I am moving one of my students (who has a progressive condition) from direct select with a touch screen/key guard to two switch scanning. Two switch scanning is also called dual switch scanning or scan and select. It means using one switch to move the selection from one item to another and another switch to make a choice. In this case the left, red switch is used to move the arrow/cursor and the right, blue switch is used to enter the final choice.For now the student is using only two different programs for learning this new skill, Stages Levels Five and Six and Boardmaker with Speaking Dynamically Pro with a customized set of boards. The learners speed and accuracy are improving gradually. Above is a picture of our set up, although the switch easel on the left has been replaced with another universal switch mount. This student is my first to use two switch scanning, although I have had dozens of single switch scanners. In this case I have chosen two switch scanning to reduce cognitive load and because the students physical limitations do not allow timing of switch hits. Below are resources I have found helpful in our transition to two switches.
Thanks for the great set of resources on step scanning. Inspired by Linda Burkhart's work, I'm supporting a rapidly increasing number of step scanners.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm at it, thanks for all that you invest in TLWMSN! I find it to be a veritable gold mine. I've subscribed for quite a while, and frequently find something really helpful here. --Paul