Presentation Day!

Michelle: Great presentation about a little boy whom the class has determined he has autism or on the spectrum. She used pic collage and frog pond apps on her IPad. Each of these apps were succussful at allowing him to show his knowledge and to calm down.

Adele: Presentation about a student in grade 5 who has severe behavior problems. Adele introduced the IPad to him. Because of his behavior this was a step by step introduction. So far he has had a more positive attitude towards the I pad.

Heather: A boy in grade 5 who has a learning disability He was reluctant to use the witing programs in the class so she introduced the IPad suing the text to speech feature and typ-o. Her student showed great success! He will move on to middle school using an IPod.

Amy: Tried out three app focusing on the alphabet and letter sounds on a pre-schooler. Like the beginning sounds app!

Shauna: Case study on a 13 year old girl in grade 7.  Introduce different writing apps and text to speech apps but the student was very self consious about standing out in class. Although these apps would be of great help to her she does not want to use it. The ball is in her court and hopefully she will realize its benefits.

Jeff: Presented about a grade twelve student. Used the Inspirtation program to promote writing. The student was very successful using Inspirtation (app) and wrote an amazing piece of writing and was able to pass his course which otherwise he might not have.

Rebecca: Worked with a student who is reading several grade levels below. She used several apps on letter sounds and formation of letters (Pocket Phonics). He did well  with this app. Had good success learning consonant sounds. He did great and experienced lots of success working on the Ipad.

Anne: Presented on a 17 year old who is autistic. He was in elementary school until age 16, and would have stayed there until 21. They moved to NS to get a better education for thier son. The move has taken a toll on the family expecially the student. he has been gradually going to school. Anne intorduced the Ipad to Mom as her son was not ready yet to use it. I think the Ipad would make a huge differnence in this young man's life once introduced.

Alana: Completed a casestudy on Rex who is in fourth grade. He has a very short attention span an had ADHD. Introduced him to many different Assistive Tech apps. Uses his lap top to type and go on several different literacy websites including Into the Book and Tumblebooks.

Jen: Presented on a grad 8 student. He has trouble with organization and beginning and completing tasks. Jen begn him on google calendar which can be accessed from anywhere. She found it had too many options and was not course specific.She tried Soshiku. This worked great. This was the beginning of getting him organized.

Jackie: Focused on three different students of varying needs. She looked at the program Tiny Eye which is an online SLP program. Looked at the Pointer/SmartBoard. Allows students to access the white board. Also focused on Tumblebooks

Amy: Worked with a boy who has mild CP in grade seven. She introduced RAZ Kids. Loved the idea of using the smart board with Raz Kids. He went up by 4 reading levels

Janna:  Completed a case study on a 16 year old girl with ADHD and a verbal learning disability.She attended a learning disability school and did well and now she goes to Sacred Heart.

Jillian: Worked with a grade one student who lives with her grandmother. The apps that Jillian introduced in Toca Boca and book creator. Toca Boca looks great! Her student wrote an amazing stories!

Wow, it was so great hearing about other teachers students! It is interesting how many students have difficulties with writin! As well so many students have anxiety and mental health issues. I really think more should be done to help those students.

Final Thoughts! It was a fabulous course and it makes me exited to be a teacher and try out new things. I am really looking forward to using my classrooms I Pad and LCD screen. I am sure it it going to change the way I teach and my students learn!

Here are some great You Tube Videos on Assistive Technology for Hearing Impairments

The video below explains some ways to use adaptive clocks and alarms. Every day I am woken up by my alarm clock (or my 4 year old) but what if I was hearing impaired how would I wake up? In this video several clocks are demonstrated. For hard of hearing there is an alarm clock that has an adjustable volume that would go loader than the average alarm clock. There is also an alarm clock that has flashing lights and a pod that you would put under your pillow, when the alarm goes off it vibrates so that you will wake up. Examples of these alarm clocks can be found at www.sonicalert.com.

Adele's Video  The Haptic Chair enhances the experience of listening to music for people who are hard of hearing. It was developed by a multi-disciplinary team at the Faculty of Engineering at the National University of Singapore. Using speakers that convert audio information into vibrations, hard of hearing users experience music through touch and bone conduction of sound.

More importantly, they look happy.

