CREATIVE STRATEGIES FOR STEPPING STONE FOUR-LEARNING
TO STEP SCAN
Presenter(s)
Linda Burkhart
Private Consultant
6201 Candle Ct.
Eldersburg MD 21784
Day Phone: 410 795-4561
Fax: 410 795-8834
Email: linda@Lindaburkhart.com
This session will present creative strategies for systematically teaching
struggling switch users the cognitive and motor skills needed to move from
cause and effect to two switch step scanning.
Children who face significant motor challenges along with a variety of
other multiple challenges often need to use switches to access communication,
play and learning. This presentation is based on Stepping Stone 4 of a sequence
of Stepping Stones for Switch Access (Burkhart 2004). These Stepping Stones can
help guide the teacher, therapist or parent through the process of introducing
switches and teaching access. The steps begin with cause and effect and move
through scanning with a single switch or two switches. Step 4 focuses on
children who do not yet understand the concept of step scanning. Numerous case
studies, videos and examples will be used to demonstrate creative applications
of the Stepping Stone process.
Stepping Stones one through three will be reviewed briefly to demonstrate
the skills leading up to stepping stone four. In stepping stone one, the
student gains the understanding of cause and effect through carefully
engineered experiences. Next, in stepping stone the child learns to activate a
single switch in multiple locations and for multiple functions. Once the child
can locate switches in multiple locations and understand a variety of functions
for switches, then stepping stone three - two switches with two functions can
be introduced. At this level the child is given the opportunity to become more
actively involved in the learning process and learn to discriminate and make
choices.
Some children easily understand how to then move on to two switch step
scanning or single switch automatic scanning. Other children, however, don’t
understand this process and must be taught through a series of concrete and
meaningful experiences that one switch is the “mover” and the other the
“selector”.
Participants will: discuss the difficulties faced by some children in understanding
and mastering the transition from cause and effect learning to two switch step
scanning. List creative ideas and strategies to help students learn to step
scan, and provide a variety of examples of activities for practicing Stepping
Stone 4 - Learning to Step Scan.
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