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| READING SOFTWARE
FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH
AUTISM |
Reprinted from the ADVOCATE Newsletter
of the Autism Society of America, Inc.
Sept.-Oct. 2000 |
As
the new school year begins, many families and educators are planning
educational programs for their children with autism. Computer-based
instruction is becoming more and more widely utilized with individuals
with autism. Roberto Tuchman, M.D. is the Executive Medical Director
of the Miami Children’s Hospital Dan Marino Center, a facility
located in Weston, Florida, that is dedicated to providing intervention
for children with autism. He is also a leading expert in the field
of autism and is an advocate of computer-based learning for children
with autism. He has coined the phrase, "Developmental Abilities
Technology," when he refers to this mode of training. Dr.
Tuchman feels that accessing the computer for skill development
will help autistic individuals reach their potential through the
repetitive task design that this technology can provide.
We thought it would be helpful to explore several reading software
programs that are currently available. Therefore I spent this
past summer learning all I could about reading software and their
usefulness with the autism spectrum population. This project also
contributed a great deal to my own professional growth. As a speech
and language therapist for the past two decades, I have become
increasingly more interested in the connection between the specifics
of how spoken language and reading are alike. As other language
researchers have noted, speech pathologists have become more involved
in the treatment of reading issues. In our office, we have been
incorporating reading development into our treatment programs
for quite some time. With the addition of these wonderful software
programs, our reading program has really taken off. Many of the
children that we worked with this summer have increased their
reading skills significantly. The computer programs have provided
motivating as well as systematic approaches to the educational
experience. The following programs are just a sample of the software
that is available. For our purposes, I have selected programs
that are either specifically considered special needs software
or ones that have been designed to include features that are conducive
for our population.
SENTENCE
MASTER by LAUREATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
The Sentence Master is a highly structured and motivating software
reading system that targets students that are either presently
presenting reading difficulties or are in a high-risk population
for possible reading problems. This series contains 4 separate
levels. At each level the student progresses through a three-step
learning process. The concept of this program promotes that even
a beginning reader, a child who is unable to read even a single
word, will have the opportunity to master our written language
system. It is designed to be a slow-paced progressive program.
Beginners will start with Level 1, while others may be able to
start with Levels 2-4. There is a simple test that can be administered
to determine which level is the appropriate starting point.
Step 1 is called Word Activities. The teaching methodology utilized
during these activities is called “overtraining.” Overtraining
or overlearning, as it is often referred to, is based on teaching
words through high levels of repetition. The premise is based
on the fact that unskilled readers require this continuous type
of presentation in order to learn. The Sentence Master offers
approximately 40-50 trials for each of the words that the four
levels of this program present. Every word that is taught at one
level is reinforced at each subsequent level. The words that have
been selected include a group of words called “non-content”
words. These words are parts of speech that classified as articles,
prepositions, and pronouns. Also included in non-content words
are the endings: S, ED, and ING. These words are very important
since they appear 50% or more during most reading passages. Therefore,
once an individual has mastered these words he or she will be
able to decode at least _ of every page. The Sentence Master also
incorporates a selection of “content words”(nouns, verbs,
and adjectives) in its presentation.
Though the format of this program is based on a repetition, the
trials offer slight variations in order to maintain the student’s
attention. The teacher, parent or therapist has the ability to
select which words and how many trials are taught.
After all the words have been taught, the individual progresses
to Step2-Reading a Story. Each story contains only the words that
have been presented up to that point. Even in the first story,
words are linked to form sentences and paragraphs.
Step3-Using a Story Booklet provides the student to have his or
her own copy of the Stories. The child is encouraged to re-read
them whenever they wish. There are also writing activities that
are provided at the end of each booklet.
The Sentence Master retails for $495 per level or $1485 for all
four levels (you receive 4 programs for the price of 3). Laureate
offers parents and families of individuals with special needs
the opportunity to purchase this product as well as any of their
other products for _ price during certain times of the year.
Stories
and More by Edmark
Stories
and More is a series of software that has been developed to strengthen
reading and reading comprehension skills within a fun-oriented
environment. This program targets sequencing skills, vocabulary
enrichment, story recall, character and setting development, and
story prediction as well as encouraging creativity. The first
program, designed for grades Kindergarten through First Grade
is called Animal Friends. The second program is called Time and
Place, and was developed for second and third grade readers. Four
distinct types of activities are offered within the three age-appropriate
stories that each program contains:
Starting Off prepares the individual to read each story by introducing
them to the characters and setting or by providing opportunities
to predict what they think may happen in the story.