Michelle's Video   Interpretype: I even like the name.
A single system that facilitates communication among deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people. Includes face-to-face messaging and video remote sign language interpreting, 

Power Link

 Cause and Effect- Gives people the power to control thier environment.The use of a powerlink is

unlimited!!!

Here is a video we watched in class. It demonstates how a powerlink works.

Effective Use of Switches

 motivation

suitable activites

practice time

encouragement+

position of switch-physical control site

type of switch

Introduce in context of the whole activity

cueing the outcome not the switch

Advantages of Switches

control of environment

inclusion in activities

communication

engagement in curriculum

engagement in social activities

leisure activities

access to employment

Inclusion Videos With Switches

Today we previewed several videos about many different ways special needs students can be integrated into the class with switches. It just reinforces that integration is a win win situation. The special need student gains so much from being around children thier own age and interacting with them and the other students benefit from learning so much from them. Some of the ways that switches were used is: blowing a fan to lead a math game, ringing the buzzer for centers to change in gym, interating with other staff in the school.

Ways to Use a Power Link Switch at School

blender, juicer, sewing machine, can opener lamp scissors, card shuffler, magnifier lamp ,

All-Turn-It Spinner, conveyor belt, make-up mirror, stapler, coffee pot, stereo, desk lamp, mixer,

 tape recorder, fan/spinner, toaster, food processor,  vibrating pad foot bath, paper shredder, vibrating

pillow, hair dryer, pencil sharpener, vibrating slippers, hand held massager, popcorn popper

My favorite!!ice cream and BINGO Ball Tosser

The classes $$$ store inventions!

Check out these amazing inventions!!

Turkey baster with pencil: as a pencil holder the top of the turkey baster also works as an eraser. Good for students with fine motor difficulties.

Squeeze bottle: Put a pencil inside, you can regulate with how much air you put in. Also put elastics around it or weigh it down with sand or rocks.

Easy grip magnetic letters: Ice cube trays cut apart, with letters stuck on. Put them on a magnetic white board and had suction cup handles.

Spongy white board:  It was a slanted whiteboard for students who have difficulties that they cannot use a flat surface.

Spatula Scissors with Clamp: Good for ease of cutting,

Dice Buddy: Allows for student to roll dice with easy grip

Swim Buddy: 2 l bottle with pec pictures inside. AC device for in the pool.

Door Stopper: Put cards in the coil. Holds up cards for games.

One Handed Marker Pull: Stuck marker caps in cement and child can pull out markers with one hand.

Popsicle Painter: Popsicle Stick with lemon and limes glued on with makeup sponges attached. Good for glueing or painting You can chance the make-up sponges if you are painting different things.

Skater Rex: Used for active play

Zipper Pull- Use for ease of zipping up things.

In Store Activity

Adapted Toys for Children with Physical, Sensory, Cognitive Disabilities

In Store Activity

Acadia University 5173 Activity

Evaluator names :Kari MacDonald

Store: Have at Home but bought origianally at BrainCandy



Disability Category:              Rating:  **** or * stars

Physical                                   ***

Sensory                                   ***

Communicative                       ****

Cognitive                                ***

Toy Company: Melissa and Doug

Price:                                       $16.99

Box Age Range:                     3+ years

# Pieces:                                  one

Washability:                            wood but can be wiped down

Storability:                              easily stored

Directions:                               child needs to match up the vehicle to its correct home by sliding the wooden pieces through the maze

Play Locations:                       anywhere

Adjustability:                          cannot be adjusted

Levels of Play:                        several levels of play depending on child's development

Batteries:                                 none

Description general: This is a wooden puzzle that has nine colorful vehicles that slide around the scene of a town on slotted tracks. The vehicles can move around the puzzle put are connected so you cannot lose them. Each vehicle has a home such as the fire truck goes to the fire station. But it creates a game because you can move the vehicles around the town.

APPLICATIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Physical          Rating: ****

Description	A child with a range of disabilities could use this as it does not require very much physical movement. It would be good for a child who needs to strengthen their fine motor skills. -Easy to grasp -Puzzle small enough to fit on a wheelchair or tray -Durable, easy to wipe down -Played on any flat surface -
Skills	-Using hands they move the vehicles through the wooden slats. -Use fine motor skills -Use wrist motion to move vehicles around -Finger manipulation -Controlled hand movements
Play Ideas	-Have child grab a vehicle that is further away to promote reaching. -Have a child with less accurate movement grab for a specific car or move it to a specific spot.
Adaptation Ideas	Affix Velcro to the wooden slides and make a wand with the other end of the Velcro could be moved around with mouth or hand with children with limited movements.

