Hi, My Name Is Kitty - As I Am Sure You All Know by Now

Hi, my name is Kitty - as I am sure you all know by now. Today, I am going to use our modern technology as I am a temporary A A C user for - hopefully - only today.

Why should people with severe disabilities learn how to operate a switch?

There are various studies done on this topic but I will only highlight the most important once for your context. Most of you are working with children with disabilities and it is important to understand the role of switch use in the developing child.

For a child who has poor cause and effect skills it is important to teach to this child an understanding that their actions has an effect and this effect control objects in the environment like for instance a toy.

When the child learns the impact of cause and effect, can use this skill to operate a two option device to indicate choices. The number of options for choice selection can then be increased and you are on your way developing a person who can communicate at least needs and wants. So the ability to learn how to use a switch, although it is in a playful situation, will also teach the child to interact more with people.

For a young child, play is his way of learning about the environment and his effect on the environment. However, when you are disabled and you do not have the motor abilities to interact with your environment appropriately, activities need to be adapted in order for the child to have meaningful play opportunities that will lead to learning. These activities can range from sensory-motor activities where there is a lot of sensory stimulation for instance sound and vision or it can be symbolic play activities creating opportunities for fantasy play using toys such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines or mixers. It could also include music activities where a tape recorder or CD player is adapted for the child to access when he wants to listen to his favourite songs.

The most important of all is the opportunity that switch use would facilitate the carry over of skills learnt in a non-threatening play situation, to other contexts like for instance the use of the joystick to operate a powered wheelchair, the mouse of the computer, or even the use of a communication device. These skills are necessary for independence, however, we as interventionists, need to see the value of early intervention using play activities on the later life of the child.

Independence is something that all parents will tell you is a priority in their lives and with the ability to understand the use of a switch to control another object, children can be taught to use environmental controls like blinds or the TV’s remote control.

I hope it I sketched a positive picture for you regarding how important it is for children with disabilities to learn how to operate a switch and the cause and effect relationship it has with objects in the environment. As I stated in the beginning, I have focused on the reasons for using switches when focusing on the child with disabilities, but is it only children who cannot talk that we need to have switch training as part of their individual intervention plans? No. Because of the cognitive load involved in switch use, children with cognitive impairments like Down’s Syndrome could also benefit from this intervention. Children with acquired disabilities like head injuries will also benefit. Neurological disorders like musculo-distrophy is another physical condition that would benefit from switch use. These children had a typical development and have already acquired a vast amount of skills that they will be able to use as the condition progressively deteriorates. For these children independence is fundamental and a switch operated device for environmental control or communication should then be provided. Just because a child cannot write due to his condition, does not mean that we cannot give him access to the academic stream of the school. A switch adapted to a computer is al it takes to provide access to participation in school activities.

However, all the diagnoses of children we include in switch training, can also be used for the adult population. Their needs might be a bit different due to the contexts the functioning in.

So, after all of this theoretical input, I need to explain to you what a switch is. It is something that can be pressed to activate a toy or any device that is turned on or off by opening or closing a circuit.

Do you still remember the comparison of electricity flow with the water running through a hose? A pump pushes the water through the hose, however, the battery is pushing electricity through the wires to the toy. If the circuit is broken, the electricity is blocked. The switch is the main man that can regulate the flow of electricity by opening or closing the circuit.

Today we are going to learn how to make a simple pressure switch. However, there a quite are a variety of switches available so that you can match a child’s skill with the type of switch selected. Sometimes you need try out different switches before you can be sure which switch is the best match for the child. Keep in mind that you want to keep the effort low, but the success and enjoyment high. This way you know the child will continue to use the switch even if you are not there to assist.

I want to show you a short video of a girl that I saw at a school to try out some of my new switches. The girl was never exposed to switches before so I was praying that she would be able to participate by using all of the switches. She is a spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy child and all four limbs are severely affected. You will notice that some of the switches work better than others and for assessment purposes, this is a good session as you can reflect on what are her strengths and weaknesses. Let us watch together and discuss afterwards what you have observed.

In the handout there are examples of different types of switches that you can refer to if memory fails tomorrow!

Now, I want to hand over to Simon who will teach you to make a simple pressure switch. We are all going to do it step by step again to make sure that everybody understands exactly what to do. Please do not hesitate to ask if you get stuck!

Simon over to you.