Last year my family moved to a new house and we painted pretty much every room in it! (Ok, so my husband and brother-in-law did the actual painting...). Needless to say, after many, many trips to Home Depot, I ended up with a ton of extra paint sticks.
Being the hoarder I am creative and thrifty, I saved them! If you have extras, you should save them too!
First up, I used to work in a class where most of the kids had communication books. Once the kids started to learn to put symbols together, we used the paint sticks rather than sentence strips. We attached velcro to each side ("hook" Velcro on one side and "loop" on the other). The child would create their sentence on the paint stick, take it off of their book (which also had Velro on the cover), and hand it to an adult. The paint sticks are much sturdier than anything else we have tried for the purpose of combining picture symbols!
Next, I have a group of students who are, for lack of a better word, blurters! They spend my entire session talking over each other! To alleviate this, I created a "Talking Stick" using a paint stick and some colorful duct tape:
It's not very fancy, but it WORKED! They started waiting for other children to finish speaking and asking for the stick so they could have a turn talking!
Similar to my talking stick, Maureen from The Speech Bubble created these cute "Sticky Sticks." These are similar to my Talking Stick, but you add a suction cup to one end and you can use them to pick up articulation cards! Head over to her post to find out more.
And finally (thank you Jenn from Crazy Speech World for reminding me of this one!)...Story Sticks! For my version, I just attached Velcro to one side and created small images using either Boardmaker or LessonPix. You can use these to sequence events in a story or for story retelling. This is the one I use with "The Gingerbread Man":
Check out Jenn's much cuter version of a story stick HERE.
Do you have any other ways of using left over paint sticks? I'd love to hear them!!
If you're anything like me, you may have heard of the Logan ProxTalker. You may even have seen pictures of the device. And, if you 're anything like me, you probably weren't sure exactly what the Logan ProxTalker was or what it did! I was given the chance to try one out and I'm going to share my experiences with you today.
A Little Background:
The ProxTalker was developed by Glen Dobbs, a father and engineer. Glen's son Logan was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at the age of two and a half. When he was 4, Logan was introduced to PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) by his Speech-Language Pathologist. Logan became very good at using PECS to make his wants and needs known, but Glen still wanted him to have a "voice." As he states, "the engineer in me took over" and the Logan ProxTalker Was developed!
So what is it?
The Logan ProxTalker is a mid-tech communication device that pairs PECS with voice output. The PECS, or tags, are printed on or adhered to sturdy plastic cards that have radio frequency identification (RFID) chips embedded. When the symbol is placed on any one of the buttons and pressed down, the message is "spoken." The device has a built in microphone, adjustable volume control, and is run with 4 C batteries.
When I opened the box, this is what I saw (minus some packing material to prevent damage!):
Based on the information on the Logan ProxTalker website, this device is available in one of two formats. First, you can purchase with a backpack. The device snaps in to one side of the backpack, which has a zippered pouch in the front. There's an extra strap if you choose to carry it over your shoulder:
Inside the back pack, the device is on one side, and there are Velcro pages for you to store/access your tags.
Not planning on transporting much? The Logan ProxTalker also comes in a binder format. The binder is actually mountable to a wheelchair or to a wall. The binder also comes with Velcro pages for tag storage:
Logan ProxTalker Binder closed (l) and open (r)
The device is the same with both purchasing options. You can purchase the device with the binder and then purchase the backpack separately if you wish. They are easy to switch with just a screwdriver or flat butter knife. When you purchase this device you get:
80 symbol tags
20 blank tags (I'll go into these in a moment)
4 Velcro pages
Maintenance tools
Set of programming tags
*You can purchase more of any of the accessories listed above from the ProxTalker shop.
Using the Device:
Again, this device is really, really easy to use! You grab a symbol, place it on any button and press! The pre-printed symbol tags come with a message already recorded, but you can change the recording if you like (more on that in a bit as well!). So, if you have a child working on Phase 1 PECS and they are requesting a puzzle, they would place the puzzle symbol on the device and press. It doesn't take a major press to activate the button, so this device can be used with students with weakened muscles or low tone (I would consult with a child's PT/OT if you are considering this device, however, because it will require some control/accuracy to find a symbol, pick it up, and place it on a button).
requesting a puzzle
Further along in the Phases of PECS, you can use the ProxTalker to generate sentences of up to 5 symbols in length:
In the example above ("I want pink crayon"), the child would need to press each symbol to have the message spoken aloud. Ugh! I have kids that wouldn't be patient enough to do that. Do you? Well, good thing for us the ProxTalker comes with the little green circle button on the right in the picture below:
This is the "Speak All" tag. When using this button, you line up your tags in the order you want. Instead of pressing each one, you press the green circle and it will speak each tag in sequence from left to right!
