Dr. Chris’ Autism Journal

This book which came out in 2005, available for $28.95 on Amazon, highlights the fact that technology is no longer just a nice thing to have for special needs students, it is a critical life skill for survival and success in the real world.  Ulman, an instructor of special education at Ball State University, nicely explains the importance of technology skills and how important it is for teachers and parents to also be up to date on technology, so that they can better teach their children.  Although the book is obviously not up to date due to the many advancements in technology since 2005, it still provides a great framework for teachers to get started in incorporating technology into their classrooms, although teachers will want to research more updated software titles (some suggestions at the end of this article).

The book takes the reader through a step-by-step, practical approach to doing a variety of tasks on the computer such as word processing, graphics, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, and using the internet.  Using pictures and easy-to-understand instructions, Ulman explains how teachers can break these sophisticated steps down into manageable instructional sessions and build the skills over time.

My favorite chapter is Chapter 7, which discusses how to use educational software in the classroom.  Ulman points out that computers are often used as a reward in the classroom, but not effectively as a learning tool.  Suggested uses for computers in the classroom include:

* Reinforced Practice (software reinforces previously taught material) (e.g. Stanley’s Sticker Stories from Edmark Reading (now Riverdeep) which reinforces writing skills)
* Tutorial (teach new concepts) (e.g. Creature Chorus from Laureate Learning which teaches young children to use the mouse or touch screen)
* Simulation (simulates some aspect of real life) (e.g. The Oregon Trail from The Learning Company which teaches the student to make decisions to help travelers arrive safely in Oregon (e.g. what to take, when to leave, how fast to move, etc))
* Problem Solving (solving instructionally relevant problems) (e.g. Puzzle Tanks by Sunburst Technology which teaches the student to fill, empty, and transfer liquids between different storage tanks to reach target amounts)
* Graphics (allows users to express their creativity without having to use paper and pencil) (e.g. Kid Pix Deluxe from The Learning Company)
* Reference (dictionaries, thesaurus, encyclopedia, etc) (e.g. The American Heritage Dictionary for Children from Houghton Mifflin)
* Teacher Utility (programs that make the teacher’s job easier) (e.g. Boardmaker from Mayer-Johnson which provides thousands of picture communication symbols that can be printed and used for schedules, communication, etc.)
* Student Utility (programs that make the student’s job easier) (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, etc) (e.g. Inspiration from Inspiration Software helps students plan, organize, outline, diagram, and write)
* Authoring (provides teachers with tools to create their own lessons) (e.g. HyperStudio from Sunburst Technologies helps teachers make lessons as well as presentations for meetings or classroom use)

The book is also very helpful for how to make adaptations for special needs students and gives ideas for the mouse, keyboard, touch screen, switch inputs, and speech recognition.

Because this book is from 2005, I thought it would be helpful to provide a few links to sites that specialize in software for special education, check these out!  Please let us know if you have other suggestions, these are sites that offer multiple products, not specific product sites.
Turning Point Technology

Timberdoodle

Super Kids Educational Software Reviews

SmartKids Software

The Autism Society of Washington has been hard at work this summer.  ASW is comprised of a Board of Directors, a Professional Advisory Board, and an Autism Advisory Board.  They all work hard to create the best possible resources, advocacy, support, and education to all those affected with autism spectrum disorders, across all ages, and across the state of Washington. 

They have recently updated their entire website and it now has all new information and all new resources for all of the individuals, families, and professionals across Washington state.  Take a look at their new website, explore, and register with their brand new forum.  Connect with people, develop relationships, and learn more and more each time you visit.

There are fully interactive forums with up to date and meaningful topics, there are interactive state maps and local chapter websites across the state, and there is a wealth of information regarding the dissemination of current research and evidence based practice.  There is a gallery full of art submitted from individuals with ASD from across Washington, there is a featured teacher tip each month, there’s health tips, art projects and cooking activities, and there is even a favorite child quote for the month.  As you can probably tell, there really is something for everyone

Be sure to check in with the Autism Society of Washington!  Find your local chapter, see what matters to you.

Check out this new article about autism and technology on the Digital Directions website from Education Week Magazine, they talk about TeachTown and other cutting-edge technologies, and also about how some people are concerned about the use of computers.  Curious to know your thoughts on this topic!

