Autism Awareness 2016

It's the end of Autism Awareness month, but it's not too late for supports. If you have read my blog so far, you know I am a huge TocaBoca Fan. TocaBoca make fun apps for my students but also for me. Since most of the apps don't have verbal output, there are plenty of opportunities to engage in practical conversation or practice meaningful phrases when playing the apps together.

For Autism Awareness Month, Toca Boca has published this article highlighting tech supports for people with autism. It's a great way to explore other apps for kids with autism. While you are there, check out some of the newer TocaBoca apps and hopefully soon, there will be a new post here on fun ways to elicit language using those too!

Happy Autism Awareness Month and happy playing!

Let's talk about angry birds: digital and analog!

Angry birds is a game that we probably all recognize by now. You know it, right? That game where some green pigs steal eggs from some birds, different colored birds, who become very angry and try to knock the pigs off various structures. Thats the one! It was probably one of my first apps I ever purchased. Lucky for us all, after all these years, it is still a wildly motivating game for students. And lucky for me, there is not only the app, but there is also the board game. Any student would be over the moon to be able to play angry birds (analog or digital) in a speech therapy session. I used to leave it for the "reward time" at the end of a session because I wasn't able to find a way to incorporate language. So, I created this  core word based topical communication board  to accompany the board game to help get us talking while we played together, but I have also found it useful for when using the digital app as well. Find the board on boardmakeronline here. 

To play the board game, there are a few set up steps. First, you pick a card to decide which structure to build. Then, you need to get all the pieces in order to construct the structure. I keep all the pieces by me. This opens up loads of opportunity to communicate. (Note: there is no construction while playing the app.) Here are some of the target phrases I work on while preparing the  board game focusing on the use of core words with a few topically related fringe words: 

I want that

I want more

I want different 

I do it

Help me

You do it more

Turn it there

I get it

Where it go?

It go there

I want 2 triangle/square

I want big rectangle

I want do different

Then, once the structure is completed, the different color birds can be slingshot towards the structure to knock it down. It's actually a little harder than it looks!. Here are some phrases I model and expect from my students while the birds try to knock down those pesky pigs! Many of these phrases can be used while using the app as well: 

I want that bird

I do different bird

Where is small/big bird?

I do it

Help me

You do it

Where is it? (When the bird flies too far away)

It is there.

It go over (when the bird doesn't hit the structure)

It go down (when the structure falls down)

It no go down (when nothing gets hit)

You help do that (I use this phrase a lot when students need help holding the slingshot)

Help there (I also use this phrase when students need help holding the slingshot). 

I'm sure there are even more phrases as well. Hopefully, these phrases can provide some core word inspiration for an "older" and highly addictive app and board game!  If you think of other core word phrases, please feel free to share! Now, playing angry birds can be a motivating way to generalize the use of core words into an everyday game!

The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981–2011 by Mayer-Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Boardmaker® is a trademark of Mayer-Johnson LLC.

Toca Hair Salon: make it work with core words!

I'm pretty sure by now it's well known fact how much I love TocaBoca apps. They not only engage the students I work with but they fully engage me as well. Because there is very little written language or spoken language within them, the apps lend themselves to a plenty of opportunities and motivation for communication exchanges. 

FYI, TocaBoca is offering a bundle (Toca Toy Box) and Toca Hair Salon can be purchased along with other great TocaBoca apps for a reduced price. 

Toca Hair salon is not a new release, but it sure is a favorite that never gets old. After you select a character, you can cut, grow, curl, straighten, wash, dry or color the person's hair. Although this app can lend itself to helping learn some specific salon style vocabulary, I chose to use a core words board with limited fringe (more specific vocabulary words) on the top. Before taking a turn using the app, I expect my clients to use a phrase using some of the vocabulary below to convey what he/she would like to do. 

This board can be found on Boarmakeronline. Often, my clients point to icons as they speak or use their AAC devices.  Some of the phrases might be:

• I/you do it
• Help me do
• I cut hair
• Let's grow it
• I like it
• Stop, no like
• Want different hair
• Cut different
• Grow more hair
• Comb there
• Cut that
• Look! (she.. point to character) like it
• Dry hair

Although there are plenty more vocabulary words I could focus on using (e.g. curly, straight, long, short, frizzy, towel dry, hair dryer, clip, bow, colors etc.), I chose to focus on the use of core words (shown as the bigger icons) with basic, more frequently used fringe words (shown as smaller icons on top) that could be used multiple times while playing with the app. Focusing on the core words allows for more practice with the vocabulary within one speech therapy sessions. In addition, because core words are practical, functional words that can be used across multiple settings, practicing them within a fun game will increase the likelihood they will be used outside the game (and in the real world!) as well.