Some more things you should know:
The ProxTalker comes with these programming tags. When you press one of these on a button, you can modify the settings.
The available actions on the programming tags include: RECORD (this allows you to record a new message on a tag), ERASE (erase a preset message on a tag), INCREASE VOLUME (self explanatory!), DECREASE VOLUME (ditto), CHECK BATTERY (useful if you traveling, camping, on a field trip, etc.), DIAGNOSTICS (troubleshoot any problems you might be having).
In the true spirit of trialing a device, I had to replace the batteries. They are really simple to access and replace!
ProxTalker in therapy:
I took this device to school and used it with a little boy who is (aside from a couple of words that are few and far between) non-verbal. This boy picked up the concept of PECS in one therapy session, so I figured he would be a great student with whom to try out the ProxTalker! He figured the device out pretty quickly as well! We are still at the stage of using a single tag to make a request, but he's doing very well! I also used this device with other students who are verbal. See below for a description.
If you want to see the ProxTalker in action, check out this video:
Customizing the tags:
There are a few options for customizing the blank tags that come with the ProxTalker. The blank tags come in both small and large sizes. You may wish to use the larger ones for children with poor fine motor control.
1. The ProxTalker website has templates available for Communicate In Print, Boardmaker, and MS Word.
2. There's an app for that!! The ProxTalker App allows you to create communication boards using your own photos and preset symbols. The boards you create can be organized into books and emailed to yourself, colleagues, and/or parents for printing. You can use the boards on their own, or print on adhesive sheets and use with the blank ProxTalker tags! (That means you don't need to have a ProxTalker to benefit from using this app!) You can find the lite version HERE and the full version HERE.
3. LessonPix also has a template for the ProxTalker device! (If you don't already subscribe to LessonPix, you will want to head over there and check it out! It's definitely worth the $36/year subscription fee!). Simply add the icons you want to the tray and hit "Create Materials." You can choose ProxTalker from the list of Materials Type and select the size of the tags you are using.
Since I was using a pirate theme in my therapy sessions this week, I created some tags so less verbal kids could participate in therapy sessions. I printed the LessonPix symbols onto a sheet of labels that came with the ProxTalker:
Then I just peeled them off and stuck them to the blank tags:
Then I pressed the "record" tag and followed the instructions provided by the machine (press the tag you wish to record. At the beep begin your recording, etc.). Each tag allows for 8 seconds of recording time, so choose your message wisely! This tag now says "Yo-Ho-Ho!" (check back next week for my book of the week and you'll see why I chose this message!).
4. I noticed the shiny surface of the tags and thought, "I bet I could use a dry erase marker on here!" I was right. :) I wrote some sight words on the tags and worked on sentence forms/copula verbs with some of my kids:
My son was super excited about this activity and swapped out the food/color tags for about 20 minutes!
In Summary:
I really enjoyed trialing this device with my students (and my own child)! It is a fantastic next step for kids who have learned and/or mastered the PECS system and want a "voice" as well. I love the portability of the backpack. I did find the binder to be a bit cumbersome, but I think you would want that format if you are planning on mounting the device. With that said, I've trialed other devices before and found this one to be really, really user friendly! ProxTalker is simple for SLPs, parents, and students to program and use...in fact, I only read the manual to figure out how to remove the ProxTalker from the backpack and how to change the batteries! I also love that there are a variety of options for creating your own tags. With all the options, you will definitely want to purchase more blank tags! The possibilities are endless!
The price tag on a ProxTalker is up there (but not nearly as much as the popular high tech communication devices). Chances are, an SLP won't be purchasing this item themselves, but may make a recommendation for a student. If you'd like to try this device yourself, here's the link you will need. If you have a student who would benefit from this device, the ProxTalker website has documents that you can download to request Medicaid funding.
