I'm upset because... You can help me by...

Upset Because And Help By Binder

View SlideShare presentation (tags: aac feelings emotions autism)

As has been posted here before the team in our classroom at school has an extremely effective technique we used to address many negative behaviors. It is based on the idea that all behavior is communication. We teach our students to state how they feel, why, and what staff or peers can do to help them. Most of the students use high tech AAC for this, but this summer this lower tech AAC binder was created for one student and then changed in small ways and duplicated for other students. I will post to the Yahoo Boardmaker Group if anyone want to be able to change it in Boarmaker or download from Slideshare as a PDF to use as is.

G-Tube Clothes

This is a follow up to the blog entry Tube Feedings at School.

The following companies sell clothing for children and/or adults who use g-tubes for nutrition and/or hydration. You may want to share these sites with parents this upcoming school year.

• Easy Access
• Tummy Tunnels (iron on patches)
  
• Special Clothes Online
• Bundie Baby Medical Onesie
• Sew-G-It

One of my biggest pet peeves is undershirts under body jackets with no cutout for the g-tube in the undershirt. For this school year I have used those packets of iron on patches meant for worn out knees on pants (you can find them in the sewing notions section of discount stores and drug stores) and ironed them over the area where the g-tube if and then cut a hole (the patch is on the outside as to not be an irritant). This way if the student does not have on a shirt with a hole we can change to one when we put on the body jacket during the morning change. Nothing makes me crazier than a student who cannot fully participate because he or she cannot sit up straight because his or her body jacket has been removed for a feeding (and likely will not be put back on for some time if at all).

Six Message Communication Device DIY for $30.00

This message box records six messages for play back at the touch of a button. It would be perfect for low-vision/blind students with good dexterity or students with good memory who do not need pictures or words to remember which message is where. Another idea is to record six sentences or words and have a student have to play them in order to make a story or full sentence. The possibilities are endless.

Tactual Books and Activities

Are you looking for some new ideas for activities for your learners who have low vision or are blind? Here is a website with some great photos of tactual activities you can make. Check it out.

Tactual Books and Activities

Imagine What You Could Do with This! CamSpace

This free software is currently in closed beta (that means you can't have it yet) from Cam Space.  Open beta is coming and you can sign up to be notified.  It works most web cams. There site includes links to a wiki, a blog, FAQ, and a number of featured applications.

Until it comes out of beta you can play around with Eye Toy.

Thanks to Barrie from One Switch for the link.

T's Technology

This is T, a former student of mine, who now lives a few towns over in a group living situation and works in program for adults with disabilities. She asked me if she could show off her computer prowess online.

T is profoundly blind, has athetoid cerebral palsy and mild hearing loss. She uses a Darci USB with a single switch at right temple to type using Morse Code on her computer. Using her left switch she accesses Jaws, her screen reader (which was not really cooperating for her today) via a switch interface. The University of Massachusetts at Lowell Engineering Department took T's computer on as a project and build her a special speaker mount which drops down from her push bars on the back of her wheelchair so she can hear her Morse Code beeps and Jaws better. (Sidenote: hearing those beeps brought back all those years of her in my classroom, beeping away at her school work. I'll never forget the month we spent learning about contractions in spelling.)

Next to her monitor hangs a sign her old school (after my class) made her so the program assistant at her house can set up her computer. It explains step by step, in simple language, what to do, a brilliant idea.

Today T was asking about switching to a different service for her instant messaging, perhaps Meebo or Miranda- something that will allow her to chat with friends who use all sorts of different instant messagers. Does anyone out there know how these will behave with Jaws? (The Darci behaves like a regular keyboard so that is less of an issue if her correspondent is patient.) T tried to join QIAT today so she could ask the group for herself (she's an independent kind of gal), but their site up website was down. Also T and I chatted about maybe using Twitter or Plurk, but they seem less likely to get along with Jaws. She is really looking to create some community. Ideas?

You can see more pictures of T online. Here she is skiing as a Wednesday's Child with a local TV celebrity and her dad. Here she is in her senior photograph for the class of 2007 from Perkins School for the Blind (PDF-click, don't try to open in a new tab). I wish I could find a picture of T with her favorite celebrity, Celine Dion, who she has met twice, but there doesn't seem to be any on line.

Bumbo Seat and Bigger Bumbo Seat

Lots of special needs classes have been using Bumbo seats for smaller children with relatively low tone.  At about $40.00, $50.00 with the tray, they are a good deal and they do a nice job of supporting certain children.  They come in six pastel colors and are available on many websites and in local department and children's stores.  It is recommended for approximately ages 6-14 months. 

Now a company in Texas has created a Bumbo-like seat for larger children with special needs.  It is called the Childrite Therapy Chair and is specifically designed to be a Bumbo seat for older special needs children.  The seat is 10.5 inches in width, 10 inches in depth and 11.5 inches in height (from the seat bottom to the top of the seat back).  The Childrite Therapy Seat sells for $199.00, but there is currently a deal for $50.00 online.  Also I saw one online at eBay for $175.00.  The higher cost is because of the smaller volume being made and sold as well as the larger size causing a larger amount of material to make it.  Additionally it is made in the USA andthe Bumbo is made overseas.  It should be noted that the Childrite is make with permission of the Bumbo company.