Script for at for Age-Appropriate Materials Training
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Script for AT for Age-Appropriate Materials Training
Slide 1 - Welcome to our training on age-appropriate materials for secondary students with significant disabilities. My name is Nora Jehn. I am the Training Coordinator at the Idaho Assistive Technology Project which is part of the University of Idaho’s Center on Disabilities and Human Development. This training grew out of a need to find more appropriate materials for my 16-year- old daughter, Hannah, who has cerebral palsy and autism. In my work in assistive technology (which I will refer to as AT also), I can see that assistive technology and educational technology are overlapping more and more with producers of AT helping to create educational materials in accessible formats and that are also age-appropriate.
Slide 2 – Before we get started, I want to give you a little information on the Idaho Assistive Technology Project (or IATP). We are here to serve you with regard to your assistive technology needs. We can help you with information and referral, provide no-cost AT assessments and trainings to schools, assist in getting personal computers for students with disabilities, can help locate used equipment, help consumers purchase AT with low-interest loans, and help professionals who would like to pursue Assistive Technology Professional credentials. For more information please check out our website at www.idahoat.org or contact us at 1-800-432-8324.
Slide 3 – Finding accessible age-appropriate educational and leisure materials for students with significant disabilities is a challenge. In many cases, students with significant disabilities resist new materials and cling to their old preschool or elementary favorites since those things match their language and cognitive ability.
Slide 4 – McClure and Rush identified some barriers to inclusion for students with significant disabilities such as the limited ability to understand and participate typically in age-appropriate activities; personal preference for toys, activities, and materials that are not age appropriate; socially inappropriate behaviors like tantrums; little in common with same-age peers; and low expectations.
Slide 5 – Students with significant disabilities need accessible appropriate ability level educational materials to access the curriculum. Also, by helping students with significant disabilities be more age appropriate, we can help improve the perceptions of others and help facilitate more normal relationships!!!
Slide 6 – So where do we begin? First, we can look around our homes and classrooms to replace the most inappropriate items. It might be best to have someone else look around. At our house, we have two older children who were quick to point out things that were babyish and ways that we were promoting those things.
Slide 7 – Also, look at your student or child’s peers. What are they wearing? What are the items and materials they use?
Slide 8 – It is easy to make simple substitutions first.
Slide 9 - Is your student or child using a sippy cup? Exchange it for a Klean Kanteen with a sip top. Slide 10 – Exchange a bib for a kerchief or a cotton scarf.
Slide 11 - Is your child’s night light still the one he or she had as a baby? Try a lava lamp.
Slide 12 – For those girls who still need something soft and cuddly to hold, how about a soft clutch bag? Many times it is the texture not necessarily the toy that the teen is attached to. The stuffed animal may even fit inside the clutch!
Slide 13 – Do you have preschool coloring books at home or school? There are many adult coloring books available from Amazon or other book sellers.
Slide 14 – Can we substitute a beloved children’s musical for another musical more suited to teens and adults?
Slide 15 - These may be hard substitutions to make if a child has watched these beloved videos possibly hundreds of times by the time they are teens. Try “accidently” putting the new video in and count to 10. Extend the time each time the video is played before putting the beloved video on. Some students reject many new things, but by slowly shaping their exposure to the new video or material they will have a chance to tolerate and eventually enjoy the new item. Try pairing the new video with a favorite food or drink in order to extend the time.
Slide 16 – Mother Goose rhymes and rhyming picture books are a favorite with young children and students with significant disabilities. Can we begin introducing rhymes which are more age- appropriate like the many poems of Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky?
Slide 17 – Do our students listen to music in the school environment? Our daughter uses music at times when the environment becomes too stressful and she needs a break. We replaced the school’s boxy cassette recorder with one of Hannah’s iPods. How cool is that? Other students are instantly attracted.
Slide 18 – Our daughter, as many other teens with significant disabilities, still loves preschool songs. With the iPod, we can sandwich preschool songs with the Top 40 pop songs and give Hannah exposure to the music of her peers. We also worked systematically, through snippets of exposure, to get Hannah to tolerate the local pop radio station. She used to yell “off, off,” every time my other children had the radio on, but by slowly asking her to tolerate a little of the radio station before putting on one of her favorite CDs, Hannah now asks for the radio station. She can also request songs that she hears on the radio for her iPod (although she rarely calls them by their correct title). We also watch her body language; when she hears a song she enjoys she rocks and smiles and gets very animated.
Slide 19 – Do you have toy musical instruments in your home or school? Try replacing with an adult keyboard, ukulele, guitar, or percussion instrument.