Story Time encourages the student to read the story or have the
story read to them.
Thinking About activities ask questions regarding characters of
events in each story.
Going Beyond promotes children to generalize the events of the
story to experiences within their own lives.
Each program retails for $79.95 (containing 2 discs). A Lab-Pack
of six CD’s is available for $179.
Sound
It Out Land by 99v
Sound It Out Land is program that is designed to teach phonics
skills utilizing entertaining musical reading activities. The
program is divided into three levels each containing four sections:
Level One teaches single letter and vowel sounds and three-letter
word blending. Level Two focuses on consonant and vowel blends,
sight words, and how to read a sentence. Long vowels, multi-syllable
words, and word families are emphasized in Level 3. There are
15 sing-a-long songs and 12 lessons. Sound It Out Land is also
offered on 3 separate VHS tapes. Each video corresponds to one
level.
There are several different packaging plans available for these
products:
For families or individuals, the CD-Rom can be purchased separately
for $29.95. Each VHS tape runs $19.95.
The School Pack includes the Sound It Out Land CD-Rom, User’s
Guide, 120 Pages of Lesson Plans, Word Lists, and an Intervention
Plan for students who are at-risk. The cost for this pack is $59.95
For individuals or schools, a complete Sound It Out Land Reading
Kit is now available. Included in the kit is the following: Sound
It Out Land CD-Rom, the 3 videos, 3 Sound It Out Land books which
correspond to the CD-Rom and videos, a wall poster which also
compliments the software and VHS program, and 3 sets of corresponding
flash cards. The entire set retails for $199.95.
If you mention that you are an Autism Society member when you
place your telephone order, you will receive $5 off the price
of this program. Mr. Vinod Lobo, the president of 99v, states
that his family is committed to helping children with autism learn
to read. Mr. Lobo’s nephew, Nikhil, an 8-year-old child with
autism, has successfully utilized this program.
Literacy
by Learning Fundamentals (previously LocuTour)
The Literacy software series is a group of three programs designed
to improve reading and spelling skills. The age range is Pre-K
to 8th grade. The first disk in the series is called
Phonemic Awareness. This program contains a group of seven exercises
providing all the basics of sound recognition. The exercises develop
phonemic awareness, auditory sequencing, and auditory and visual
memory skills.
The second CD, called Rules, Rules, Rules, teaches students the
basic rules of reading and spelling. The student is required to
identify the vowel sound in a word, sound out the word, and then
identify the rule. This program contains 156 important rules.
There are 55 groups of words that move from the simple to the
more difficult. For example, a simple rule would be the “final
e”. A more complex rule deals with prefixes and suffixes.
The teacher or parent can also select specific words to target.
The student begins by identifying which sounds in the word are
vowels and which are consonants. Then, for one-syllable words,
the student identifies the sounds and then says the word. For
words containing multi-syllables, the individual says the syllables,
spells the word, and identifies the rule pertaining to the word.
The final program in this series is called “Spelling Test
on Friday.” This program teaches the correct spelling for
1800 of the most important words. The words are divided into groups
of 20 words. The student then follows a format of listening, spelling,
and checking their words. The individual has an opportunity to
proof their spelling and make the appropriate changes. The original
attempt and the final production appear side-by-side for comparison.
Each CD sells for $99 or you may purchase the set of three programs
for $189.
AWAY
WE GO! by Scientific Learning Corporation
This program is one of the products that is offered by the Scientific
Learning Corporation, the company that offers the well-known language
and reading program, Fast ForWord (see Language Development Software
for Individuals With Autism, ADVOCATE, January-February 2000).
Through seven entertaining games, Away We Go! is designed to build
skills in the areas of phonological awareness (the ability to
recognize the sounds in words), decoding (the ability to breakdown
new words sound by sound), associate the letter name to the sound,
as well as other important reading skills. This program keeps
track of the child’s progress and advances the lessons to
create an individualized program. June Dickinson, the director
of rehabilitative services at the Dan Marino Center has been using
this program for over a year. Ms. Dickinson’s description
of Away We Go!: “Through the visual stimuli presented, the child has the
opportunity to identify letters by their phonemic sound, match
lower and upper case letters and identify which word starts with
a different sound. This technology provides the student with the
exposure to auditory and visual stimuli simultaneously. In order
to promote correct reading orientation, all of the activities
are presented utilizing a left to right format and are geared
to enhance visual matching. As each program progresses, the child
is challenged to pair auditory input with letter recognition.”
