The Yes/No Series - Part One

Ways to Indicate Yes and No

There are so many ways we all say yes and no every day.  None of us is limited to just one means and our students should be either.  In teaching our students a yes/no response we aim for the most universal - verbal and/or head nod/shake (at least in the USA, in English) but if those are not possible any other system is better than none at all.  Here is a list of some I have seen used by people with significant special needs over the years:

• Verbal response (yes/no, ok/no, yeah/nah, si/no, uh ha/ut ah)
• Head Nod/Shake
• Body Language (smile/frown, look/look away, reach/push away)
• Pointing to symbols with
• Finger
• Hand
• Foot
•  Head
•  Eyes
• Other
•  Activating a voice output switch

•  Finger
•  Hand
•  Foot
• Head
• Eyes
• Other
• Activating a speech device
• Yes/no wrist bands – raise hand or look at hand
• Yes/no symbols on arm rest with hand movement or eye gaze to symbols
• Sign yes/no (or sign approximations)
• Eyes up for yes, eyes down for no (and vice versa)
• Eyes left for yes, eyes right for no (and vice versa)
•  Facial expressions – smile for yes, frown for no
• Thumbs up/thumbs down
• Look at partner for yes/look away for no
• Yes/no cards
• Yes/no wearable tag/necklace
• Hold up fist for yes/open hand for no
• Tongue click for yes, none for no
• Eye brows up for yes/down for no (vice versa)
• Lip raise for yes (smile) and nose wrinkle for no (sour face)
• Point to chin for yes and nose for no
• Clap for yes, tap tray for no
• There's an app for that

Or any combination of a yes and a no from above!

Virtual Manipulatives for Math

Virtual Manipulatives for Computers

• McGraw Hill/Glencoe Virtual Manipulatives (free)
• National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
• Mister Teacher's Virtual Manipultives for SMART Boards
• Twenty Frame Free

Virtual Manipulative Apps for iPad/iPod

Instead of Counters

• Twenty Frame $0.99
• Hundreds Frame $0.99
• Math Tablet Free
• Calculation Triangle Free
• Montessori Counting Board Free
• Finger Math Abacus $3.99

Instead of Unifix Blocks

• vBlocks $2.99

Instead of Geoboards

• Geoboards Free 
• Hands on Math Geoboard 41.99

Instead of Base Ten Blocks

• Hands On Math Base Ten Blocks $1.99
• Base Ten Blocks $0.99
• Common Core Numbers and Operations in Base Ten $2.99
• Base Ten Fun $1.99

Instead of Magnetic Numbers

• ABC Magnetic Alphabet HD $1.99

Instead of Pattern Blocks

• Pattern Blocks 

Instead of Fraction Rods

• Virtual Manipulatives! Free

Instead of Beads or an Abacus

• Abacus $0.99

Instead of Pencil and Paper

• Math Paper by Panther $19.99

Windows and Mirrors in Action

Cross Post from Welcoming Schools 

I was observing a kindergarten class and the teacher was reading to the children from a book about healthy habits. About half way through the book I heard a little boy call out, “Hey, that’s a wheelchair!”. The teacher looked at the picture and saw the photograph was of a girl using a wheelchair while brushing her teeth. The teacher said, “You’re right, she is using a wheelchair just like you.” The other children smiled at their friend and one girl flashed him a thumbs up. The little boy grinned from his seat in his wheelchair for the rest of the activity. – Kate Ahern, a Special Ed Teacher in Massachusetts

 In our Welcoming Schools workshops we often talk about providing students with windows and mirrors: mirrors to help students see themselves reflected in a positive way and windows to help them understand experiences beyond their own.*

This might be an abstract intellectual idea until you observe a boy become delighted by a simple photograph that sends a message that who he is matters.  All students, especially those who may be marginalized for any host of reasons, deserve these moments.

You can find an excellent list of children's books which depict diverse individuals at

• Library Booklist. 
• The Anti-Defamation League
• Scope's In the Picture Campaign has a booklist specific to disability 

*This concept of Windows and Mirrors comes from an article by Emily Style.  You can read this article at: http://www.library.wisc.edu/edvrc/docs/public/pdfs/SEEDReadings/CurriculumWindow.pdf

The Periodic Table of AAC

Get the PDF of this here.

Sometimes a Little AAC is All You Need

Fat Chat Apps fills a bit of a vacancy in the AAC Apps world.  It doesn't pretend to be a comprehensive solution.  Fat Chat Apps are a family of small, fun AAC apps for joking around, sky kids in new situations or extending conversations and fixing communication break downs.  The most important thing about these apps is they are fun!

Pirate Chat and Outback Chat are two of the joking around choices.  Fun, unique picture symbols combine with thematic phrases to allow kids (and adults) to have fun.  You can even send your messages through Twitter, e-mail,  IM or text.  Perfect for participating in talk Like  A Pirate Day or being a Pirate or Aussie Cowboy for Halloween.

Spooky Chat, Santa Chat, and Bunny Chat are situational AAC apps.  Perfect for shy toddlers, those not wanting to haul around bigger AAC devices or when a non-speaking communication book just won't do.  Now you have a solution for trick-or-treating, visiting Santa and the Easter Bunny.

