Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Last Reflection
I am thankful for the opportunities to learn about and try out the variety of A.T. we covered in this class. It was exciting to learn about new things in a hands on kind of way (though frustrating at times). The video clips and video social stories were inspiring. The AT devices , low to high tech, seem endless. The level of creativity was amazing. I feel engerized to use some of these devices with my students. (I say some only because not all devices would apply for my students.) I have truly enjoyed the passion, knowledge and talents each member contributed to the class. With all of that being said the picture below best shows how I feel to be finished though. Enjoy the rest of your summer everyone!
Deaf or Hard of Hearing Impairment
Today our task was to find a you tube clip that pertained to a hairing impairment or deafness. I found several that I think are interesting. The first two are about children that were born deaf. The assitive technology device being featured are cochlear implants. A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. The cochlear implant is often referred to as a bionic ear.
The clips are showing the children on the day they are having their implants activated. I found it interesting how the two reacted differently. The 8 month old seemed very excited to hear his mom's voice for the first time. The older girl seems upset or scared by hearing her first sounds though she looks up by the end. I also shows the excitement of their parents too. Imagine witnessing your child hearing for the first time.
I found another neat device. An alarm clock for children. It states it is for all children not only for hard of hearing children; a good design feature!
While searching today I learned about some neat AT devices though did not find video clips featuring the devices. There are various speakers to improve hearing (i.e.x mini or imaingo 2).There is a device called icommunicator that " The iCommunicator translates in real-time:
• Speech to Text
• Speech/Text to Video Sign-Language
• Speech/Text to Computer Generated Voice"
The cochlear implant is an amazing device. I wonder if / when someone will create a similar device that will be able to output the thoughts of autistic children in speech, allowing their voice to be heard orally.
The clips are showing the children on the day they are having their implants activated. I found it interesting how the two reacted differently. The 8 month old seemed very excited to hear his mom's voice for the first time. The older girl seems upset or scared by hearing her first sounds though she looks up by the end. I also shows the excitement of their parents too. Imagine witnessing your child hearing for the first time.
I found another neat device. An alarm clock for children. It states it is for all children not only for hard of hearing children; a good design feature!
While searching today I learned about some neat AT devices though did not find video clips featuring the devices. There are various speakers to improve hearing (i.e.x mini or imaingo 2).There is a device called icommunicator that " The iCommunicator translates in real-time:
• Speech to Text
• Speech/Text to Video Sign-Language
• Speech/Text to Computer Generated Voice"
The cochlear implant is an amazing device. I wonder if / when someone will create a similar device that will be able to output the thoughts of autistic children in speech, allowing their voice to be heard orally.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Switches
The information from the CD, Boardmaker Plus activity and reading Carolyn's Blog got me thinking about the importance of a switch or switches for a person's life to become more independent. Questions from class:
What is a switch? " A switch is a mechanical device that closes an electrical circuit to turn object on and off."
Who uses switches and why? Anyone that is not able to complete the specific task independently could use a switch.
Criteria for selecting a successful switch.
- Position of the user to access switch
- Movement Pattern- Is there a voluntary part of the body that can move or not helps determine type pf switch
Control site - what part of the body (i.e arm, knee) or action (i.e breath, blink, motion or infrared rays) will make the switch work
Types of switches - Simple or speciality.
I wonder how many people in the world should have switches and either don't know about them or don't have access to them? How tells those that need them, they are available?
What is a switch? " A switch is a mechanical device that closes an electrical circuit to turn object on and off."
Who uses switches and why? Anyone that is not able to complete the specific task independently could use a switch.
Criteria for selecting a successful switch.
- Position of the user to access switch
- Movement Pattern- Is there a voluntary part of the body that can move or not helps determine type pf switch
Control site - what part of the body (i.e arm, knee) or action (i.e breath, blink, motion or infrared rays) will make the switch work
Types of switches - Simple or speciality.
I wonder how many people in the world should have switches and either don't know about them or don't have access to them? How tells those that need them, they are available?
Our Big Video for Your Viewing Pleasure
I know everyone in class has gotten to see this but on the off chance you would like to view it again, here it is! Enjoy. Have you ever seen a goofier grin (us being happy and proud).
