I have used communication boards as assistive technology in the past. We used Put-Em-Arounds which is a device that you record sound into and the child presses a large button to play the recorded instruction. I used this device with a child who had little to no verbal communication skills. At first we introduced it during meal time. Each time the child wanted more then she pressed the button and it said “more.” The speech therapist and I were amazed at how fast she picked it up. We placed a picture in the device of whatever food she was eating. Once she had fully grasped the concept we placed a picture of the sign for more in hopes to get her to start signing. This year she has begun to use more signs and she also uses a more complex communication device which gives her more than one choice. It has been amazing to see how well this technology has worked for her. I will continue to use communication boards in the future as I feel they are a wonderful resource to encourage and facilitate verbal communication skills.
This is a picture of the Put-Em-Around:
Erin, I'm glad you posted a picture of your device. I have used a similar 4 button device in my classroom. I think it's called an Easy Speak. It uses the same concept: a picture with a recorded voice. My non-verbal kids love them. So do my verbal kids. I like that I can change the pictures and voice recordings so easily. A few years back I had a student using a much more advanced device (a $10,000 communication computer). Whew, way too complicated to program or change settings. But much more comprehensive for a child that can handle that level of symbol (picture, letter, word) communication.
ReplyDeleteI love that students have access to devices such as this one to help them communicate. It must be rewarding for the child to express himself. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting a picture of the Put-Em-Arounds for us to see. You said that the child is now using a more complex communication devise. Will you please e-mail me information about it and about the Put-Em-Arounds? I want to share this information with the school where I observe because they have students who could benefit from this assistive technology. I think it is great that the speech therapist is an active team member for the students.
ReplyDelete