Slide 20 – Sometimes it is the language we use….
Slide 21 – Girls ‘play with dolls’ but women ‘collect dolls’. Slide 22 – Boys ‘play with trains’ but men are ‘train enthusiasts’.
Slide 23 – Let’s look at some materials/assistive technology for literacy for students with significant disabilities.
Slide 24 – Many students are instantly engaged if we can relate the curriculum and learning to the student’s life/family/community. Pictures paired with words or videos embedded into personalized accessible PowerPoint stories are very motivating to students. PowerPoint is available on most classroom computers.
Slide 25 – The Talking Photo Album from Attainment Company has 24 pages and allows 10 seconds of audio recording for each page. Add the written words and make a full literary experience.
Slide 26 – It may be very motivating for students to take their own photos of events, places and people. Switch activated digital cameras and camera wheelchair mounts give students without the ability to hold a camera in a traditional way a chance to express themselves with photos.
Slide 27 – Personalized stories can be made with PowerPoint or My Own Bookshelf software from Soft Touch. Books can be switch accessible. Audio and/or videos can be added to pages. With My Own Bookshelf, electronic books are stored on a virtual bookshelf for students to choose from.
Slide 28 – In her book, Success Stories: Using Video Stories to Connect, Communicate and Create True Success with Your Students, author Jessica Roberts gives us easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions for embedding videos in PowerPoint stories. Video modeling is a proven research-based approach for acquiring new skills, behavior, and language.
Slide 29 – At all the national assistive technology conferences over the last year, educators and AT enthusiasts have been raving about the Flip video camera. Affordable, very easy to operate, and extremely easy to transfer digital videos to a computer via the flip-up USB arm, the Flip camera makes videotaping students, creating motivating material, and collecting visual data a snap.
Slide 30 – MeVille to WeVille is a beginning literacy and communication curriculum developed by Karen Erickson at the Center for Literacy & Disabilities at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. This curriculum is a research-based literacy program that meaningfully and systematically integrates reading, writing, speaking, and augmentative communicating and listening for students with disabilities in the moderate to severe range.
Slide 31 – Let’s look at resources for age-appropriate high- interest low-level reading material.
Slide 32 – For a low subscription rate, the online Accessible Book Collection includes high interest low level books. There are also many switch accessible picture books utilizing Classroom Suite or Clicker software. Many high quality Caldecott award winning picture books are appropriate for teens and adults. Slide 33 – Start-to-Finish Literary Starters by Don Johnston, Inc. are themed books which come in sets of three. The Literary Starter books have an ability grade level of PK-1 and an interest grade level of 3-12. The Enrichment text is meant to be read to the student in an interactive way. This develops a love for reading while introducing new topics and concepts and increasing vocabulary. The Transitional Text expands students’ print processing skills and simple word-reading strategies and is meant to be read with the student. The Conventional Text is simply worded and meant to be read independently by the student after gaining concepts and vocabulary with the enrichment and transitional texts. Books can be purchased in paperback or as an accessible computer book on CD.
Slide 34 – Start-to-Finish books by Don Johnston, Inc. are narrative chapter books with an ability grade level 1.5-5.5 and interest grade level 5-12. The books have large, full-color photos and illustrations placed to support text. Books are available in paperback or computer books. Computer books have short video clips to support difficult concepts and audio support with sentence-by- sentence highlighting.
Slide 35 – The Switching On computerized book series by Don Johnston, Inc., provide switch access to books on history, habitats, Earth, and solar systems. These books have an ability grade level of PK-1 and interest grade level of 4-8.
Slide 36 – DK books have many non-fiction titles meant for children 4-8 years old, but their high quality photos and simplified text make many of these books appropriate for older students who need simplified text.
Slide 37 – Many Caldecott award winning picture books appeal to young and old.
Slide 38 - Tar Heel Reader is a website with free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics. The site has approximately 5,000 books made by many professionals anxious to share material with others. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces such as switches, alternative keyboards, touch screens, and dedicated AAC devices. CHECK THIS SITE OUT. IT IS UNBELIEVEABLE!
Slide 39 – Storyline Online is another free website with videos of high quality picture books being read by members of the Screen Actor’s Guild.
Slide 40 – Some students benefit from reading material with text paired with picture support. Personalized stories can be made with picture-text word processing software such as Writing with Symbols or Picture It. The Slater Software website as many free printable stories in picture-text format.