Adapted Low Tech A.T. - Assign.3 Task B
The picture above is the "before" of our low tech Assistive technology and the "after" invented adapted picture is at the bottom.
Student (personality): Jay is an 11 year old boy. He has gross and fine motor difficulties. Gross motor skills have developed greatly in the last two years. He is very low cognitively. His speech is difficult to understand most times and he also has weak grammar and articulation skills. He enjoys participating in all physical education classes though some activities are a challenge. He is persistent in doing the activities and having his speech understood by his communication partners. The teacher needs to be mindful that Jay is fairly competitive and can become fixated on winning games or being part of the winning team.
Milieu: Jay will have opportunities built into his day to use the adapted low tech device individually so that he can practice and improve with the device. He can use the device with a classmate as part of a reward choice and also for socializing skills. He could also use the device in a phys.ed class where the same or similar item is being used by everyone.
Technology & Time: The low tech A.T. device is a press and catch ball toy. It can be adapted in a variety of ways to ensure Jay is successful with its use and it can possibly be used over a lengthy period of time depending on Jay's rate of development with it. The device is lightweight and portable. It is easy to use and easy to adapt. The device can have a larger funnel wrapped around the top to help keep the ball in and a larger target field for catching. Varying size, weight and color balls can be used to ensure Jay is successful using the device. Adaptation to the pressing level could be created with a strong rubber band that decreases the amount of force needed by Jay to activate the ball popping. A string or large rubber band that is cut could be attached to the ball and the catching device to improve the chance of successful attempts. The materials for all adaptations are cost effective. The device could potentially be the exact same item as classmates are using in physical edcation classes or outside on the playground.
Task: Jay's main task with this device is to be successful in catching the ball. The device could easily be written into Jay's IPP as a resource for several of the following goals: improve strength in the hand and fingers, develop hand / eye coordination and develop appropriate social skills such as turn taking, sharing and dealing with losing.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Boardmaker Plus
Well another day of learning! I had prepared for class by watching Barb's tutorial and knowing what was being expected in the assignment. I had some prior experience by using boardmaker. I still felt lost at times though. I have a new increased appreciation for my students when they feel something new is too much. I did manage to get the communication boards almost finished in class. When I came home I opened up the Boardmaker Plus Manual. It is long but well organized so I didn't have to read it all tonight. I tried out a few things for fun and learned a few cool features too! I strongly suggest using the manual. I guess it's true, if all else fails read the directions. Hopefully tomorrow's work on the book part of the assignment goes well. Wishing you all smooth sailing on your work!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Teamwork and the video process
Today was a great experience. I thought our team worked really well together; it's great to see the strengths that each member brings to the task. It is assignments like this that shows the value and importance of a team effort. There are bound to be bumps along the way but that helps make the experience and learning more memorable! We will definitely remember there is a right side up way to hold the view finder! This being said, by having to re do the videotaping, the second time around went much quicker. The preplanning of the script helped. The first run through allowed us to work out the planning, sequencing and shot glitches. The second run of videotaping went pretty smoothly. Yeh!
I was thinking after class that the shot templates were helpful in our planning. I think the Facter would be valuable in this process too. "The primary purpose of FACTER is to assess and teach students with developmental disabilities to be independent. FACTER addresses the ability to perform typical everyday "routines" while incorporating essential "related skills" for living. These routines can be task analyzed into a number of core steps for assessment and instructional purposes. Routines are important because they provide specific purpose and enable us to become more independent in our lives." as found at http://www.starautismprogram.com/facter
This task analysis could potentially be the shots in a video story, I think. It could also guide how the script might go. The combination of shot templates, facter and movie maker make for an effective video story; that's a good thing for our students.