I like to think of core words as "make it work" words. For example, I as the speech therapist become a "Tim Gunn" and I encourage my students to say what they want to say with the words that they have in front of them. Of course, if I am to expect this of my students, I myself have to change what I say and "make it work" with what words I have. 

So the boards not only serve as support for my students, but also for me as a reminder of the most useful words that I should be modeling for my students throughout our speech therapy activities. 

For more information on core words and AAC, PrAACtical AAC is a great resource! 

Now, go "make it work!" 

The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981–2011 by Mayer-Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Boardmaker® is a trademark of Mayer-Johnson LLC.

Build a Train

In a few weeks, I will be presenting at ASHA 2014 in Orlando, FL.  I’m very excited because, let's be honest, I love sharing and I will be talking about a lot of the information I write about on this blog.   Even though this particular app is not a new app to my collection, I thought I might post about it since I will be talking about it and showing videos of students using this app during my upcoming presentation.

 Build a train is a great free app that allows for kids to construct virtual trains and then set them out onto a choice of tracks.  As soon as you start the app, the building begins.  Even the very get go, there’s tons of opportunity to use descriptive language while building the train: "Blue train with yellow", the "red caboose," "the green engine."  Students tap on each train, or swipe through trains to see more choices.   You can select a location (winter, volcano, island… NOTE: some are for purchase) and off you go!

Once the train in on the track, we have to “make it go.”  There is a dial on the side that can be used to make it “go fast,” or “go slow.” But! A key step in this process is that I require a communication exchange before allowing the student to have access to the iPad to control the train.  I use this topical board to help facilitate language use for my students that have difficulty initiating the use of novel sentence structures. 

If you are interested in more information about how I use board like these, you can find it here. This one in particular was one of my earlier boards.  In a nutshell, here is how I use it. I have the app on the iPad in one hand. On the table in front of the student and myself  I leave this topical communication board.  I might ask a general question to the student such as “what should we do now?”  If the student does not answer, I might prompt the answer by pointing to some reasonable words such as “I + choose+ train” or "train + go."  I will model the phrase verbally as well.  I expect the student to attempt a similar phrase (with or without my pointing).  Once they do, I praise and allow them to play with the train in the manner they described. Sometimes I have kids that say one thing and reach for a different area on the iPad. In this case, I pull the iPad back and redirect them to the board and model the phrase they are attempting to do (e.g. "Oh, it looks like you meant to say 'horn go,'" (with pointing to each word as it is said).  "Let's do the horn," (while point to horn icon).  

Eventually, I fade my gestural prompts with the boards and the student can use the visuals (with or without pointing) to help him/her respond more independently. I find boards like these particularly helpful when working with kids with autism when trying to use novel language outside of "I want train please."  They provide visual support, limit the vocabulary so that it is on topic (and less overwhelming) and help guide the student to use new sentence structures.

Some of the other key phrases I target while using this app include both core and fringe words. Examples are:

• Make horn go
•  Do bell
• Make train go fast/slow
• Different track
• Do different track
• I choose track
• I play more
• I choose more train
• I/you change train/track

My favorite core word to use with this board is “turn” because it can be used with two distinct meanings:

• My/your turn
• Turn on/off light

My friend developed her own board based on her student's motivations. Although the concept was the same, her board contained different vocabulary. Her particular student was motivated by pick up boxes.  She also preferred to focus on the vocabulary for "night" and "day" rather than referring to the "lights."

For free, I highly recommend you give it a try. Then you can tell me all about how it works for you at ASHA! Hope to see you at there!

The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981–2011 by Mayer-Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Boardmaker® is a trademark of Mayer-Johnson LLC.

Toca Boca Birthday Party (and Tea Party)

Toca Boca is always there for me... Just when I feel I need a nice, new, refreshing app, Toca Boca provides. I have to admit, this app is actually an older app, it's not new, but it is new to me.To be completely honest, I don't have all the older TocaBoca apps yet. I think I might even save them for another day that I need a new toy.   

Toca Boca Birthday (and similarly related, Toca Boca Tea Party) is a cheap app that allows for digital pretend play rein-acting the social gathering of a birthday party.   It's a fun way to practice the basic social skills needed at a birthday party and provides an opportunity to use language beyond "I want."  My students and myself are super motivated to "eat" the cake and "open" the present. I even have students that bring in stuffed animals to join in and partake in "cake" eating. Most look forward to "blowing" out the candles the most (and often attempt to blow even though it is a touch that puts out the flame.)

