STEPS TO SCANNING DEVELOPING
Catehead Business Park
Delph
Oldham
0L3 SEX
United Kingdom
Day Phone: 4-44 01457819790
Fax:
Email: roger@inclusive.co.uk
Two switch control works best for many students — see lots of programs designed
to develop switching skills from cause and effect to choice making
Complete Paper: For many students basic “cause and effect” using a switch is
achievable. A developed sense of switch control can be harnessed in many ways
to give a child opportunity to interact with their surroundings and with other
people. The session will, start by showing a range of activities and programs
that can be used to develop “cause and effect” and to move on to higher switch
skills such as looking, waiting and pressing at the right time. This first
stage of switch skill development is the key to future success, basic skills
can be established to enable the child to use their switche(s)
with ease, then they can concentrate on what the
switch does.
• Pressing at any time — pressing at the right time
• Needing physical prompt
• Needing verbal prompt
• Self-motivating
• Favorite rewards
Basic activities using a single switch and cause and effect operation cannot
offer the user many opportunities for choice making. This can be done in a
number of ways including providing the users with an alternative input system
offering a greater number of direct choices. Some users will progress to using
input systems such as IntelliKeys, touch screens, large keyboards if they have
the physical abilities to target discrete areas. For those who can only manage
switches we will need to examine this method of access and to offer choices by
a scanning process controlled, in the vast majority of cases, by either
one or two switches. Single or two switch operation of scanning both have
advantages and disadvantages. These will be illustrated with particular
reference to the difficulties faced by students with complex needs including
severe learning difficulties and CVI (cerebral Visual Impairment).
It is becoming clear that achieving choice making by
single switch scanning is an almost impossible task for many students. However
the extra benefits conferred by using a two- switch step scan with auditory
prompts have been found to enable significant additional numbers of students to
progress to choice making using this method.
Developing two—switch skills
This section will consider a selection of computer and
simple—tech activities that can be used to progress toward using a two-switch
scan. A range of software and devices will be considered.
Initially the student should have some degree of switch awareness and then can
begin to explore the issues of using two switches. At this stage we will try to
give them a range of activities where they can become familiar with the concept
of having two switches that do different things.
Two switches - but only one does anything
• Two switches — two different awards
Toy control one switch for go the other for stop using Inclusive toy control
box One switch makes picture other plays sound
At the same time we can begin to consider establishing switch positions that
are best for the student.
Two switch scanning
We now can consider how we can progress using the
pupils two-switch skills with a range of computer software. The Inclusive SwitchlT programs can offer an excellent to progress from
cause and effect to choice making with simple building and story making
activities. The various visual and auditory scanning possibilities will be
examined and off—screen and supporting off—screen activities suggested. A
useful technique to introduce scanning off-
a computer is to use a
cut out paper “scan box” to scan and choose real objects. The child scan then
use computer •scanning to select digital pictures of the same objects.
Inclusive “Chooselt Maker 2” is an easy program that lets you make scanning
grids with visual and auditory scanning. A graduated range of grids will be
shown offering the pupil increasingly challenging choosing opportunities
allowing them to become proficient and controlling scanning using pictures,
symbols and words.