The National Center of Technology Innovation (NCTI) has just posted an article about the recent research TeachTown, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Cal State LA has done with young children with ASD - check it out!

http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/2009/07/20/case-teaching-children-with-autism-through-technology/

In our teaching and learning endeavors with children, we often are driven by the ultimate outcome and functionality of a skill without even realizing it. Behind this motivation for teaching is the value and importance of generalization, we want our students to be able to learn something in an instructional setting and apply it in a functional setting. Think back to the days when you learned the alphabet. Now think of how easily you were able to learn that A is A, no matter what color it is, how tall it is, what kind of paper it is on, if it was on the fridge or in a book, or who might be asking you about it. And notice how you did not forget that A is A once you mastered the skill. This is generalization.

            Difficulties with generalization of skills are well-known in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to those who work with them. These difficulties often will mean that generalization will not just occur, but rather will need to be explicitly programmed and planned for in educational and therapeutic settings.  Thus, it is important to think of generalization issues as being the responsibility of the teacher, rather than as a deficit in the child.   Individuals with ASD frequently cannot functionally use what they have learned in a structured teaching situation and be able to apply it to other similar settings or with different materials and people. Often times children with ASD will need specific planning for maintenance of a skill and programming that can naturally embed learned skills into functional activities so that the skill is constantly and systematically reinforced over time.  It is absolutely essential to program and plan for generalization, the “train and hope” approach (just teaching the skill and hoping it will generalize), is not sufficient.

            If you are interested in more information on generalization, start with this article: Stokes, T. F., & Baer, D. M. (1977). An implicit technology of generalization. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 10, 349-367, available for purchase at http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/jaba/. Please note that this website has lots of full text articles available as well as abstracts for their articles going as far back as 1968. They have a great search feature so that you can get right to the information you are looking for. For example if you search for autism, you will get a list of links to abstracts and full text articles having to do with studies conducted relating to autism all the way back to 1968.  Here are some strategies for programming for generalization from the Stokes & Baer article:
1) Use naturally reinforcing and occurring materials - Seek to change behaviors that receive reinforcement in the student’s natural environment. For example - learning colors because the child has a favorite color of Popsicle, M&Ms, and ice cream flavor is likely to be more maintained and generalized than learning colors by sorting colored blocks into color bowls.
2) Train Loosely - Adding variety to skills being taught. This will include using a variety of materials in a variety of ways and in a variety of situations. Ideas and approaches used in incidental teaching or naturalistic ABA tend to foster better generalization because these instructional environments more closely resemble the ultimate outcome. Studies have shown that the more naturalistic instructions and presentations of SDs tend to have better learning outcomes to intensive instruction.
3) Train Sufficient Exemplars - Providing many examples of the target response. An example of this is the computer-assisted instructional program, TeachTown: Basics , which has many examples incorporated into every lesson.  You will notice many examples of one particular vocabulary word. You will also notice that pictures used in the pretest and posttest are different from the pictures used in the training lessons. Additionally, in the off computer activities there are many ideas that include the use of materials found around the house or classroom.
4) General Case Programming – Use many examples of stimuli, use many teachers, try different settings, and lots of materials.
-Using a vending machine at local community center, using similar vending machine at school, using another similar one at the grocery store…
-When teaching car, you would consider pictures of cars, different cars, toy cars, riding in family’s cars, labeling cars on the street, etc.
-When teaching social skills like saying hi, saying hi to people where you know a name for them, saying hi to people when you don’t have a name for them, pretending to say hi to stuffed animals, pretending to say hi to pictures of friends, having dolls say hi to each other, etc.
 

            Generalization should not only be planned for in the teaching situation, but measurement of generalization is critical so plans should be made up front for how to assess it.  This can be done by taking a skill that was taught and try it with new materials, go on an outing into the community (the zoo, park, beach, grocery store, etc.), and most importantly try it with mom, dad, and/or siblings. It is critical that generalization is assessed everyday with each newly acquired skill. If the child isn’t showing functional use of the skill in naturally occurring activities and routines, stop adding new programs and goals and focus planning and programming for generalization for his/her recently acquired skills.  If the skill has not generalized, the skill cannot be considered truly mastered!

            Although the term “generalization” is often heard in the ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) literature, there is no intervention in which generalization is not important, regardless of the philosophy.  In seeking interventions for a particular child, it is essential to ask the treatment providers how they will program for and measure generalization, or real outcome.  Regardless of the impressive statistics of a treatment program, if the children do not demonstrate generalization in the real world, the results of the treatment program may not be as impressive as they seem.  A good resource for learning more about generalization, the research, and strategies for various interventions is Real Life, Real Progress for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Strategies for Successful Generalization in Natural Environments (Whalen, 2009).