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| SELECTING
A COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR TEACHING SPEECH AND LANGUAGE SKILLS |
Reprinted from the ADVOCATE Newsletter of the Autism Society of America, Inc. Jan-July-Aug 1997 |
When selecting a computer program designed for teaching speech and language skills, it is important to determine the individual's level of communication abilities. For example, a child that is nonverbal and is just learning to understand what some words mean would benefit from different learning methods than a child that is already using some words to communicate. To discuss this issue, I chose to focus on some software that is available from Laureate Learning Systems is a company that offers over 24 different series of software and provides a guide in their catalog for selecting appropriate programs which is based on the individual's language characteristics and training goals. In addition to this useful guide, they also offer telephone assistance for program selection. Laureate's programs can be used with a traditional mouse or with a touchscreen (a device that fits over the monitor which allows the individual to select an item by touching it on the screen.)
In this article, I chose to review 3 Laureate programs that would represent beginning, intermediate, and advanced language levels and assess their usefulness for individuals with autism of varying language abilities.
For a child whose language skills are just emerging, The Exploring Vocabulary Series would be an appropriate choice. This series, which includes Exploring First Words, Exploring First Words II, and Exploring Verbs, is designed to expand the understanding of 50 vocabulary words per program. The 50 words are divided into 10 common categories, and each screen depicts 5 pictures within the category. For example, when using Exploring First Words, an individual may select to work on the category of animals. When chosen, the screen appears illustrating 5 farm animals. The program offers three different activities that can be accomplished. The first activity, which is called Explore Nouns (Verbs), requires that the student select any object he so desires. If the child, for instance picks the cow, the computer will respond by saying,"This is a cow." The cow then "moos." In Exploring First Verbs, when an object is selected, the computer uses the verb in a sentence (The boy is singing.) and then animates. The second activity, Explore Nouns and Descriptions follows the same procedure, though adds an additional sentence denoting a description of the object. (This is a dog. Dogs bark.) Identify Nouns (Verbs) is the third activity offered. This time the computer asks the student to find one of the objects (Find the cheese.) If selected correctly, a funny little animated character pops up for positive reinforcement. I have personally utilized the Exploring Early Vocabulary Series with my students as well as with my son, Blake, for over a year. I find the pictures to be very beautifully illustrated and the design motivating, yielding successful accomplishments. This series does require that the individual have the ability to focus on a task that depicts 5 pictures on a screen. If the student can not accomplish this task, I would recommend Laureate's Early Development Series. This set works with only 1 or 2 pictures at a time on the screen. A year ago, when I introduced my son to these programs, we needed to use the Early Development Series. Later, we were able to graduate to the Exploring Early Vocabulary Series. I greatly prefer the latter of the two programs as the pictures are much better. I have mentioned this to Laureate, and they have told me that they are planning to upgrade the pictures in the Early Development Series soon
After a child has developed the understanding of an individual word vocabulary consisting of nouns and verbs, they must master the skills necessary to comprehend sentences. Because autistic individuals often have difficulty in the areas of processing, understanding word order can often be a problem area. Laureate offers a program called Simple Sentence Structure which helps to develop the understanding of sentences consisting of a Subject-Verb-Object structure. An example of this type of sentence would be: The boy (subject) is pushing (verb) the wagon (the object). The program works by illustrating two action pictures on the screen. The computer then asks the child to choose the correct picture. For instance, the screen may depict a girl riding a bike in one picture and a boy riding a bike in the other. The computer will then instruct the child to select the one that shows that the boy is riding the bike. If the child identifies the correct picture, then we know that he understands the use of the subject (the boy) portion of this sentence. Another type of task which targets verb usage, can be illustrated with this example: One picture shows a boy pushing a wagon and the other, a boy pulling a wagon. The child is then asked to select the picture which demonstrates, The boy is pushing the wagon. If correctly identified, we then now that the child is comprehending the verb (pushing) portion of the sentence. Other activities emphasize the object of the sentence and word order.
