'To design an education toy or game that will help teach or improve communication for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) implementing aspects of successful communication treatments and therapies.'
0 Comments
Today, was the first official Product 3a lecture of the new term. We were briefed on what we should have got up to over the Christmas period. The two things we were expected of us:
I met Steve after the briefing to have a talk about my new direction with the brief. From the research I gathered other the Christmas break in addition to my feasibility report, I feel like an educational toy or game would be the best way for a child to engage with the product and learn from it, which Steve agreed with, commenting that I could even have a working model by the end. This week I will continuing sketching, on A3 rather than A4, in addition to following up on further research. I will also create a mood board or two on educational toys for impairments in communication already out there to see what is readily available and what the market is missing. Dear Ciara,
Thank you for your email and your interest in The National Autistic Society. Unfortunately we are not able to test or offer feedback on product design as we do not have the facilities or capacity to do this. You may wish look on our Autism Services Directory (www.autism.org.uk/directory) and see if there are any local schools, services, support groups near to you that you could contact about whether they would be willing to provide feedback on your product. You could also join our online community here: http://community.autism.org.uk/ and post about your product. You may find users willing to participate and offer you feedback; since the community involves both people with autism, professionals, and friends and family, there could be some valuable feedback from people with first-hand experience. I can see you have also contacted your local branch, who will be better equipped to potentially help you. I hope this is helpful to you, If you have any further enquiries then please do not hesitate to get back in contact with us on 0808 800 1050 or via this email. Kind Regards, Ildikó Hi Ciara,
I'm glad we were able to help with your research. Yes, we would like to be involved as you progress with your product, so please feel free to email us with updates. Regards, Luke The branch is run by volunteers who are also parent/carers of individuals with ASC we endeavor to get back to any correspondence as soon we are able. 07798 617448 [email protected] www.autism.org.uk NAS helplines
Aphasia - inability (or impaired ability) to understand or produce speech, as a result of brain damage. Aphasia is most commonly caused by a stroke or other traumatic brain injury and is, therefore, not related to children, but rather older individuals who are more subject to neurological issues in the later stages of life. While this condition may not necessarily relate to the user group I am focusing my final product on, aphasia can impair one's communication usually in the form of a loss of speech and other communication strategies. In light of this, I looked into ways that individuals who suffer with communication commute or how others can help with their communication. The following information was sourced from the Aphasia Now 'Communication Strategies; Aids' PDF files: Finding it hard to speak does not mean having nothing to say Printable aphasia Communication Tips Aphasia is a condition that affects the brain and leads to problems using language correctly. It is the result of damage to the parts of the brain involved in speaking, reading, writing and understanding others. Ways that the brain can become damaged: » Stroke » Severe head injury » Brain tumor » Health conditions that cause progressive loss of cells from the brain, such as Alzheimer’s disease » Infections, such as Meningitis and Encephalitis Communication Tips
The Aphasia Alliance's Top Tips for 'Aphasia Friendlier' Communication Using pictures
• photos are often better than clip-art, although not always • put pictures near the text where appropriate • use the appropriate picture for the context • use a picture that describes the idea, not the word (e.g. do not use a picture of a cup of tea for 'making a cup of tea', show someone making the tea) Conversations with people with aphasia • avoid background noise where possible • make eye contact with the person • speak clearly • speak at a normal speed, not too fast, not too slow (If you speak fast normally, slow down) • use short clear sentences – give one piece of information at a time • ask one question at a time - Do you want tea? Do you want coffee? • don’t rush - allow time for the person to take in what you are saying • be patient - give the person with aphasia space to respond at their pace • signal a change of topic • use facial expression, tone of voice, pointing and gesture to help explain what you are talking about • have paper and pen available for both parties • write down key words • use maps, calendars and photos (e.g. family members) to show what you are talking about • encourage the person to communicate in any way he/she can • encourage the person to let you know when they have not understood • clarify - and rephrase when necessary • listen to and watch for clues in facial responses, tone of voice, pointing and gestures (non-verbal responses) • allow time for rests Public Speaking • use short clear sentences • speak clearly • pitch - speak loud enough so that all can hear • vary your tone of voice - don't speak at a monotone • pause - don’t rush, pause occasionally • pace - speak at a normal speed, not too fast, not too slow • signal a change of topic • clarify - and rephrase when necessary • summarise • do not speak for too long - allow for rests As well as addressing communication impaired children, it is also important to consider how the average child, who is without communication constraints, learns to communicate in the early stages of development and what toys, tools or aids are recommended to encourage this. There are lots of ways that you can support the development of your child’s communication skills. Having fun with your child is a really helpful way of encouraging them to talk and pay attention. Try having time with them every day without any background noise (e.g. TV) and try modelling correct speech rather than correcting their mistakes. Playing and having time together is really important, and you can use any toys or games that you have already at home.