Sensory           Rating: ***

Description	-Puzzle has high color contrast -Cars are realistic -There are no loud sound or blinking lights to startle a child who is sensory defensive -Block are smooth and nice to hold on too
Skills	-Challenged to use their vision to find a vehicle or one that they are being asked to find. -Visual attention is encouraged by the bright and contrasting colors -Visual processing is necessary to discriminated between the different types of vehicles
Play Ideas	-Feel through the maze by touch.
Adaptation Ideas	-Put braille dots on the vehicles and places for children with visual impairments. -Play with the puzzle on a dark surface to increase the color contrast.

Communicative         Rating: ****

Description	-There are 8 vehicles so two children could easily play at the same time. -Very hands on, easy for children to comprehend and talk about -Attractiveness encourages children to use it over time for longer periods.
Skills	-Multiple vehicles promote social interaction and working together toward a common goal. -Encourage early literacy skills by reading the place names -language and vocabulary development -Memory and recall –what car would go where and how do I get it there You can have a wide range of conversations about where the vehicles are going.
Play Ideas	Parent and child can take turns telling each other where they want them to put the vehicle. Make up stories about what the trucks are doing. -Have children identify the vehicle and where it should go -Make up a song too the tune of old MacDonald or wheels on the bus to go with the different vehicles. -Point to a vehicle and have them name it or tell what it does. -Look for those vehicles in the neighborhood. Have a child repeat a sentence such as This is the fire truck it _____
Adaptation Ideas	Name the vehicles instead of conversations.

Cognitive        Rating: ****or*

Description	-Can use sign language to have children move the vehicle to a certain location. -Pictures are visually attractive to children. Very bright and life like. -Can match the vehicle to its home. -Need to figure out how to get the vehicle there which way should I move it -Open ended play. Some children may just be able to move the vehicles around randomly while others can move them around to their correct home or make stories up for each place it visits. -Familiar objects that children see in their environment or on other toys.
Skills	-Associate the vehicle to its home ex: fire truck to fire station -Memory and recall -Sequential thought -Problem solving -Literacy skills-reading the names of places
Play Ideas	-Have parent make up a story and then the child can retell it -Have the child make up their own story -Each can take a turn bringing the vehicles home. -Have a child found the vehicle they have been asked to find, they could be asked to bring it to a certain location
Adaptation Ideas	-Label each vehicle and location with the same color dot or number for ease of finding its “home”

FEATURES AND BENEFITS       CHECK IF APPROPRIATE

ü	Durable
ü	High Contrasting Colours
	Tactilely Stimulating
ü	Visually Stimulating
ü	Wide Age Range
ü	Inviting Due to Uniqueness
ü	Open-ended
ü	Innovative
ü	High quality
ü	Detailed
ü	Hands on Approach to learning
ü	Easy to grasp/hold
ü	One-piece unit
	Upright position for play
	Other:

DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESSES PROMOTED

ü	Visual attention
ü	Visual tracking
ü	Visual processing
ü	Memory and recall
	Cause and effect
ü	Action concepts: in/out, push/pull, on/off, go/stop
ü	Fine motor
ü	Eye-hand coordination
ü	Problem solving
ü	Finger and hand control and dexterity
	Physical range of motion
ü	Deliberate finger movements
ü	Precision
ü	Directionality
	Wrist rotation
ü	Hand and finger grasp
	Pointing, one isolated finger
ü	Motor planning
ü	Self esteem
ü	Manual dexterity
ü	Sequential thought
ü	Reaching
ü	Strategic thinking
ü	Turn taking
	Patience
ü	Spatial relationships – over, under, on, off
ü	Reaching/arm extension
	Functional finger movement and exploration
ü	Coordinated movement
ü	Sorting and classification
ü	Early Literacy
	Texture Discrimination
	Object Permanence
	Tactile Discrimination
ü	Problem Solving
ü	Directionality
ü	Cooperative Hand Movement
ü	Letter Recognition
	Life Skills
ü	Pre-Literacy
ü	Social Interaction
	Foot Placement
	Weight Shifting
	Core Strengthening – Trunk Strengthening
ü	Colour Recognition and Identification
ü	Word Recognition
	Number concepts
ü	Visual Acuity