Steps to scanning — developing
switch
Presenter
#1
Roger
Bates
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 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 opportunities 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, and 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.