Day Five Afternoon

Powerlink - This is an environmental control unit. It is used with a switch and allows students to actively participate in activities.  Powerlink is basically a base that things can be plugged into and then the switch will control that appliance. It is often used to teach cause and effect of using switches for children just learning to be independent. Children can use many different parts of the body to run the switch, this is called the control site and will depend on the physical capabilities of the user.  We saw examples of people using anything from the whole head, tongue, hand, to anything as small as one thumb, or clenched teeth, to push the switch button. When teaching a person to use a switch for the first time, we use the language "turn on the light" (or other item being turned on) not "turn on the switch" because we want to use the same language we use with others but we want the children to know why they are hitting the switch.

Some of the benefits of switch use include:

• Control over environment
• inclusion in activities
• communication
• engagement in curriculum
• engagement in social activities
• engagement in leisure activities
• access to employment
• access to Internet
• access to education.

Successful switch operation depends on :

• motivation
• suitable activities
• practice time
• lots of encouragement
• position of the switch
• type of switch.

What can we use the powerlink for?

• TV
• toaster
• alarm clock
• music
• projector
• LCD
• nightlight
• keyboard
• laminater
• turning the sewing machine on and off in class
• automatic pet food dispenser
• juicer
• blender (smoothie making for fund raising)
• score keeper at sports game
• electronic pencil sharpener
• fog machine
• music for musical chairs
• buzzer in gym
• hairdryer

Day Five- morning

We started the morning by looking at all the inventions of low-tech AT from Dollar Store materials. I found this part very interesting. Here are some of the items we looked at:

Sticky Tray - Using double sided suction cups, this group stuck a plate, bowl and board book to a serving tray. The items were very secure on the tray, so would be very useful for a child with poor motor control or involuntary movements.

Turkey baster pencil holder - This person put a pencil inside the turkey baster to increase the size of the pencil for students with fine motor difficulties. The squeeze top can be removed if too heavy, but will work as an eraser or fidget toy. Good for students with ADHD.

Squeeze bottle pencil - Using a squeeze bottle, cut the top off and stick a pencil inside. The amount of air inside can be adjusted for softer or harder grip. An elastic can be wrapped around the squeeze bottle to create more resistant grip and rocks can be added to create a weighted pencil for students who are not aware of where their pencil is in space.

Stand-up clipboard - A large car sponge with a flexible cutting board as a back. can be used to stand up paper of hold playing cards. For students who need help holding items, need this straight up in front of them so that they do not have to bend over.

Easy Grip magnetic letters - Magnetic strip, handled suction cup so child can pick up and move the strip around. an iPad holder as a stand. Cut up cutting board and stuck letters on pieces. Letters have handles made out of ice-cube tray and magnet on the back so children can form works with letters.

Spongy white board - Using large car sponges on the back of a white board, create an elevated white board. could cut sponges on an angle to create an angled surface.

Spatula scissors - This person cut handles off regular scissors, took top off silicon spatulas and put them on where the scissor handles were. she used a large clip to hold scissors on desk and kids can open and close handles. This would be useful for students with motor difficulties, grip problems, or difficulty telling hands to use scissors (motor planning) by opening and closing and following lines. Also, a one handed scissor cutting tool.

Dice Master - Place dice inside plastic butter dish. Students can shake dice without dice flying around the room. This would be useful for children with motor control problems and children with ADHD.

Swim Buddy - This AT is for students who need AAC in water. This person took a plastic pop bottle so that it floats. put a board maker sheet inside the bottle and seal the top on. This is waterproof and can easily changed when new words need to be added.
 Popsicle painter - Using a plastic Popsicle maker, put small limes and lemons on top to create and easy holder for students with difficulty gripping small items. On the inside put makeup sponges for students to paint. could put paints right in the Popsicle section or glue, sponges have shapes cut in them for painting fun.

Measure assist -  This person attached Velcro hooks to a bathroom squeegee and Velcro on ruler and protractor so the student can use the handle of the squeegee to pick up the tools. These math tools are very hard to pick up, so will assist students picking up items and still allow them to measure. Useful for one handled use or poor motor control. 


Skater Rex - toy dinosaur glued on a toy skateboard to encourage active play among students with special needs. His mouth opens and closes to help pick things up had a child's chew toy attached to the back for easy pick up.