Finally, I'd like to say "Thank you" to Glen for contacting me and letting me try out the ProxTalker, and a special shout out to Logan for inspiring his dad to create this amazing device!
Disclaimer: Although the ProxTalker was provided for me to trial (yes, I have to return it!) for the purposes of this review, the opinions expressed are mine alone.
PECS: The Picture Exchange Communication System was developed by Lori Bondy and Andy Frost. In the first phase of the six phase program, a student learns to exchange a picture of a favored item for that item. In Phase two, they learn to extend this skill to communication partners that are across the room and to repair communication breakdowns. In Phase three, students learn to discriminate between pictures of desired objects and pictures of objects that are not desirable. In Phase four, students will learn sentence structure by using pictures to create simple sentences. In Phase five, they lean to respond when given the prompt "What do you want?" In Phase six, students learn to comment, first in response to questions and then spontaneously.
PECS... Picture Exchange Communication System.... A student gives another person a picture (or pictures) in exchange for something they want. The concept practically implies requesting, right? But how many children do you know that only make requests in their daily interactions?
Photos used for picture exchange.
In the 15 minutes before bedtime last night, my son (three and a half years old) used language to:
Request
Comment
Label
Question
Protest
Reject
Deny
Greet
For many students, following the PECS protocol to the letter will be important. However, if you are using PECS as a means of facilitating (or augmenting) communication rather than as an alternative means of communication, you might want to introduce commenting and other communicative functions a little earlier!
Here are some ways to expand your use of picture exchange (or even picture supports) beyond requesting:
Use "My Turn/Your Turn" symbols while playing a game to facilitate social interaction.
Use pictures of emotions with "I am" to assist children in expressing feelings.
Have symbols that describe taste (e.g., yummy, yucky, sour, etc.) available during meal and snack times. Try different foods and describe their tastes.
While playing with cars, have symbols available for "crash" and "oh no!"
During any activity, allow the child access to symbols that say "Yay!," "Oh no!," "Oh man!," "I like it!," "I'm having fun," "boring," etc.
Check out this post from CC at If Only I Had Superpowers on using picture symbols to increase use of attributes and expand sentence length.
What else are you using picture symbols to target besides requesting?
This post originally appeared as a guest post for Smart Speech Therapy, LLC. I am reposting because I am bringing you a week dedicated to Augmentative Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology. I hope you enjoy!
Across
the country, school department budgets are shrinking. Because of this, many schools are choosing to
create classrooms and accommodate the IEPs of students with severe special needs
rather than contracting out to “Day School” programs. As a result, SLPs are finding more and more
children with challenging disabilities on their caseloads.
My
district is no different. In 2007, I
found myself working in a preschool classroom for children with severe special
needs. The terminology for this type of
classroom varies across the nation, but the dynamics are pretty similar: small class size, smaller student to teacher
ratio, children with multiple impairments, and a great deal of related
services. In the five years I spent
working in this classroom, I saw children with many different
disabilities: Autism, Down Syndrome,
Cerebral Palsy, Myotonic Dystrophy, Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, Chromosome
Deletion Syndromes, William Syndrome, etc.
Most of the students’ IEPs specified speech and language services
several times per week.
What does that therapy look like?
Clearly
therapeutic objectives and methods will vary based on the child’s presentation
and speech and language needs. However, I
have found a total communication approach to be most beneficial overall. Some students responded better to ASL, others
responded better to PECS, and some became verbal communicators. You never know which approach a child will
gravitate toward until you try them all!
Facilitating
a total communication approach can be time consuming…learning ASL signs (if you
don’t already know a lot), creating picture symbols, creating overlays for communication
devices, setting up assistive technology on the classroom computer, dealing
with switches and switch access. This
type of approach really does not work unless the staff works together! I was very fortunate to be able to work with
PTs, OTs, and a classroom teacher who were more than willing to
collaborate.
What are some total communication approaches that can be used in
the classroom?
1. American Sign Language:
One of
the simplest augmentative/alternative means of communication is ASL. This is partly because it does not require
anything extra…no extra resources, materials, or cost. Using this form of communication to
supplement language development is common practice for SLPs working in early
childhood settings. However, it does
presuppose adequate motor abilities, so it will not be sufficient for all
students in this type of classroom.