I was thinking after class that the shot templates were helpful in our planning. I think the Facter would be valuable in this process too. "The primary purpose of FACTER is to assess and teach students with developmental disabilities to be independent. FACTER addresses the ability to perform typical everyday "routines" while incorporating essential "related skills" for living. These routines can be task analyzed into a number of core steps for assessment and instructional purposes. Routines are important because they provide specific purpose and enable us to become more independent in our lives." as found at http://www.starautismprogram.com/facter
This task analysis could potentially be the shots in a video story, I think. It could also guide how the script might go. The combination of shot templates, facter and movie maker make for an effective video story; that's a good thing for our students.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Low Tech A.T. Off the Shelf - Assignment #3 Task A
The student we are programming for is a nine year old girl with profound autism. Danni works on the Star program and has many tasks to accomplish each day. She also has a reward system. She has been using a visual task management strip with first/then set ...first task and then reward.
As we wandered through the Dollarama in New Minas we tried to be conscious of Danni and her IPP outcomes. We wanted to be sure to match our low tech device using the MPTT model and make sure that Danni’s needs would be addressed. We considered many items and found several that could be of benefit.
We bought a portable folding clothes hanger that can be used as a “next step” task manager. It is red and white with little clips. Danni likes these colours and enjoys using clips such as clothes pins. Task cards can be clipped to red and reward cards can be clipped to white. Given that she currently works with a very limited set of choices, our low tech device will allow for her to progress toward dealing with more choices.
The environment in which Danni’s has been working will be expanding so that she will be incorporated into the regular classroom as much as possible. She spends a large part of her day working through the tasks in her Star program. She has a good receptive language and some spontaneous vocabulary that she used to request preferred items and activities. She is very motivated by food items. As Danni works through her program she will be surrounded by her class mates and supported by her teacher and EA. All those in her environment will be taught about the use of the “Hanging Task Manager”.
Danni enjoys the company of her peers and we hope to have them interact with her more as one of her reward tasks. Currently peer interactions is at a parallel play stage. Having them familiar with her program will be helpful in the success of the program.
10 Other Off the Shelf Items that could be used as A.T.
1. Cig out - a little cube to butt out a cigarette - could be used as a pencil holder making it easier to grasp if standing up rather than laying down on the desk.
2. Squishy gel neck cushion - could also be used as a seat cushion for those that like to wiggle in their seat.
3. Plastic cocktail picks, coloured Popsicle sticks - easily attach to pages for creating adapted books
4. Themed felt or foam play board sets - used to build comprehension, vocabulary or various speech and language goals.
5. Blurp, stretchy worms, sticky tack, Glorb - as hand held fidgets
6. Lemon squeezer - use with play doh as relaxation tool or develop hand strength
7. Scribble writer - writing tool that allows squiggles and tactile feedback
8. Wind chimes, reflective wind socks, kaleidoscopes, or mirror balls as visual/relaxation sensory tools
9. Multipurpose storage kits of differing sizes or muffin tins to use for sorting, categorizing or matching activities
10. Silicone mats - use for gripping things or as a work stabilizer at work space
Extras
- Bug magnifier - role play collecting bugs or magnifier to hunt for words, letters, objects etc.
- Frog spray/water can - it could be used as part of a plant care vocational activity, the spray lever could be used to improve hand strength
- One handed tape – when two hands are not able to be used
- Clear plastic squeeze bottles for condiments with measurement on side – for paint and glue and to teach volume (how much is left)
- Bag clips, fasteners, turkey baster, and elasticized plastic bowel covers – fine motor strength and pincer grasp
- Multi - colour/decorative shoe laces – incentive for those who resist wearing shoes
- Modeling clay/beading kits – fine motor and rewards
- Blow out party favours, classical music and nature sounds CD’s - stress relievers
- Silicone egg ring - use as an upper body muscle/proprioceptive tool
- Etch a sketch drawing board or plastic light coloured plastic plates - used as writing (whiteboard) surfaces
Whew! The wheels were turning.
3 Apps - Assignment #2
I found this assignment interesting yet time consuming. I found some OK apps and found myself going back repeatedly to the app store to try and see if there were better apps. I will describe the 3 I selected for my student that were free and then a few others I thought applied to my student just so I won't forget them. I even found a couple for his dad.