In addition to the activity CD-Rom, there is also a kit called
Away We Go! Bookshelf. This set includes five interactive stories
on CD with the companion storybooks.
There are several ways to purchase this program: In a Home Version,
you can purchase Away We Go! CD-Rom for $49 or CD-Rom plus the
Away We Go! Bookshelf for $69. For teachers, schools, and therapists,
there is Professional Version, which includes the opportunity
to utilize the program on 3 computers and collect data for up
to 105 students. There is also a “take home” program
for parents and printable progress reports. The level of difficulty
can be adjusted according to the needs of each child. This version
retails for $249 or plus the bookshelf for $269.
Let’s
Go Read! by Edmark
There are two separate programs that are included in the Let’s
Go Read! series. The first is entitled An Island Adventure. This
program is targeted for students ages 4-6. The activities in this
program are designed to provide a solid foundation for reading.
Initially, the children are introduced to letters and sounds.
Then they learn to identify sounds within words. Finally, they
are encouraged to practice combining letters to make words. Developing
sight word skills, sentence building, and comprehension abilities
is also reinforced. Throughout the program, the children have
the opportunity to utilize their learned skills as they read interactive
books.
The second program, called An Ocean Adventure, is geared for 5-7
year olds. The premise of this program is the combined approach
of whole language and phonics. Initially, the children begin with
a review of vowel and consonant sounds. Then they progress to
blends (for example st, gl, fr etc.), and diagraphs (such as ee,
ea, oa, etc.). Sight word recognition is also emphasized.
Let’s
Go Read! offers a special feature: speech recognition technology.
Basically, when the student reads out loud, the computer responds.
This provides the interactive nature of this program. The children
are also able to read into the microphone and have their voices
recorded. Then, the playback function allows them to hear themselves
read.
Each of these programs are priced at $29.95.
Bailey’s Book House by Edmark
This well-known reading program, now offers seven activities.
The first activity, called Edmo and Houdini, uses prepositional
words (in, out, on, under, etc) to help children develop listening
and comprehension skills. Letter Machine uses animated characters
to teach the names and sounds of letters. In Make A Story, the
student is able to select certain elements in order to create
a story of their own. Then they can hear their stories read outloud
to them. Eventually, their individualized story can be printed.
Children learn to sound out and spell words, practice rhyming,
and group words by the initial letter in the word when they play
Three-Letter Carnival. This game helps children build categorization
skills that they need to develop adequate reading abilities while
they learn to spell and sound out words. Read-A-Rhyme teaches
rhyming. Each rhyme is illustrated with an animal picture.
This program is available for $19.95
Reading
Edge by Scientific Learning
There are two versions of this program. The Home Version is a
reading software program that contains five main games that focus
on developing important reading skills for grades Kindergarten
through second grade. Games like Space Chick practice matching
nonsense syllables while Jules Rampart Cooks With Gusto involve
selecting a word containing a different initial sound from a group
of four(bird, bark, dirt, bread). The Squid Sisters ask students
to identify a letter or word that they hear from four choices.
As you can tell from the names of the activities, the learning
tasks are encompassed in an entertaining format. Another game,
Scrappy and Jimmy, involves identifying words by their individual
sounds (phonemic blending), and Copy Cat Acatemy requires the
student to remember a series of objects (visual sequencing).
The second version, an Educator Version, is not a reading development
software program, but a computer-based reading assessment for
grades Kindergarten through second grade. This program allows
educators to determine which children are having reading problems.
Students are evaluated in the areas of Phonological Processing,
Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Decoding, and Letter-Sound Identification.
A fun and engaging game is utilized in each of the areas. The
other benefit of this program is the opportunity to chart students’ progress.
The Home Version of Reading Edge is priced at $99. The Educator
Version sells for $129 for one CD. A Classroom Pack is also available
for $240 (two CD’s) and a Lab Pack containing six CD’s
costs $649. If you would like a School Pack containing 18 CD’s,
the price is $1459.
Valerie Herskowitz, M.A. CCC-SLP has been a Speech Pathologist,
and Computer-Therapy Specialist, who has treated children and
adults with developmental disabilities for the past 22 years.
She has been the owner of Dimensions: Speech, Language, and Learning
Services, North since 1981. She is also the Director of Computer-Based
Therapy at the Miami Children’s Hospital Dan Marino Center.
Ms Herskowitz is the mother of Blake, an 8-year old boy with autism
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
You may contact Ms. Herskowitz to discuss these programs before
you order.
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