Since I had not previously utilized this program, I decided to try it out with several of my own students. I chose children that were able to demonstrate an understanding of individual words and some sentences, but appeared to be having some difficulties in comprehending basic grammatical structures. Simple Sentence Structure follows a similar format to some of Laureate's other programs: It starts out in Level 1 by presenting just an individual picture for the child to learn. Then in Level 2, two pictures are illustrated for comparison as explained in the above paragraph, except a little animated character hovers over the correct response in order to cue the child for the selection process. By Level 3, the student is then ready to perform without using any cues. This sequence of levels was an essential ingredient for the successful acquisition of the target skills for several of the children that I was working with. Some students were initially unable to select the correct picture from a choice of two without any cueing, and needed this structured advancement in order to learn the targeted language structure. The pictures in this program are also well illustrated as in the previous program providing a motivating atmosphere conducive for learning.
Continuing up the ladder of complexity, I next assessed a series of Laureate programs called Micro-Lads, which stands for Microcomputer Language Assessment Development System. This package is designed to teach 46 fundamental grammatical structures within seven separate programs called modules. I chose to try out two modules that include lessons for teaching grammatical structures that many autistic individuals have difficulty understanding: pronouns and questions. The format for these series follows a similar pattern to the other Laureate programs, so learning time was minimal. As in Simple Sentence Structure, the student is asked to pick the correct picture when presented with another choice. If correct, the child is rewarded with the animated character.
One of the children that I selected to try-out the MicroLads programs is a child within the autism spectrum that continually has difficulty utilizing pronouns appropriately. Having familiarity with the other Laureate programs, this child was able to progress quickly through the sequence of activities. Within two weeks after he had initially began using this program, the parent's report that his pronoun usage has improved significantly in everyday conversation. Unfortunately, the pronouns "you" and "me, which are commonly reversed, are not included in this series.
Laureate Learning Systems provides the most comprehensive software line that I have seen for language acquisition. Their programs are available in Apple, Macintosh, and DOS formats, making them compatible for each type of computer. The systematic hierarchy as well as the sequence of activities make these programs very appropriate for autistic individuals. Due to the fact that this software has been marketed by catalog to a limited group, the price of the programs are high. The prices of the programs I have reviewed in this article range from $100 to $175. Often I find that the price makes these programs unaffordable to many families, however, these parents are often successful in getting their child's school to purchase them.
The Edmark Corporation also makes excellent software (as well as educational materials) programs that can be utilized to instruct language skills in individuals with autism. This past summer they released a new program titled, Words Around Me. This program is designed to teach students approximately 300 vocabulary words that are used in daily living.
Janet Brouckaert, a speech therapist at Virginia Young Elementary School located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, agreed to try this program with her autistic students ranging in language skills from non-verbal to highly verbal. Ms. Brouckaert reported that she found this program to be highly motivating and useful for her students. The program operates by initially illustrating an individual item such as a car. Then the word is presented several more times but represented by other pictorial illustrations. This allows the student to generalize his or her knowledge of the item; otherwise the child may only recognize the object by one picture. The individual is asked to select the item. Upon completing this task, the student is rewarded by an adorable animated creature who then "flicks on a switch" in order to present the next word. After several trials, the child is then asked to select the correct picture from a choice of two, and is again rewarded with the special animated figure.
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Valerie Herskowitz, M.A. CCC-SLP has been a speech pathologist, who has treated children and adults with developmental disabilities for the past 22 years. She is also the mother of Blake, an 8-year old boy with autism. She has been in private practice since 1981.
Ms. Herskowitz is also a speech and language computer software consultant and is available to answer any questions that you may have regarding these programs or any other speech, language, or communication matter as it relates to autism. You can reach her at:
Dimensions: Speech, Language, and Learning Services 481 E. Mount Vernon Drive Plantation, Florida 33325 1-800-99SPEECH (997-7332) www.dimensionsspeech.com
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