My student: A boy going into grade 4 that is profoundly autistic. He is similar to Miranda that we saw today. His areas of strength are receptive language and visual perception. Though he is very good at recognizing pictures and details he does not recognize symbols, therefore he does not recognize the letters or numbers. He likes routines and learns the majority of steps quickly. He has a daily visual schedule with many built in breaks where he chooses an activity of choice and there are built in sensory activities. He needs activities that address his oral motor and proprioceptive sensory needs. He has many snack breaks with crunchy foods. He enjoys jazz or blues music, rocking, hammock swing, wagon rides and quiet time. He loves traveling in the car and is a great traveller. He does not consistently sleep through the night. Even nights he has not slept much, he will stay awake and alert while at school. He has been more successful with a variety of functional routines and social situations when using a static social story and / or task strip. He can be a runner and is very quick to grab things he wants. He is highly motivated to work for food. He has a strict wheat & casein free diet so we have to be very careful about the types of foods he can have in his day. The free apps I choose are:
Model Me Kids is an app that has several videos (video modeling) of the routines involved in visiting various places and the expected behaviors at those places. We want this student to become more capable of going places and behaving appropriately outside of the school setting; just as importantly we would like for him to go to these places with as much independence or as little assistance as possible. Also his dad would become more confident in taking him out places and feel his son can travel about in a public setting appropriately and in a safe manner. (Dad is visually impaired and it makes it that much more difficult to go out). School can support dad in working towards these life skill goals.
The irelax app would be great as a relaxation strategy. The app allows you to create your own relxation melody from a possible 16 different sounds. " It's perfect for relaxing, releasing daily stress or falling alseep" (itunes store).He could use it at school as one of his choices or we could build it into his schedule depending upon how his day is going. This expands his choices to allow him to stay calm and focused while at school to behave appropriately and complete more less desired tasks. Also he could use it at home, and especially at night when getting ready for bed. This could really help with getting to sleep or possibly help with getting back to sleep if he wakes in the night.
This app is to help learn the alphabet and names of fruit and veggies. The letters or fruit make noises, bounce and so on. It is very visually attractive. (This app does cost 0.99)He did learn the letters A,B, C when there was a visual attached to the letter. As we faded the visual or tried adding to the quantity, he became inconsistent or less successful. We could try using this app since it uses food of high interest to him and see if this app improved success. He is very good at matching so even he he did not learn the letters or words he could be successful by matching the letters. Presume competence. This may just be the tool that wakes up his brain to this skill. No harm in trying!
Some other apps I found I thought would be helpful or he'd like are (though not all free):
Proloquo2go
Visual Timer 0.99
Vibrating Massager 0.99
Pizza Time: Make More Pizza - Free
Blowfish Poppers - Free
A Mood Pad - Free (these are like the fluid only they create colors when you touch)
Sense Pad - Free
kinecticballs - free
Highlights Hidden pictures 1.99
Touchy Books
Pop Pegs Lite - free
Then there is also all the music he would love!
This i touch and the apps are really endless.
(I also thought his Dad would really benefit from the Dragon Dictation that's free and Magnifier, Powerful Reading Glass 1.99)
I hope someone else can find these apps helpful too!
My student: A boy going into grade 4 that is profoundly autistic. He is similar to Miranda that we saw today. His areas of strength are receptive language and visual perception. Though he is very good at recognizing pictures and details he does not recognize symbols, therefore he does not recognize the letters or numbers. He likes routines and learns the majority of steps quickly. He has a daily visual schedule with many built in breaks where he chooses an activity of choice and there are built in sensory activities. He needs activities that address his oral motor and proprioceptive sensory needs. He has many snack breaks with crunchy foods. He enjoys jazz or blues music, rocking, hammock swing, wagon rides and quiet time. He loves traveling in the car and is a great traveller. He does not consistently sleep through the night. Even nights he has not slept much, he will stay awake and alert while at school. He has been more successful with a variety of functional routines and social situations when using a static social story and / or task strip. He can be a runner and is very quick to grab things he wants. He is highly motivated to work for food. He has a strict wheat & casein free diet so we have to be very careful about the types of foods he can have in his day. The free apps I choose are:
Model Me Kids is an app that has several videos (video modeling) of the routines involved in visiting various places and the expected behaviors at those places. We want this student to become more capable of going places and behaving appropriately outside of the school setting; just as importantly we would like for him to go to these places with as much independence or as little assistance as possible. Also his dad would become more confident in taking him out places and feel his son can travel about in a public setting appropriately and in a safe manner. (Dad is visually impaired and it makes it that much more difficult to go out). School can support dad in working towards these life skill goals.
