Supporting music curriculum learning and more through communication for students with severe disabilities

Communication Bill of Rights All people with a disability of any extent or severity have a basic right to affect, through communication, the conditions of their existence. All people have the following specific communication rights in their daily interactions. These rights are summarized from the Communication Bill of Rights put forth in 1992 by the National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities. Each person has the right to request desired objects, actions, events and people refuse undesired objects, actions, or events express personal preferences and feelings be offered choices and alternatives reject offered choices request and receive another person's attention and interaction ask for and receive information about changes in routine and environment receive intervention to improve communication skills receive a response to any communication, whether or not the responder can fulfill the request have access to AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) and other AT (assistive technology services and devices at all times have AAC and other AT devices that function properly at all times be in environments that promote one's communication as a full partner with other people, including peers be spoken to with respect and courtesy be spoken to directly and not be spoken for or talked about in the third person while present have clear, meaningful and culturally and linguistically appropriate communications From the National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities. (1992). Guidelines for meeting the communication needs of persons with severe disabilities. Asha, 34(Suppl. 7), 2–3.

This is the whole school parent board that Royal Palm School staff developed. If we get the grant for iPads and the MyTalk software, the board can serve as a quick start.

Possible concepts and skills that MyTalk can support: selection, recognition, association, matching, participation, virtual imitation, sequencing, performing, responding, and identifying in all curricula, developing expressive and receptive language as well as vocabulary. MyTalks pictures can be photographs from the students environment to foster more meaning with whoevers voice would have the most impact. Video is also possible to bring verbs to life! The picture size or cell size can be adjusted to the students fine motor skill and perception needs. The audio can be hooked to Bluetooth and output to an LCD for larger group viewing.

MyTalk allows the user to string words into sentences MyTalk allows the user to write/draw with it like an Etch-a-sketch MyTalk allows for multiple parent boards MyTalk is customizable and allows for pictures to fly out or not, for the orientation to rotate or not, for protection of work from user, for ing of boards for parents or others to use, and a bunch of other user friendly options like a picture library ready for use. (MyTalk responds to suggestions and stopped the finger flick feature since so many students played with it.)

iPad works through plastic bags so your droolers or chronic hand-in-mouth students may participate without damaging your device and exposing others to their germs. People who have experience with iPads and students with severe disabilities suggest using cases.

There is no evidence to suggest that using an alternative communication mode reduces a students chances of learning to speak; in contrast, paring nonverbal and verbal communicative forms may facilitate learning both forms. (Goldstein, 2002, Romski & Sevcik 1992)

iPad and MyTalk go hand in hand for students with support needs that involve seeing, hearing, and feeling since it is a multisensory experience. This high quality experience is easy to not recognize in our busy world. When positioning is so critical, MyTalk can get up close in an iDevice when other communication devices might be difficult to impossible to use in the same way. Mobility/size/weight are all factor into how user friendly the device is.

For students with severe disabilities the errorless learning style is often used so MyTalks parent board and child cells are naturals. Just build a 3,2,1 sequence and change it out for new objectives as needed. MyTalk can be a prefect assessment tool too!

MyTalk is already in a format similar to my states alternative testing. (input, pictures, shape…) MyTalks touch screen technique is ubiquitous so the user and the partner can work without barriers or stigma. Its a joint attention activity. The touch screen seems to entice tactile defensive students.

MyTalks light emitting image seems to get students attention because of the delivery system of that image. It is much more appealing than printed pictures or the more abstract images of some communication devices. Its like shining a light in the students eyes. More often than not they will track and turn towards the stimulation.

MyTalk can be used even by those who eye gaze since the picture size can be adjusted allowing the observer to determine which cell the person is selecting. Since there is a text to speech even low vision or blind individuals can make selections from choices thus enjoying total inclusion. Hearing impaired students can use tactile stimulus for total inclusion of a primarily auditory subject matter.

MyTalk provides students with instant feedback. Research demonstrated that positive or negative feedback must be provided within eight milliseconds to facilitate more efficient learning. Human feedback is physically possible within this parameter.

is limitless in carryover and limited only by your imagination of its application.