Making my own low-tech AT

After visiting the dollar store and looking at many possibilities for cheap AT, I made my own. As you can see in the picture below, I made a marker holder for students only able to use one hand.The markers are held in place by quick setting plaster from a hand-print making kit. I chose to use a plant pot for weight, so the child taking the marker out of it's cover would have the help of weighted resistance. I also decided to use larger markers to make them easier to grip.

Low-Tech Assistive Technology

In class number four we were introduced to low-tech assistive technology. I had never considered this to be a tool to enhance learning in the classroom. We had quite a few Dollar Store items shown to us and we were asked to think about how the products may be useful for a student with a disability or delay. We were shown how a large binder could be used as a writing wedge, foam rollers to increase the size of a writing utensil and many other ideas. Our task for the afternoon was to go to a Dollar Store of our choice and shop around for five items we thought could assist a child in learning more efficiently. We were also asked to make our own low-tech assistive technology and bring it to class next week.

When I first walked into the dollar store I didn't know where to begin and I had no ideas. I found a couple items I thought had potential but without a "great" ideas for uses. Then I found a few more and after about 20 minutes I was on a bit of a roll. I was taking pictures of all the items I found, so I stopped to check how many items I had taken pictures of and realized I had found many more than the five required items.

1. These are little lights that attach to students fingers. They could be very useful for students when reading. The lights would help them focus on a section of reading instead of becoming overwhelmed with too much print. They are a fun toy other children play with, so the students find them enjoyable to use and do not stand out as being different. The different colors are fun and may be good for a student who focuses better on one color. 

2. These sponge paint brushes are a more stable surface for students with poor fine motor control. They could be adapted further with a lager handle. A regular paint brush is quite slippery when covered in paint, but this sponge has more texture, so even covered in paint it creates more resistance for the student.

3. The tap light could be used as a communication button for a non-verbal student. This could be used as a visual cue to the teacher that the student has a question, needs something, or would like to participate. These lights usually come with double sided adhesive, so the button could be attached to the desk, or travel with the child from room to room. Small light (the size of a cookie) are available as well, and may be more useful as a portable version.

4. The suction clock may be useful for a student with anxiety, so they can keep track of where they need to be when, students in need of a visual schedule or with children who have organization difficulties. The clock is a suction so may be moved from room to room with the child and can attach to the desk. For students with visual schedules, a clock is often shown next to the activity picture. A student could therefore look to see if the clock is at the same time. This could also be useful for students who need to know how much time they have left to complete work. It would help them stay focused to keep working and reassure them they still have time to complete the work.

5. White board pens and markers - These are an excellent tool for helping develop printing skills in young children, or children having difficulties. The erasable function of the white board helps students be able to write and erase quickly. It can diminish the frustration of having to be perfect (erasing a hole in the paper). White board pens are easy to write with, as they do not require a lot of pressure or cause the writing surface to rip when too much pressure is applied. These are very useful for student who do not enjoy writing. Different colors can be used, which also adds to the appeal.

A few other products I found that could be used to assist learning are magnetic clips - a very strong clip to hold papers, used as a hook, etc.








An echo microphone- to encourage children to speak louder, because they hear themselves echo back.

 shower puffs with long handle - to assist in cleaning for students with lack of movement/flexibility or used for painting, |as a sensory experience for students with Autism, etc.

 Squeeze paints - with large body for easier grip

Tape dispensers - easy one hand tape dispenser for students only able to use one hand at a time.

Social Stories

On day three, we had the opportunity to make our own social stories. We chose to write our on "Waiting my turn at the water fountain." I had never made a social story of my own before. Our group had a lot of fun using the applications to make the book, taking pictures and recording my voice to read the story.

The app we used is called Book Creator and it couldn't be easier to use. We typed our story, took pictures using the iPad camera and also downloaded pictures from the Internet to use as our pictures. We them recorded the text simply by hitting a record button, talking and moving the sound button to a convenient location on the page.After our story was complete, we exported it to iBooks where it was displayed on the iBooks shelf. It was a very satisfying experience to be able to create a cute book, simply and quickly. I think even students could use this app to create their own books.

In class four we shared our stories. I thought they were all cute and was able to see how these stories could be very useful to certain students. I could straightaway think of situations and students that would benefit from a social story. This is an app I plan to use in the future.

Utilizing Apple Mobile Devices as Assistive Technology to enhance performance with various students (i.e. Autism, Executive Functions, Learning Disabilities, Early Learning and Math).

