriate times if set. These pages
can be printed giving a daily schedule. This program, or others with similar features, is found
on palmtop computers which are light and easy to carry around and therefore realistic to have
permanently available to the user.
The software most widely known in schools to enable children to do this is Clicker4, especially
in conjunction with the Quickfire Grids, and Writing with Symbols 2000. Both of these
programs have been described in detail in the Whole Word Approaches Section above.
There are, however, a number of programs which have been devised specifically for assisting
voice output communication rather than adapted from education settings. These are Dynavox
3100 and their new Series 4 Software, MindExpress, Personal Communicator, Speaking
Dynamically Pro, Talking Screen, The Grid, Viper.
The symbol systems that these programs work with and the vocabularies that are available for
them are detailed in sections 7 and 8 of Module 3, The Nuts and Bolts of AAC.
All of these programs are expensive and specialist and no-one should consider purchasing
them without advice from a specialist advice centre such as one of the regional
Communication Aids Centres, the ACE Centres or the CALL Centre. Brief details of each
program are given below for general background information.
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The Grid: Sensory Software International Ltd.
Provides communication with text or symbols, and complete access to a Windows computer
system.
Picture Communication Symbol, Rebus symbols and Blissymbols are available for purchase
and use with it.
Uses switches, pointing devices or a keyboard.
Works with a wide range of speech synthesizers.
Auditory scanning is available.
Offers the facility for word endings.
Uses a hierarchical system for symbol communication.
Clip art or scanned-in images can be used.
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MindExpress: Techcess Ltd
Provides communication with text or symbols, and complete access to a Windows computer
system.
Blissymbols are supplied with the program and Picture Communication Symbol, Rebus
symbols are available for purchase and use with it.
Can be accessed by a number of input devices.
Up to 3 levels are available per screen.
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Speaking Dynamically Pro: Don Johnson Special Needs
Picture Communication Symbols are used.
This program uses an index page leading to other pages in a hierarchically organised system.
Pages containing different numbers of symbols can be created.
Different sized areas can be used on a single page.
Keyboard, mouse, trackerball and single switch access are available.
Symbol magnification, auditory scanning and "dynamic fishing" are available.
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Supporting Communication through AAC | Module 6 | Secton 12
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Talking Screen For Windows /Symbols for Windows – Personal Communicator: Cambridge
Adaptive Communication
A hierarchical structure with an index page system linking to other pages.
Picture Communication Symbol, Rebus symbols and Blissymbols are available.
Can be accessed by a number of inputs.
Symbols can be created and edited.
Auditory scanning is an additional option.
Symbols for Windows has additional pieces of software that can be purchased separately e.g.
Paper Chart Maker, Document Maker.
Section 13
Symbol based software for constructing charts, books etc.
Once again this can be done in Writing with Symbols 2000 and Clicker4 – two of the programs
already highlighted as being very flexible (and described in the whole words section) – but
another program that is widely used is Boardmaker.
Boardmaker is extremely easy to use. PCS come with the program, but it is possible to import
other symbol systems such as Rebus or Bliss into the program, if you already have another
piece of software containing Rebus or Bliss (or anything else you want to use).
Viper: Liberator Ltd
Uses an index page leading to other pages in a hierarchically organised system.
VIP multi-meaning icons are used on the top page but subsequent pages are in PCS symbols
Can be accessed by a wide range of inputs.
Designed to provide a PC version of the Language Living and Learning vocabulary used on
dedicated communication aids such as the Pathfinder.
Grids can be created quickly and easily using standard arrangements of cells (e.g. clothes
page below) or irregular grids, also shown overleaf.
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Section 14
Letter and word based software specifically designed to
aid spoken communication
Once again all of these programs are expensive and specialist and no-one should consider
purchasing them without advice from a specialist advice centre such as one of the regional
Communication Aids Centres, the ACE Centres, CALL Centre. Brief details of each program
are given below for general background information.
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Eurovox Suite: TNI (Belgium); Techcess Ltd.
Provides communication with text accessed through word prediction.
Gives complete access to a Windows computer system and to environmental control including
appropriate telephones.
Uses switches, pointing devices or a keyboard
Wide range of on-screen layouts is provided; others can be individually designed.
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EZkeys: Cambridge Adaptive Communication (Possum).
Provides communication with text accessed through word prediction.
Quick access to pre-stored phrases
Uses switches, pointing devices or a keyboard
Wide range of on-screen layouts is provided; others can be individually designed.
The user can easily switch between communication and writing.
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The Grid: Sensory Software International Ltd.
■ Provides communication with text or symbols, and complete access to a Windows computer
system and environmental control.
■ Uses switches, pointing devices or a keyboard.
■ Quick access to pre-stored phrases.
■ It offers the facility for word endings.