The irelax app would be great as a relaxation strategy. The app allows you to create your own relxation melody from a possible 16 different sounds. " It's perfect for relaxing, releasing daily stress or falling alseep" (itunes store).He could use it at school as one of his choices or we could build it into his schedule depending upon how his day is going. This expands his choices to allow him to stay calm and focused while at school to behave appropriately and complete more less desired tasks. Also he could use it at home, and especially at night when getting ready for bed. This could really help with getting to sleep or possibly help with getting back to sleep if he wakes in the night.
This app is to help learn the alphabet and names of fruit and veggies. The letters or fruit make noises, bounce and so on. It is very visually attractive. (This app does cost 0.99)He did learn the letters A,B, C when there was a visual attached to the letter. As we faded the visual or tried adding to the quantity, he became inconsistent or less successful. We could try using this app since it uses food of high interest to him and see if this app improved success. He is very good at matching so even he he did not learn the letters or words he could be successful by matching the letters. Presume competence. This may just be the tool that wakes up his brain to this skill. No harm in trying!
Some other apps I found I thought would be helpful or he'd like are (though not all free):
Proloquo2go
Visual Timer 0.99
Vibrating Massager 0.99
Pizza Time: Make More Pizza - Free
Blowfish Poppers - Free
A Mood Pad - Free (these are like the fluid only they create colors when you touch)
Sense Pad - Free
kinecticballs - free
Highlights Hidden pictures 1.99
Touchy Books
Pop Pegs Lite - free
Then there is also all the music he would love!
This i touch and the apps are really endless.
(I also thought his Dad would really benefit from the Dragon Dictation that's free and Magnifier, Powerful Reading Glass 1.99)
I hope someone else can find these apps helpful too!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Reflection - helping others, low tech, blogs
I have done some thinking about today's class and the blogs and have a few things to reflect upon.
1. It was reaffirming to see peers trying to help others in class today when there were glitches with getting logged on or trying to download apps. I love seeing students support each other, no matter how old the students are!
2. Today's outing was really fun! Just as Barb said, you start to see everyday items in new AT kinds of ways. This is an area where a team approach is beneficial. The more heads working together, the more possibilities for each item. (Though I don't think I convinced Lorraine that a mini clothes hanger with clips could be used as a visual schedule/ organizer.
3. I really enjoy looking at everyones blogs. It is interesting to me that with this many people doing blogs each one has its' unique features. Thanks Barb for helping with my question about attaching pdf into blogs. After looking at blogs I see how I might change something on mine. Thanks for the ideas everyone.
4. I am doing a course on disabilities in the afternoons too. It is interesting to me how some ideas are similar in each course.For example, in the chapter 8 (for this course)one of the design factors of a good AT device with the highest use are factors is"the same as or similar to devices used by the non disabled population". This design factor connects to the idea of allowing the student to "look more normal". We have been discussing how disbalility is socially constructed.See the connection?
Does anyone have an idea to efficently save the info from the blogs besides just cutting and pasting the parts I like best? Can we do that or do we need to get permission from the blog creators?
1. It was reaffirming to see peers trying to help others in class today when there were glitches with getting logged on or trying to download apps. I love seeing students support each other, no matter how old the students are!
2. Today's outing was really fun! Just as Barb said, you start to see everyday items in new AT kinds of ways. This is an area where a team approach is beneficial. The more heads working together, the more possibilities for each item. (Though I don't think I convinced Lorraine that a mini clothes hanger with clips could be used as a visual schedule/ organizer.
3. I really enjoy looking at everyones blogs. It is interesting to me that with this many people doing blogs each one has its' unique features. Thanks Barb for helping with my question about attaching pdf into blogs. After looking at blogs I see how I might change something on mine. Thanks for the ideas everyone.