In today's class we had the opportunity to view a webcast on different areas of assistive technology. Each group reported back on the top two or three apps from the lecture. My group was responsible for math apps. I have briefly highlighted the apps that were discussed and/or demoed in class.

Physical disabilities:

1. Write Pad – This is a write to text application. students can use finger or stylus to write (whichever is desirable to student). The program will translate diagrams, handwriting, shortcuts (circle date) into text. This is an excellent app for students unable to write with a traditional pencil or pen. 

2. Dragon dictation (Free) –Studetns are able to bypass the keyboard with this app. It is excellent for students unable to type. However, they have to be articulate in order to have the device pick up the language. It is a better choice for students with good language skills. It claims to be 3-5 times faster than typing. This app can only be successfully used if the student is able to have an idea, hold on to it and then dictate it. 

3. Touch Trainer – This app goes through different difficulty levels, so can be used for many different levels of ability. It is great for fine motor difficulties. The app helps students develop target selection. The screen can get smaller and smaller as selection becomes better.

Executive Functions:

1. Sock Puppets- This app is very useful for making up social stories. Users can talk into the device and the sock moves the mouth to say what you are saying (shows up on screen). This would be an excellent app for encourage students to talk. It could be used in readers theatre,  and to help students with speech delays to speak more. 

 

2. Shredder – This app would be fantastic for students with anger issues or anxiety over something. The user can type in negative thoughts onto the paper and put it in the paper shredder.  The app will then shred your thought. This will help students let go, cope and move on. 

3. Let Panic go – This app has no sound, so can be private in the middle of a class or any situation. This app will help a student if having a panic attack and will guide them through the feelings. The screen reads step by step instructions telling the student what to do. Great for students with anxiety, OCD.  This can help students get to the point where they can be self aware and calm themselves down (ie self regulate).

Early Learning:

1. Kiddie question ($2.99) - This app can be used to build up language and problem solving skills. The app asks questions, student answers out loud and then hit answer to see if they were right. This could be independent or a caregiver could have a discussion with children.

2. Bugs and Buttons ($3.00) - This app has pages of different activities. For example, pinch and grab to pick up bugs and put into jar - good for fine motor, finger isolation for  pre-writing skill. The app has great graphics and music, and a variety of fun games. Children can earn stamps for their scrapbook for reinforcement.

3. Jib Jab – This app can post faces of students into story. This would be a great way to encourage some students to read.

Communication:

1. Sign 4 me ($9.99) - This app allows the user to type in message and the character on screen will sign for you. This was designed to teach sign language but can also be used to communicate with hearing impaired. Can save phrases and comes with around 11500 banked words. 

2. Speech Tutor – This app is really cool. It shows the inside of a mouth and how the tongue moves between teeth and around mouth when forming words. Great for helping students learn how to make sounds.

Math:

1. Money count - We like this app because it was Canadian money. This would be useful for students having difficulty recognizing money. The pictures are sometimes showing both sides of the coin, so students would have to be able to recognize similar sizes as well. Users can choose to only count certain coins to make the app easier and more challenging. 

2. Symmetry Shuffle – This app allows users to slide, flip and turn a picture to fit on top of the other picture. When the user is correct, the picture will turn coloured. It is fun to use with appealing colours and picture choices. 

3. Number line – This app was great for students and sequencing numbers. Asks students to find a number on a number line and they touch the spot they think it belongs. 

Free Apps for special education:

1. Pocket Pond – This is an app for students who need calming. It shows a pond with calming colours and sounds. Users can add more things to the pond. It could be used for students during transitions if they need a few minutes to calm. 

2. Science 360 – for ipad only. This app has 100's of videos or still pictures on many different topics. It has no text, so it would be good for visual learners. There are many engineering and science topics. 

3.Touwrist –This app shows users a visual tours of panoramic views around the world. Anyone can take pictures and upload to site. 

Grace

The final app I looked at this week is called "Grace." This app costs users $24.99 and is a picture exchange program for non-verbal people. The user will select pictures to from a sentence. Users can attempt to vocalize the word or sentence after hearing a prompt. This app allows non-verbal people to take some control of what they want to say, giving them more independent social interaction.

As with the other apps, "Grace," comes with a basic vocabulary of pictures but users can take their own pictures with camera or add pictures from the Internet to expand vocabulary.

The look of this app is much more like a traditional PEC system where square white cards are stuck to a black strip or background. With this app the user chooses a picture and drags it to the strip. The user can then tip the screen sideways to show an enlarged version of the strip to the other conversation partner.