·Handspeak:
ASL dictionary, resources, and research.
2. Pictures/Picture Symbols:
Pictures
and picture symbols can be used for a variety of reasons/activities. You can use them as part of a communication
system (see #3), for scheduling purposes, for social stories, and to support
literature (to name just a few). I like
to use a combination of real photos and picture symbols. Some kids will need the concrete nature of
the photographs, and others will pick up the abstract drawings without
difficulty. In all honesty, many times I
use photographs because I can’t find a picture symbol that adequately
illustrates the item I want to represent.
Pictures of toys I commonly use in therapy.
If I’m
creating a whole page of picture symbols, I’ll use the feature of my photo
printing software that creates small wallet-sized prints. If I have one or two, I’ll add them in with
picture symbols. Where do you get
picture symbols? Here are the most
common resources:
LessonPix Custom
Learning Materials (http://lessonpix.com/)
This is a web-based program that allows users to create picture symbols and a
large variety of other materials for learning.
I often get asked about the difference between LessonPix and
Boardmaker. My short answer is this: Boardmaker requires a top-down design (create
your board, add your images), while LessonPix is bottom-up (select your images,
choose your design template). With
LessonPix, you cannot create your own board designs, but they offer a ton of
pre-made activities.
Ok, so this is probably should be
numbered 2.5 since it utilizes pictures and picture symbols! I have used this program with much success
with many of the students in the severe special needs classroom! PECS by Pyramid Educational Consultants is
a six-step process of learning how to use an “exchange” method to
communicate. Here
are some of the picture symbols I use for favored PECS reinforcers (to find out
why they’re in a box lid, you can read my blog post HERE).
Some
PECS resources:
·The Autism Society has anarticlethat's
a great overview of the PECS process.
·This run-down fromDePaul Universityoutlines
the six phases in a simple and clear manner. Perfect for printing and
keeping in your room!
In this type of classroom, you may run across children who
do not have sufficient motor skills to pick up picture symbols and pass them to
an adult. For these students, I have
utilized both pointing/tapping the desired picture symbol and eye gaze
methods. Here are some display options
I’ve used for eye gaze:
Acrylic frames: These stand up on
their own (horizontally or vertically) and are great for providing a limited
number of choices. I used this with a
child who needed to be fed. He could let
me know if he wanted a bite of food or a sip of his juice.
Large eye-gaze
board:
This was a fixture in the classroom in which I worked. It’s made out of acrylic and is very easy to
see through. Because of this, you can
monitor the student’s eye gaze quite easily.
The problem is that it’s cumbersome and not portable.
Activity specific
eye gaze boards: Smaller and more portable than the version
above, I created these in Boardmaker by creating a 9-square grid and deleting
four of the cells. Once printed, I cut
out the center square, laminated, and re-cut the center. For this option, you can peek through the
center at the child, ask them to look at the option they want, then look back
at you to confirm their response. The
boards I have here are for selecting a song during circle time, blowing
bubbles, and indicating emotion. You can
see, I kept a blank board as well.
Because these are small, I can store them in a folder and bring them
with me to different classrooms, I can also store them in areas where they are
most likely to be utilized (e.g., song board in the circle area of the
classroom).
Recordable Voice
Output Switches: There are so many different types of switches
that you can use. I love the ones that
you can record easily and use in any activity so that all children can
participate…Record the chorus of favorite songs so that the child can fill in
(e.g., “E-I-E-I-O” during “Old MacDonald”).
These are the ones I use. You can
add icons to the clear plastic sleeves.
5. High(er) Tech
Assistive Technology: These
resources are technically the most expensive and more difficult to come by in a
school setting. However, these can be
extremely beneficial to students in a severe special needs classroom. Here are some of the activities I have used:
Switch Activated
Toys:
These may seem simple, but they are great for teaching cause/effect, a
necessary precursor for using switches for communicative means! I couldn’t find the digital files for these
photos, but these are the picture symbols I created for some of the switch toys
we used in the classroom:
Intellikeys: Intellikeys is an
alternative keyboard. You can create
your own overlays and program them to use on your classroom computer. The Intellitools site also has
an activity exchange section where you can access pre-made materials.