Slide 41 – Other supplemental curriculum materials in multiple reading levels are: News 2 You, a multi-level weekly online newspaper with symbol & speech support by subscription. Ben’s Guide to US Government for Kids is a free website with four reading levels. Star Child is an online Learning Center for Young Astronomers. The information comes in two reading levels and Level 1 has audio support. Windows to the Universe is yet another free website with three levels of reading material on space. Slide 42 – Let’s look at some assistive technology for writing.
Slide 43 – The Center for Literacy and Disability Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has developed a Writing with Alternative Pencils CD for a small fee which includes over 30 alternative pencils, including alphabet eye gaze frames, alphabet flip charts, Braille flip charts, custom alphabet Intellikeys overlays, and switch accessible onscreen alphabet keyboards.
Slide 44 – ClozePro software allows teachers to create switch accessible fill-in-the-blank writing activities for all levels. Just copy and paste text into ClozePro and then highlight words to remove.
Slide 45 – Try word processing software which allows students to write with pictures paired with words. Or give students whole words with picture support in writing grids to generate writing. Some examples of Picture supported word processing software are Clicker, by Cricksoft, Writing with Symbols 2000, by Mayer-Johnson, Pix Writer by Slater Software, and Classroom Suite by Intellitools.
Slide 46 - Karen Erickson, Director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill recommends using Co:Writer word prediction software as soon as students are able to identify the initial consonant for some words, at least some of the time. Those setting are included in the handout for this training.
Slide 47 – Let’s look now at some assistive technology for math.
Slide 48 - Some low tech assistive technology for math are counters, abacus, and number line. Just remember to keep them age appropriate for secondary students.
Slide 49 – Teaching to Standard: Math, from Attainment Company is a full-year curriculum covering Geometry, Algebra, Data Analysis, and Measurement for students age 12-21 with significant disabilities. The curriculum aligns to NCTM Standards and accommodates nonverbal students and has five levels of teacher support.
Slide 50 – Students may benefit from large key calculators, calculators with paper tape, or talking calculators. A talking calculator has a built-in speech synthesizer that reads aloud each number, symbol, or operation key a user presses; it also vocalizes the answer to the problem. Simple electronic check registers allow you to enter checks and deposits, and the program does the calculations. Balance your checkbook by checking off checks from your monthly bank statement, and the program does the rest.
Slide 51 - MathPad from Intellitools enables students to do arithmetic directly on the computer. The program is ideal for students who need help organizing or navigating through math problems or who have difficulty doing math with pencil or paper.
Slide 52 – The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a computer resource for students who cannot interact with objects or who need extra resources for making abstract math concepts more concrete. Webmath.com is a wonderful resource for anyone who needs help with math. Plug in the problem, Webmath shows the answer and a detailed explanation of how the answer was calculated. Slide 53 – Let’s look at some assistive technology and age-appropriate issues for communication.
Slide 54 – Make sure simple communication devices have age-appropriate symbols or pictures. For communication devices using recorded voice, use peers for the communication device voice.
Slide 55 – Use school ambassadors, members of student government, or athletes for the recorded voice of a communication device. Using students with high social status to do the recording creates a greater probability that those students (plus their friends) will seek out an opportunity to talk to the communication device user.
Slide 56 – Students need different greetings and good-byes for adults than their peers. Let the peers helping you with the recording tell you the words they use to greet or say good-bye to each other.
Slide 57 – There are some simple inexpensive communication accessories that may enhance relations with others or act as a conversation starter. The Go Talk Card from Attainment Company is a very inexpensive picture holder and plays a 10 second recorded message. Change the picture daily or weekly and others will want to learn more about the student’s life/family/vacations/friends.
Slide 58 - Express One is also a high quality single message talker with an extra large activation area. Just touch the picture or the play button to activate speech.
Slide 59 – Are you looking for age-appropriate computer software for teaching simple vocabulary? Teach Me to Talk by Soft Touch has an ability grade level of PK-1, but is appropriate for K-12. The program helps develops word, symbol and text recognition. It also uses rhyme, rhythm and repetition to help students learn language.
Slide 60 - Laureate Learning Systems Software also has many software programs for adolescents and adults learning basic language.
Slide 61 – Are your students stuck on preschool music favorites? Let’s look at some more age- appropriate options.
Slide 62 – The iPod Shuffle is a wonderful, cool, age-appropriate, inexpensive music listening device. The Shuffle holds over 200 songs. Old favorites can be sandwiched with music enjoyed by peers. Trade that cassette player now for some kind of mp3 player! Using favorite music lyrics in a text format makes highly motivating reading material!
Slide 63 – Interactive Classics offers downloadable interactive simple classical music software programs. Although rated for children ages 4-12, they are appropriate for older students as well. This is a fun interactive way to learn about classical music.