4. I am doing a course on disabilities in the afternoons too. It is interesting to me how some ideas are similar in each course.For example, in the chapter 8 (for this course)one of the design factors of a good AT device with the highest use are factors is"the same as or similar to devices used by the non disabled population". This design factor connects to the idea of allowing the student to "look more normal". We have been discussing how disbalility is socially constructed.See the connection?
Does anyone have an idea to efficently save the info from the blogs besides just cutting and pasting the parts I like best? Can we do that or do we need to get permission from the blog creators?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Unbelievable! I touch
It's unbelievable to me that the technology we played around with today is available! I heard about the itouch but still didn't get the breadth of it. Even now I am just starting to get it, I can't wait until I have time to get into searching for apps! I'm sure it will be mind boggling.
I wanted to share a web site that I recently learned about. www.zacbrowser.com
It's a site for students to use. It has direct links to child friendly sites and it also has the right click of the mouse automatically locked. The site was created by parents for their autistic child. They felt the site is easier for students to manoeuvre in. Hope someone finds it useful for a child!
Good luck to all of you app searching.
I wanted to share a web site that I recently learned about. www.zacbrowser.com
It's a site for students to use. It has direct links to child friendly sites and it also has the right click of the mouse automatically locked. The site was created by parents for their autistic child. They felt the site is easier for students to manoeuvre in. Hope someone finds it useful for a child!
Good luck to all of you app searching.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Great day! Proloquo2Go
I don't know about you, but I thought the proloquo2go was really cool! It does take a bit of playing around with it but there is a bit of a pattern to programming it. I can see how you could get quick at it.
I have spent a bit of time tonight trying out more features of this blogger. It's pretty neat too though a little frustrating at times when I can't get it to space and size things the way I visually like it. I'm also a little indecisive so it's hard to make a decision, there are so many options about how to make it look good.
Does anyone know if you can cut & paste pdf into a gadget?
See you all in class!
I have spent a bit of time tonight trying out more features of this blogger. It's pretty neat too though a little frustrating at times when I can't get it to space and size things the way I visually like it. I'm also a little indecisive so it's hard to make a decision, there are so many options about how to make it look good.
Does anyone know if you can cut & paste pdf into a gadget?
See you all in class!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Staying postive
Hi all,
I am a little hesitant about using the Proloquo2go since I couldn't keep up with today's practice but I am optimistic and motivated to keep trying!
There seems to be a pattern to the steps and with more practice tomorrow, I'm sure I'll get the hang of it!
I also anxiously waiting to have more time to play around with this blog. I am wanting to be more creative but the day isn't quite long enough.
Here's to managing my time well! Good luck to all of you.
I am a little hesitant about using the Proloquo2go since I couldn't keep up with today's practice but I am optimistic and motivated to keep trying!
There seems to be a pattern to the steps and with more practice tomorrow, I'm sure I'll get the hang of it!
I also anxiously waiting to have more time to play around with this blog. I am wanting to be more creative but the day isn't quite long enough.
Here's to managing my time well! Good luck to all of you.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Modes of communication
Here are my ideas of various modes of communication:
the eyes(the window to one's soul, I think)
gestures
body language
tone of voice
written expression- a large variety of modes and purposes within this mode of commuincation
verbal expression
listening and responding in some manner(we all need to be communicative partners)
face to face
blogging
facebook
text messaging
PECS
Just in these few classes I think I am beginning to realize the significance of being able to communicate. I knew it was "big" but our discussions and videos we have watched in this short time has made me more aware of how "big". Being able to communicate is a task I have really taken for granted. I have had laryngitis a couple of days in a row several times in my life and have managed to still communicate verbally in shorter phrases or by way of other modes of communication. I can't even begin to imagine a lifetime not being able to express myself the way I want to or not to have a communicative partner understand me. The frustration that must cause for individuals! Looking at a particular student of mine, profoundly autistic and non verbal I applaud him for not being more frutrstade with us than he is at times when we are not able to understand him when he is trying the various modes of communication he has. I feel great guilt about many things in my life, one being that I have not given this student better / more ways to communicate that show his potential. I'm hopeful after me becoming even a little more knowledgable that I will be able to better support him in his efforts to communicate.