I use this topical communication board while playing with this app to elicit lots of language! You can find the actual topical communication board here on boardmakerachieve. 

For more information about the general use of the boards, visit here. 

In general, I point to each icon/word as I speak to model the various phrases that can be spoken while using this app. The visuals can be used to help the student understand what I am trying to say, or can be a visual support to help prime them with the vocabulary required for the activity. 

Some of the phrases I work on while using this app include: "I/you give plate," "I/you open present," "I/you give cake," "I/you eat cake," (different actions while using the app, which is why the single word utterance of "cake" from a student is not enough in this case!) "I/ you pour juice," "your/my turn."  

This month, I started using video modeling.  I took a video of me using the board to say the phrase I was targeting and then model the "reward" (which really depicts  what the message intended to do).  You can view an example of this type of video here:

Most of my students with autism are partially verbal.  For them, the visuals help them vocalize without verbal cues from me on what language to use. Some of my students verbalize as I point to the icons, thereby allowing for more independence initiating communication. Others point to the icons on their own and vocalize or try to vocalize as they do. I also have students on my caseload who use voice output devices. They might use the visuals as a guide to keep them on track as they expanded utterances while they navigate multiple times across their device.  For all of my students, the visuals add some longevity to the transient nature of verbal language. 

In the related TocaBoca Tea Party game, there are also the tea cups can be knocked over, which allows for great practice of "uh-oh," and "I help" when cleaning up the spill.

 For my students who are working on social skills, while using Toca Boca Birthday Party and TocaBoca Tea Party, we work on asking "Can I get you something?" rather than just dragging pieces of cake onto people's plate without asking.  With TocaBoca Tea Party, we also work on describing which cake or plate we want using specific language such as "I'll have the pink plate" or "can I have the cake with the strawberries on top?"  It can also be a great way to practice following directions (e.g. "put the chocolate cake with sprinkles on the blue plate.").

My students across the board have loved Toca Boca Birthday (and Tea Party). It is a refreshing new way to work on "pretend" play using a digital interface. Try them both! I find that there is a lot kids want to say while using these apps and tons of opportunity for social interaction!

Go Away Big Green Monster

Go Away Big Green Monster app is actually an interactive book, a really fun one that my students really gravitate towards. It can be read with or without narration or with a song. 

What's great about this book is that each page lends itself to talking about individual body parts using multiple descriptions.  With the turn of each page, the monster gains more and more parts to his face. I stop on each page to comment about each body part the monster gains by using a full sentence. Depending on the student and his goals, I use different types of sentences:  "two eyes," "he has 2 eyes," or "he has 2 big, yellow eyes."  The addition of body parts page by page allows for plenty of repetition sentences with similar sentence structure.

While I read the book or use the app, I use this communication board to enhance and support language. Most of my clients use 1 descriptor at a time, but in some cases up to 3 can be used per body part.

Then, as the book continues, each body part disappears one by one.  I use the turn of each page to practice use of the negatives such as "no hair" or "he has no nose."

I point to each icon on the topical board as I model the intended sentence for each page. The student can then either point to the icons to formulate sentences, or as in most cases, the student will point and simultaneously vocalize each sentence.  After s/he comments on what he sees, the student can touch the body part on the app, which makes a fun sound as it wiggles. As the student is first learning the app, I also have him/her find the same body parts on his/her own body as well.

To generalize the skills learned in this activity, I use the same topical board while playing with "Mr. Potato Head." Most of the time, I will play "Mr. Potato Head" directly before or after using the "Go Away Green Monster" app.  The student can use the board to request pieces (e.g "blue eyes," "2 ears") and sometimes we even comment on what the "Mr. Potato Head" is missing in order to request pieces.  For example, if the student comments, "he has no hair," or "no hair," I respond "that's right, he has no hair. Let's find some." 

I also use the same topical board with my "One-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater" doll right after playing with the app. I model how the same words on the topical board can be used to describe other monsters that look different. 

The app is one my students ask for quite often and I love that the language is so easily generalizable. There are tons of fun things to talk about in the app and book!  The visual supports appear to help student initiate the use of new comments and help add more descriptions to their language as well.

Hope you find it as fun and productive as I did!

The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981–2011 by Mayer-Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Boardmaker® is a trademark of Mayer-Johnson LLC.