Slide 64 - Super Switch Ensemble and Switch Jam from Switch in Time Accessible Software are two switch accessible music programs. Use a switch to conduct a symphony orchestra, improvise a heavy-metal guitar solo, call a western square dance or belt out a smoky blues! Imagine a band of students using an Intellikeys® keyboard and a variety of switches to play folk songs, Christmas carols, jazz, reggae, rock, rap or even classical music!
Slide 65 – Let’s look some age-appropriate accessible art materials.
Slide 66 - Gradually replace preschool coloring books with adult coloring books.
Slide 67 – Do you have a student who would like to color, but does not have the motor skills to hold a coloring tool or paper? Coloring.com is a free website with age-appropriate electronic coloring sheets. Color then save, print, or email to friend or family.
Slide 68 – Have students experiment with art materials. Focus on color, texture, and materials than on the end result. As a parent, I would much rather have splashes of paint on paper or wonderfully odd shapes of glazed clay than on a piece of art that my daughter could not possibly have created.
Slide 69 – Students with significant disabilities need activities for fun and leisure, not just watching others do activities. Let’s look at some age-appropriate yet very simple leisure activities.
Slide 70 – Thera Puzzles has puzzles for adults with extra large extra thick pieces, in 4, 6, 12 and 24 piece puzzles.
Slide 71 – Super Switch Hitter from Switch in Time is suitable for all ages! There are five play modes from very simple single switch access to multiple switches, auto-scanning and two switch step-scanning. It is fully customizable: ball size, ball speed, optional auto-fielding and a special “hover ball” feature (for errorless batting).
Slide 72 – Cause and Effect Cinema from Judy Lynn Software is a simple cause & effect program that is age appropriate for older students. This program is made up of 90 film clips covering 10 categories. It has an ability grade level of PK-1, but is appropriate for K-12.
Slide 73 - Some students need powerful input to get their attention. Attention Teens and Attention Getter do just that. Each program features photos that morph to another photo and then again to a third photo magically. Paired with interesting sounds and music, the photo animations are so engaging and funny that students are motivated to activate the computer to see the next one.
Slide 74 – Marblesoft has a variety of age-appropriate single switch games.
Slide 75 – Let’s look at some technologies for helping secondary students with significant disabilities stay organized and be more independent.
Slide 76 – Every secondary student needs a schedule regardless of their abilities. Schedules help make sense of our day by providing structure and predictability. Schedules also help make the very abstract concept of time more concrete. Low tech schedules can be photo schedules, picture symbol schedules, pictures paired with text, or text only. The schedule should grow in sophistication if possible and remember to use age-appropriate materials symbols or pictures. Slide 77 – Ablelink Technologies have high tech software solutions for desktop or handheld computers for schedules, verbal prompts, visual prompts, visual and no read email, and much more.
Slide 78 - So How Do We Get From Raffi to Rhianna? How are we going to get these students to accept new materials? Some will have no trouble making the transitions, but others will resist.
Slide 79 – I would suggest not making substitutions cold turkey. Many of these favorite materials have been so for years and will not be easily replaced.
Slide 80 - By pairing preferred items, activities, or people with nonpreferred items, activities, or people, those nonpreferred items, activities, or people will eventually become reinforcing as well! This has been a very powerful tool for our daughter over the years to introduce new books, music, food, and activities.
Slide 81 – If we slowly shape the acceptance of new materials, keep exposure short, and gradually build time, we have a better chance of the student eventually embracing these new items.
Slide 82 – By alternating between preferred and nonpreferred tasks and materials, students will be more likely to accept them.
Slide 83 – Our family also uses delay tactics quite frequently. When introducing new books, music, video, etc., Hannah will tell us “no” or ask for her preferred video and we use a delay tactic to give her just a little exposure to the new item. We reduce her stress by assuring her that we are looking for it, will get it in a second, or have to do something and then will be getting it for her, trying never to make her wait too long, but increasing the time slightly each time. Hannah enjoys many age- appropriate items and activities because of these tactics of pairing, shaping, sandwiching, and delaying.
Slide 84 – The staff at the Idaho Assistive Technology Project are here to help with free school- based assistive technology assessments and trainings. Please also join us at our annual Tools for Life: Secondary Transition and Technology Fair on the first Monday and Tuesday of every March. Tools for Life is for high school students with disabilities and all those who support them. Tools for Life features national keynote speakers and breakout sessions on transition, assistive technology, self-advocacy, self-determination, employment, higher education, and community life. Thank you for your time viewing this training. For more information, please check our website at www.idahoat.org or call toll free 800-432-8324.