the eyes(the window to one's soul, I think)
gestures
body language
tone of voice
written expression- a large variety of modes and purposes within this mode of commuincation
verbal expression
listening and responding in some manner(we all need to be communicative partners)
face to face
blogging
text messaging
PECS
Just in these few classes I think I am beginning to realize the significance of being able to communicate. I knew it was "big" but our discussions and videos we have watched in this short time has made me more aware of how "big". Being able to communicate is a task I have really taken for granted. I have had laryngitis a couple of days in a row several times in my life and have managed to still communicate verbally in shorter phrases or by way of other modes of communication. I can't even begin to imagine a lifetime not being able to express myself the way I want to or not to have a communicative partner understand me. The frustration that must cause for individuals! Looking at a particular student of mine, profoundly autistic and non verbal I applaud him for not being more frutrstade with us than he is at times when we are not able to understand him when he is trying the various modes of communication he has. I feel great guilt about many things in my life, one being that I have not given this student better / more ways to communicate that show his potential. I'm hopeful after me becoming even a little more knowledgable that I will be able to better support him in his efforts to communicate.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Chapter 8 Reading - reflection
The chapter had several points that really triggered reflective thoughts for me.
1. The section regarding personality and temperment. I completely agree that there are individuals that feel "stuck" and that "stuckness feeds on itself". I beleive though this idea applies to all individuals that have low self esteem, are less assertive and have trouble self advocating not just those individuals with disabilities with those personalitity traits. Also just as one can become stuck it only takes "a little battle won to build you up". Everyone needs a mental perk to get the motivation to persevere. Sometimes I think that people that feel they are disadvantaged (or disabled) are the ones that feel they have the most to prove and are motivated to prove others wrong. Again that inner strength is part of ones personality and temperment.
2. Very interesting the number of references to training with AT devices. There was great emphasis on having training for the user but also the importance for the secondary people involved. Being at school and always having such time constraints (it feels)it is a great concern for me that I am not using even the resources I have currently avaliable to their potential. Also people at the board level are spread so thin that it is difficult for them to have inservice at the school level.
3. I am really excited to learn about the itouch and the proloquo2go. According to the design factors for the highest rate of use AT devices (as listed in the chapter) no wonder this device is gaining such popularity with all individuals. I am thinking this course could be timed any better! I recently found out that our board (Valley) has just acquired some itouches and the SLP's will be responsible to provide them to students in schools. Again I am concerned with the amount the SLP's have been trained, the amount of the they have in our schools and that time being allocated for training us at the school level. I'm hoping this course will provide a pre training for me and maybe make me feel more comfortable using it and offering it to a student I have in mind. Service delivery!
I'm getting excited about the hands on part of this course!
1. The section regarding personality and temperment. I completely agree that there are individuals that feel "stuck" and that "stuckness feeds on itself". I beleive though this idea applies to all individuals that have low self esteem, are less assertive and have trouble self advocating not just those individuals with disabilities with those personalitity traits. Also just as one can become stuck it only takes "a little battle won to build you up". Everyone needs a mental perk to get the motivation to persevere. Sometimes I think that people that feel they are disadvantaged (or disabled) are the ones that feel they have the most to prove and are motivated to prove others wrong. Again that inner strength is part of ones personality and temperment.
2. Very interesting the number of references to training with AT devices. There was great emphasis on having training for the user but also the importance for the secondary people involved. Being at school and always having such time constraints (it feels)it is a great concern for me that I am not using even the resources I have currently avaliable to their potential. Also people at the board level are spread so thin that it is difficult for them to have inservice at the school level.
3. I am really excited to learn about the itouch and the proloquo2go. According to the design factors for the highest rate of use AT devices (as listed in the chapter) no wonder this device is gaining such popularity with all individuals. I am thinking this course could be timed any better! I recently found out that our board (Valley) has just acquired some itouches and the SLP's will be responsible to provide them to students in schools. Again I am concerned with the amount the SLP's have been trained, the amount of the they have in our schools and that time being allocated for training us at the school level. I'm hoping this course will provide a pre training for me and maybe make me feel more comfortable using it and offering it to a student I have in mind. Service delivery!
I'm getting excited about the hands on part of this course!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
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