■ Wide range of on-screen layouts is provided; others can be individually designed.
■ Auditory scanning is available.
■ Works with a wide range of speech synthesizers.
■ Clip art or scanned-in images can be used as well as Picture Communication Symbol, Rebus
symbols and Blissymbols if required.
Templates can be created and used repeatedly. The program is not inexpensive, but it is very
quick and easy to use.
Vocab+: Liberator Ltd.
■ Provides communication with text accessed through word prediction and banks of commonly
used word
■ Offers the facility for word endings.
■ Quick access to pre-stored phrases
■ Uses switches, pointing devices or a keyboard
■ Auditory scanning is available.
21
22
Section 15
Internet sources and resources
What you do need are access to the SYMBOL SYSTEM you intend to use or GOOD
DIGITISED PICTURES. Many people have not noticed the IMAGES tab on the Google front
page. If this is selected it provides quick access to a large range of superb pictures.
http://www.google.co.uk/
There are lots of resources available on the web, some better than others! This sections aims
to point you in the direction of some of the sources and resources we find useful.
One of the best sources of games that are easy to make – particularly since they come with
very clear instructions on how to make them as well as how to play them – is the Call Centre
web site, resources section
http://callcentre.education.ed.ac.uk
Many people are now looking for MP3 clips and/or video clips and these have their own tabs
on Altavista as well as one for images. This search engine also allows you to specify the
length of clips you are looking for so you don’t end up downloading a whole computer’s worth!
http://altavista.com
The pictures above are just a
selection of what is available.
Do use your ingenuity,
however, since the games were
all made with Boardmaker
(they do list others for Clicker4,
Powerpoint etc.)
23
24
Many people knew about the Clicker Grids for Learning website but since Cricksoft now
market Clozepro and Wordbar amongst other things they have changed the name of the
website to
There is a link from the Widgit site to Symbol World, but you can go to there directly. You will
find that everything there is in symbols – jokes, celebrity profiles, other people’s stories (or
your own if you send them in).
http://www.learninggrids.com/uk
http://www.symbolworld.org
and there is now a section specifically geared to Adult learners.
Users of Writing With Symbols 2000 should keep their eye on the Widgit website since they
have lots of resources and I would particularly draw your attention to the Chris Hopkins
resources. There are templates for lots of communication aid overlays but also dice, games,
tick sheets for noting items seen on a journey and much more.
http://www.widgit.com
An excellent source of new BIG books is the MAPE website. MAPE has now become part of
NAACE which is the professional association for those concerned with advancing education
through the appropriate use of information and communications technology (ICT).
http://www.mape.org.uk
25
26
Another good source of games and worksheets which can be freely downloaded provided it is
not for commercial gain is
The user needs to identify which shape would give rise to the 3D shape indicated.
http://www.geocities.com/SEN_resources
and a couple of the games are illustrated below.
If you want to know something connected to any aspect of teaching and are not frightened by
an enormous amount of information and a very busy screen then you may find the next site
very useful.
http://www.teacherxpress.com
Do check the download area on the Inclusive Technology Website
http://www.inclusive.co.uk
Finding resources to teach 3D aspects of shapes is challenging, but this is one of the
resources on
http://www.senteacher.org
This contains useful free resources and I particularly draw your attention to SENswitcher
which provides a progression of activities to develop switch use and timing – Experiential; 1, 3
or 5 presses; popups; targeting; and scanning.
27
28
A school website that is worth keeping an eye on is
Section 16
http://priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/
Software referred to in the text
They are regularly updating it so if you see something that would be helpful to you – do not
delay – download today!
Abrakadabra – Inclusive Technology Ltd
All My Words – Crick Software Ltd
Animated Alphabet – Sherston Software Ltd
Big Bang – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Blob 1 and 2 – Widgit Software Ltd. and Inclusive Technology Ltd
Boardmaker – Cambridge Adaptive Communication, Don Johnson Special Needs, and
SEMERC
Broderbund Living Books – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Build IT! – SEMERC
ChooseITmaker – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Clicker4 and associated resources – Crick Software Ltd and SEMERC
Choices – Widgit Software Ltd. and Inclusive Technology Ltd
ChooseIT maker – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Clozepro – Crick Software Ltd and Inclusive Technology Ltd
Co:Writer – Don Johnson Special Needs Ltd
Document Maker – Cambridge Adaptive Communication (Possum)
Dynavox 3100 – DynaVox Systems Ltd
Earobics – Don Johnson Special Needs Ltd
Eurovox Suite – Techcess Ltd
Ezkeys – Cambridge Adaptive Communication
Face Paint – SEMERC
First Keys to Literacy – Widgit Software Ltd. and Inclusive Technology Ltd
First Keys 2 – Widgit Software Ltd & Inclusive Technology Ltd
First Looks – Inclusive Technology Ltd
First Steps – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Hey Presto! – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Happy Duck – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Inclusive Writer – Inclusive Technology Ltd. and Widgit Software Ltd.