Powerpoint: You can easily set
up slide shows on Powerpoint to be switch activated. Set up your slide show to have forward
advancing buttons. Place the cursor over
the advance button and allow the child to advance pages using a switch. You scan story book pages, add them to
slides, and record yourself reading.
Create your own versions of popular stories! I did a “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Who Do You
See?” featuring all the children and staff in the classroom.
The iPad and Communication
Devices: I’m not going to go into
detail on these since it could take a whole book!
Some AT resources:
Click HERE to see a
step by step tutorial for creating Powerpoint talking books.
Try these free downloads
fromChildren's
Hospital Boston. Scroll down a bit and check out the Dynamic
Display Examples! I had a student who absolutely LOVED the
"Chase Me" activity!
Tar Heel Reader: Create and read switch-compatible
stories (written by other students/teachers)
Tumblebooks
Library: This is a subscription
service, but my local library has access through its website. It’s worth a shot to see if yours does
as well!
I hope this post provided you with some new information
regarding servicing students with severe special needs in the school
setting! Stay tunes for some more information on AAC and AT later this week!
A while ago, I shared how I organize my PECS reinforcers. (Missed that post? You can see it HERE). Many of you expressed interest in more information on using the PECS system. I'll be honest, it's taken me a little while because I've been trying to figure out exactly what that would look like. I want to give you a decent amount of information, but I also do NOT want to violate any copyrights!
So, I thought I'd share a few online resources with you:
Pyramid Educational Consultants is the "home" of PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) and their website provides a TON of information! Including: Evidence Based Practice articles, sample IEP objectives, sample lesson plans, sample PECS images, webcasts, workshop information, links to Facebook, Twitter, and iTunes (PECS - did you know that there is an app for that!?!).
The Autism Society has an article that's a great overview of the PECS process.
This run-down from DePaul University outlines the six phases in a simple and clear manner. Perfect for printing and keeping in your room!
Ready to move on to computer assisted Assistive Technology? Try these free downloads from Children's Hospital Boston. Scroll down a bit and check out the Dynamic Display Examples! I had a student who absolutely LOVED the "Chase Me" activity!
Hope you find these useful!
PS, Need more resources for working with students with significant special needs? Check out the Guest Post I wrote for Smart Speech Therapy!
When I first started out, perhaps like many new SLPs, I was using picture symbols for just about everything. I created communication books for lots of kids. I taught the kids what to do with the book...without actually teaching them the foundations needed to use the book.
A few years ago, I found myself working in a classroom of students with severe special needs. We all received a wonderful training from the district Assistive Technology specialist. How many of you use the PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) by Lori Frost and Andy Bondy?
There is a ton of information on the web about PECS and the Six Phases of PECS. If you're not familiar with PECS, this page gives you a great rundown of the six phases. Today I'm going to give you a couple of tips on organizing reinforcers.
You probably are aware of the basic concepts of "Picture Exchange" - a student gives a picture in exchange for a desired object. Bondy and Frost first suggest that you find reinforcers (motivating toys/objects specific to each child). This may not be shocking, but in my reinforcer assessment, I found that most of the students in the class had similar "likes." I found myself using the same toys: pop-tubes, wind-up toys, books, squishy balls, vehicles, etc.
For easy portability, here's what I did with my reinforcers. I got a snap-top tote (this is the shoe-box size):
Filled it with my reinforcers:
And attached the picture symbols to the lid of the box with Velcro:
I made two boxes with different toys/activities so I could rotate the boxes and decrease boredom (for myself and the kids). I used a mix of Mayer Johnson PCS, Pics for PECS, and photographs. Basically, I took photographs for objects for which I couldn't find a good picture symbol.
Now you're ready to start working on Phase 1, Step 1 (Fully Assisted Exchange)! What are your thoughts on this? Would you like more information on the PECS method? If there is interest, I can start a PECS series.
was developed by Lori Bondy and Andy Frost. In the first phase of the six phase program, a student learns to exchange a picture of a favored item for that item. In Phase two, they learn to extend this skill to communication partners that are across the room and to repair communication breakdowns. In Phase three, students learn to discriminate between pictures of desired objects and pictures of objects that are not desirable. In Phase four, students will learn sentence structure by using pictures to create simple sentences. In Phase five, they lean to respond when given the prompt "What do you want?" In Phase six, students learn to comment, first in response to questions and then spontaneously.