Finally there are some apps for short term solutions to AAC talk.  Snappy Chat provided kid-friendly conversational extenders while Fast 20 is a core word solution utilizing the top 20+ core words and Chat Repair gives you 160 phrases to fix communication problems and extend conversation.  Phrases range from "my bad", to, "excuse me" and then some.  These apps are nice back up tools, choices for those who are understood just fine when communicating with familiar listeners but need help with new listeners and those who maybe just need a hand when tired or ill.

In general these apps are only $.99 and are available for iOS and Android.

I am hoping, "Doctor Office Chat", "Dentist Chat" and "Birthday Party Chat" are coming soon.  And maybe "Performance Review Chat" for those of us who get verklempt at our annual evaluations!  (Wait, Yiddish Chat!  We want Yiddish Chat!)

How Many Sentences Can You Make?

To the left is a board with 20 core words on it.  Some people wonder how many things can be said with 20 words.  I thought I would give it a try:

1. I like you.
2. You like me.
3. I like it.
4. I like that.
5. I want some.
6. I want more.
7. I want some more.
8. You want more.
9. You want some.
10. You want some more.
11. I want that.
12. You want that.
13. I want help.
14. You want help.
15. I want (to) go.
16. I want (to) go in.
17. I want (to) go out.
18. I want it.
19. You want (to) go.
20. You want (to) go in.
21. You want (to) go out.
22. I am all done.
23. You are all done.
24. You go in here.
25. I go in here
26. I like (to) go out.
27. I like (to) go in.
28. You like (to) go out.
29. You like (to) go in.
30. I want you (to) stop.
31. You want me (to) stop.
32. It go on here.
33. It go out.
34. It go in.
35. What (do) you want
36. That what I want.
37. It is what I want
38. I want some in here.
39. You want some in here.
40. What?
41. What go(es) in?
42. What go(es) out?
43. What is here?
44. Mine is here.
45. It is mine.
46. What is that?
47. Some like it.
48. Some like that.
49. Not on this board.
50. It not on this board.

Obviously my list assumes facial expression to imply a question versus a statement, but 50 possible sentences from 20 squares really increases that value of what some call a limited about of "real estate" on a communication board.

On the right is a 25 word communication board.  (It happens to be a photo of a poster a family uses to model core words and sentence building for their AAC user.)  This board is a print out from a dynamic display device, so abox is lost to "back", although back can certainly be used as a word as well.  By adding "not", "who", "that", "eat", and "now" to the above board how many more sentences can we make?

1. I want this.
2. You want this.
3. I want this now.
4. You want this now.
5. Who want(s) this?
6. Who want(s) this now?
7. I am not all done.
8. You are not all done.
9. It is not all done.
10. I am not all done now.
11. You are not all done now.
12. It is not all done now.
13. Who is not all done?
14. What is not all done?
15. Who is all done?
16. I (will) not eat that.
17. I (will) not eat this.
18. I (will) not stop eat(ing).
19. I (will) not stop eat(ing) that.
20. I (will) not stop eat(ing) now.
21. I (do) not want it.
22. I (do) not want that.
23. I (do) not want this.
24. I (do) not want (to) eat.
25. I (do) not want (to) go.
26. I (do) not want (to) stop.
27. I (do) not like it.
28. I (do) not like this.
29. I (do) not like that.
30. I (will) not go here.
31. I (will) not go there.
32. I (will) not go in.
33. I (will) not go in here.
34. I (will) not go in there.
35. Not mine.
36. I like this.
37. You like this.
38. What is this?
39. Who is this?
40. Who is out?
41. Who is in?
42. Who want(s) you?
43. You want who?
44. What want(s) help?
45. Who go(es) in?
46. Who go(es) out?
47. Who is in now?
48. Who is out now?
49. Who is all done?
50. Who wants (to) go?
51. Who wants this?
52. Who wants that?
53. Who wants it?
54. I eat this.
55. I eat that.
56. I want (to) eat.
57. I want (to) eat this.
58. I want to eat that.
59. I want (to) stop eat(ing).
60. I am all done eat(ing).
61. I am all done eat(ing) now.
62. I am all done eat(ing) here.
63. I am all done eat(ing) that.
64. I am all done eat(ing) this.
65. Who is all done eat(ing) now?
66. You are all done eat(ing).
67. You are all done eat(ing) now.
68. It is all done.
69. It is all done eat(ing).
70. It is all done eat(ing) now.
71. It is all done eat(ing) here.
72. It is all done eat(ing) this.
73. It is all done eat(ing) that.
74. It is all done go(ing).
75. It is all done go(ing) out.
76. It is all done go(ing) in.
77. It is all done go(ing) now.
78. I am all done go(ing) now.
79. You are all done go(ing) now.
80. That is more.
81. This is more.
82. It is more.
83. This is all done.
84. This is all done now.
85. Now it is all done.
86. Now you are all done.
87. Now I am all done.
88. Now that is all done.
89. Now this is all done.
90. Stop eat(ing) that!
91. Stop eat(ing) this.
92. Stop eat(ing) that now.
93. Stop go(ing) now.
94. Stop it now.
95. Stop that now.
96. Stop this now.
97. Who stop(ped) that?
98. Who stop(ed) this?
99. Who is stop(ed) now?
100. Who is stop(ped) here?
101. What is stop(ed)?
102. What is stop(ed) now?
103. What is all done now?
104. Who is all done now?
105. Who is all done?
106. Is it all done?
107. Help it go.
108. Help it eat.
109. Help you eat.
110. Help me (I) eat.
111. You help me eat.
112. You help me go.
113. You help me go here.
114. You help me go out.
115. You help me go in.
116. You help me go now.
117. Now you help me.
118. Now you help me go.
119. Now you help me eat.
120. I help you eat now.
121. You help me eat now.
122. I go back.
123. You go back.
124. It go(es) back.
125. I go back now.
126. I go back here now.
127. You go back now.
128. It go(es) back now.
129. It go(es) back here.
130. I go back here.
131. You go back here.
132. I go back in.
133. You go back in.
134. It go(es) back in.
135. I go back out.
136. You go back out.
137. It goes back out.
138. Who go(es) back out?
139. Who go(es) here?
140. Who go(es) back in?
141. What go(es) back out?
142. What go(es) back in?
143. What go(es) back?
144. What go(es) back here?
145. What go(es) back here now?
146. Now what go(es) here?
147. Now who go(es) here?
148. I (do) not want help.
149. You (do) not want help.
150. It (does) not want help.