Jigsaw – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Kaleidoscope – Inclusive Technology Ltd and SEMERC
Lets Go To Town – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Making It Happen – Widgit Software Ltd
MindExpress – Techcess Ltd
My World – Inclusive Technology Ltd and SEMERC
Nursery Rhymes – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Opposites – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Oxford Reading Tree Rhyme and Analogy Activities – Sherston Software Ltd
Paper Chart Maker – Cambridge Adaptive Communication
Penfriend – Design Concept & Inclusive Technology Ltd
Personal Communicator – Cambridge Adaptive Communication
Phonics – Crick Software Ltd
Picture Dictionary – Crick Software Ltd
Podd – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Prophet – The ACE Centre, Oxford
Quickfire Grids – Crick Software Ltd
Read and Write – Iansyst Ltd & Inclusive Technology Ltd
Reveal – Inclusive Technology Ltd and SEMERC
Series 4 Software – DynaVox Systems Ltd
Songs I Sing At Play School – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Speaking Dynamically Pro – Cambridge Adaptive Communication, Don Johnston Special
Needs Ltd, Inclusive Technology Ltd
SpeakOUT – Inclusive Technology Ltd
29
30
Speak Up! – Sensory Software International & Inclusive Technology Ltd
Spider in the Kitchen – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Step by Step – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Switch On Series – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Switch Suites – Inclusive Technology Ltd
SwitchIT patterns – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Symbol Software – The CALL Centre
Talking Screen – Cambridge Adaptive Communication
Teddy Games -– Inclusive Technology Ltd
The Grid – Sensory Software International, Inclusive Technology Ltd
Touch Balloons – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Touch Funfair – SEMERC
Touch Games 1 & 2 – SEMERC
Touch Here! – Inclusive Technology Ltd and SEMERC
Toy Shop – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Viper – Liberator
Vocab+ – Liberator
Winspeak – Sensory Software Ltd & Cambridge Adaptive Communication
Wordbar – Crick Software Ltd
Wordshark – Inclusive Technology Ltd
Writing with Symbols 2000 – Widgit Software Ltd. and Inclusive Technology Ltd
Section 17
Suppliers
The ACE Centre, The Wooden Spoon Building, 92, Windmill Road, Headington, OX3 7DR.
Tel: 01865 763508
The CALL Centre, Paterson’s Land, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ.
Tel: 0131 651 6235/6
Cambridge Adaptive Communication, 8 Farmborough Close, Stocklake Park Industrial
Estate, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 1DQ . Tel: 01296-461002
Crick Software, Crick House, Boarden Close, Moulton Park, Northampton, NN3 6LF.
Tel: 01604 671691
Design Concept, 30 Oswald Road, Edinburgh, EH9 2HG. Tel: 0131 668 2000
Don Johnson Special Needs, 18 Clarendon Court, Calver Road, Winwick Quay, Warrington,
WA2 8QP Tel:01925 241642
DynaVox Systems Ltd. High Street Wollaston, West Midlands, DY8 4PS. Tel: 01384 446688
Iansyst Ltd. The White House, 72 Fen Road, Cambridge, CB4 1UN. Tel: 0500 141515
Inclusive Technology Ltd. Gatehead Business Centre, Delph, Oldham, OL3 5Bx.
Tel: 01457 819790
Liberator Ltd. Whitegates, Swinstead, Lincolnshire, NG33 4PA
Freephone: 0800-622457 Telephone: 0476-550391
REM Ltd. Great Western House, Langport, Somerset, TA10 9YU. Tel: 01458 254701
SEMERC, Granada Learning Ltd, Granada Television, Quay St, Manchester, M60 9EA.
Tel: 0161 827 2966
Sensory Software International, 26 Abbey Road, Malvern, Warwickshire, WR14 3HD.
Tel & Fax: 01684 578868
Sherston Software Ltd. Angel House, Sherston, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 0LH
Tel: 01666 843200
Techcess Ltd. Unit 12 Willow Park, Upton Lane, Stoke Golding, Nuneaton, Warwickshire,
CV13 6EU, Tel: 01455 213708
Widgit Software Ltd. 102 Radford Road, Leamington Spa, CV31 1LF. Tel: 01926 885303
Reference
Detheridge M and Detheridge T, (1997) Literacy through Symbols. London: David Fulton
Publishers (also available from Widgit Software Ltd.)
Symbols In Practice, NCET 1993, BECTA, Milburn Road, Science Park, Coventry, CV4 7JJ
31

AAC module 6 - emmaleatherSENportfolio

Transcription

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