There are some toys and games that can be particularly helpful for supporting communication. We have listed our top 10 toys for the development of communication skills below:
Continuing on from the previous post, I have continued looking into toys for particular medical conditions. The following blog post focuses on a selection of toys for blind or sight-challenged children to teach them to communicate without relying on their vision:
Sign2Me Flash Cards Beginners Series The Sign2Me Flash Cards Beginners Series is an excellent starting point for teaching English or Spanish speakers basic American Sign Language (ASL). Every pack contains 28 colorful cards themed around a different topic, with a bright, memorable picture, the corresponding ASL sign, and the English and Spanish words for the object. Pictures Under Pieces Peg Puzzle This Pictures Under Pieces Peg Puzzle is an easy, fun way for children ages 3 and up to learn the alphabet in ASL (American Sign Language) and in English. Pegs on each piece let the user lift them easily. Under the ASL signs on the pieces, the Pictures Under Pieces Peg Puzzle has the corresponding upper and lower-case English letters. Keep Quiet Keep Quiet, a game that can be played by both deaf and hearing users, also helps players learn to fingerspell in just minutes. Each game contains wood cubes depicting the American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet. Play Keep Quiet to have fun and learn better communication skills at the same time. Keep Quiet Reword Keep Quiet Reword is a word-changing game that can be played by both deaf and hearing users to improve their skill at fingerspelling in American Sign Language (ASL). The game is played using a deck of 60 plastic-coated playing cards, with detailed drawings of the ASL alphabet on one side and the corresponding English letter on the other side. Play Keep Quiet Reword at home or in class to improve communication skills. See It and Sign It American Sign Language Game The See It and Sign It American Sign Language Game is a fun game that is easy for deaf and hearing users to pick up and play. The game has six different modes, and a DVD with live-action demonstrations is included. The engaging way the signs are presented helps players remember what sign goes with which word. If that doesn't work, guides with detailed color illustrations and instructions for all 60 of the signs used in See It and Sign It American Sign Language Game are included. Chewy II Teddy Bear
The Chewy II Teddy Bear is soft and plush, with honey-brown fur, a guardian angel on one shoulder, and a golden heart on its chest. The bear is using both paws to make the American Sign Language (ASL) sign for "friend", making the Chewy II Teddy Bear an ideal gift for deaf children or for sign language students. Subject: RE: Communication
From: Helpdesk <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, 22 December 2015 10:33 To: "'[email protected]'" <[email protected]> CC: Dear Ciara Thanks for getting in touch with this question. I hope that the following information is helpful to you as you work on this project. Hearing Link is a charity working with adults with hearing loss. It might be useful to be in touch with the National Deaf children’s Society, if you are not already, for more child-focussed information. http://www.ndcs.org.uk/ 1. How the deaf communicate effectively? We work with adults who have acquired hearing loss. This means that English (rather than BSL) is their first language and although they may learn some signs to communicate, they will mainly use speech. Most will rely on lipreading and any residual hearing they have and rely on using good communication techniques to understand what has been said. We have a great booklet which we have recently produced with BT- you can request a free hard copy by post, but the link to the online version is below. Many people will use additional equipment to help to improve the sounds they want to hear. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are the most obvious but often additional equipment such as personal listeners and loop systems are used. http://hearinglink.org/loops-and-equipment 2. What is recommended to others when communicating with the deaf? The equipment mentioned above along with good communication techniques (listed in the booklet mentioned above). 3. What current products (communication aids e.g. electronic devices) are currently used to help the deaf communicate? You can take a look at what is available by looking at the websites for the following organisations Connevans Website: http://www.connevans.com/ Customer Services: 01737 247571 Email: [email protected] Sarabec Website: http://www.sarabec.com/ Customer Services: 01642 247789 Email: [email protected] Action on Hearing Loss Website: http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/shop.aspx Customer Services: 01733 361199 Email: [email protected] Geemarc Website: http://www.geemarc.com/index.php?lang=en Customer Services: 01707 372372 Email: [email protected] The link to the booklet is as follows: http://www.btplc.com/Inclusion/HelpAndSupport/DocumentsandDownloads/Communicationchoices/Yourhearingyourlife/Communicationchoices-yourhearingyourlife.pdf Please let me know if you would like me to send you a hard copy. With thanks and all best wishes for your project Sarah Sarah Smith | Helpdesk Team Hearing Link: Head Office, 27-28 The Waterfront, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 5UZ Tel/Text: 0300 111 1113 | SMS: 07526 123255 www.hearinglink.org | http://www.facebook.com/HearingLink | http://twitter.com/hearinglink Hearing Link: Connecting people living with hearing loss After having almost a weeks break from all things university and third year related I decided to ease myself back into my selection area of communication for children with autism spectrum disorder by implementing the use of one of my Christmas presents: a kindle. The first book I looked for was one that was about autism and communicating with those who have ASD and I was lucky enough to find a perfect, short-read for free: Autism: Communicating While Impaired (Caldwell, Alice). This 38 page read was designed for 'everyone who want's to learn more about autism' (Caldwell, A. 2015) and covers the basics such as stats and prevalence, signs, symptoms and causes for early detection. Only having 5 chapters I read the book quite quickly but found a lot of useful information in chapter 3 (Communicating with a Child with Autism) and chapter 5 (How to Help a Person with Autism). I decided to sum up what I thought were the key points from each chapter that I should consider, as well as my existing research, in the ideation stage of designing a communication aid for a child with ASD. Some things echo what I already covered in my Feasibility Report as I researched extensively however I will make note of them again as it signifies the important considerations that are repeated through multiple references. Key Points from Chapter 3 - 'Communicating with a Child with Autism'
TWO TYPES OF COMMUNICATION: Pre-intentional - used to calm self and is normally a reaction to something pleasant or unpleasant for the child Intentional - used to express one's self The Stages of The Hanen Programme
Chapter 5 - 'How to Help a Person with Autism'
"High" Technology Computers have been proven to increase the following behavours
|
|