So with 25 core words that is a total of 200 different things that can be said.  There are definitely some missing from my list too.  Feel free to add the ones missing to the comments.  Imagine how many things could be said with 30, 35, 40, 50 or 100 core words?  20 Core words is absolutely a starting point in working towards more self-generated language.  It has it's shortfalls: you can't say everything, there is no way to provide context (excluding multi-modal communication like pointing, eye pointing, gestures, nodding/shaking a head or a set of fringe vocabulary), there is no way to provide verb tenses (and therefore give context as to time) and 20 words is only a teeny, minuscule portion of what there is to say in the world.  

An intuitive and attentive communication partner can allow an AAC user to guide the conversation by asking clarifying questions, such as:

AAC User:  I go there.

Partner: You went there?

AAC User:  (Using gestures) No. (Using board.)  I want go there.

Partner:  Oh, you want to go somewhere?

AAC User: (Using gestures) Yes. (Using board) You help I (me) go there.

Partner: You want me to help you go somewhere.  Somewhere in the school? 

AAC User: I go eat.

Partner:  You want me to help you go to the cafeteria!?!

AAC User:  (Using gestures) Yes. (Using board)  I go eat now.  You go eat now.  Go eat there.

As you can see it takes some work on both sides, but try saying all that if you had twenty-five buttons that only had complete sentences like, "I want to listen to Raffi" and "I want to go potty"!  Core words do not have to replace pragmatic, phrase or sentence based alternative communication, but they are an excellent add-on to those systems.

Students can be taught to "try to tell me with your core words" when they cannot find a way to say what they want to say within their other pages.  If a core word page set is linked to a more pragmatic phrase or sentence based set of communication pages it might even be faster to say "stop" or "more" using the core words pages instead of navigating deep into the boards to find those things!

Core word pages can also be printed and laminated to make a portable, water proof and convenient solution on the road, in the pool or on a walk.  If you go to an office center like Staples or Office Max (or online at Vista Print) you can print out a core word board poster size (and have it laminated) to use around the house, outside or even hang it over the AAC users bed on the ceiling so he or she can "talk to myself".

You can try doing this sentence building activity yourself.  Try it at a staff meeting with aides and others or at home with your family.  Using pointing and gestures to provide context and see how much you can say.  This activity, sort of a sentence scramble, is a great way to train communication partners in how far you can go with just core words.  It could work in training adults or children to be good communication partners.

Core words can be limiting but its better than a world of yes/no questions and hoping someone guesses the questions to ask correctly, isn't it?

Pinterest for Our Classrooms

Pinterest seems to be a big hit that is here to stay.  I've been pinning for a while now and here are some boards you might find useful.  Please add links to your boards in the comments!

• AAC in which alternative and augmentative methods of communication are on full display
• Android and Kindle Fire for AT and SpEd in which Android apps and devices strut their stuffCrafts in which crafts - for the classroom and home - inspire you
• Assistive Tech on which all things technology that can help a person who is differently abled take center stage
• CVI and Low Vision in which resources for cortical vision impairment and low vision are shown
• Free AT in which the focus is on assisitive technology that won't break the bank
• iOS for AT and SpEd in which there are lots of images of things in the iPad family 
• Life in the Switch Lane in which switches and things to do with them are highlighted
• Sensory Ideas in which sensory activities and inspirations make you wish you were on a swing 
• Special Needs in which we see things and information for people with special needs and those who love them 
• Teaching and Learning in which general education and special education teachers find ideas for better practice
• Visual and Emotional Supports in which ways to show instead of tell are seen on the screen

And just for fun:

• Harry Potter Theme Unit in which you wish you could spend six months teaching Harry Potter

And be sure to check out the Pinterest Special Needs Directory!