Presented by Clay Renick Span Apps: the bridge to better literacy Gordon County Schools /

Project Goal This project used “span apps” to help students go from saying the language targets to reading them in sentences, understanding them in context and finally using them in their own writing.

Research Design This project used visually supported text in combination with corrected discourse through the “span apps” and language experience stories with two hearing impaired students over three two-week segments.

Segment One The targets were delivered with text from the span apps alone and no visual support and/ or no corrected discourse. The students were then presented with the same language target in a sentence or phrase and then be asked to “write about that”.

Segment Two The language target was then given expressively with the span apps and added visually supported text using PCS symbols and then be asked to use that target in their language experience story.

Segment Three Language targets were given the support of span apps and visually supported text followed by the request to “tell me” (the language target, which is corrected discourse) as they used those targets in their language experience story.

Subjects Name Physical Characteristics Eligibilities Support for Hearing Loss Mike Treacher Collins syndrome, tracheotomy Significant Developmental Delay, hearing impairment and Speech-Language Impairments bilateral bone- anchored hearing aids (BAHA) LucyTreacher Collins syndrome Significant Developmental Delay, hearing impairment and Speech-Language Impairments bilateral bone- anchored hearing aids (BAHA)

Sample Apps Speech Tutor By Synapse Apps, LLC --list of phonemes --visual description of the sounds and the parts of the mouth involved while they make the sound --front and rear perspective --diagram of the palate to help show the air flow

Speech with Milo Board game This app is made by By Doonan Speech Therapy and allows you to practice with speech sounds using 500 words. In order for the player to advance, they have to pronounce the sound right (or try to). This helped with articulation in our experiment but it wasn’t factored into the evaluation.

PROVERBidioms by Greenstone Games LTD This provides visual support for idioms. The user clicks on the picture and choose the idiom from a list. It helps the user to see how phrases can represent a comparison or word picture to add meaning.

Speech with Milo: Prepositions This app by Doonan Speech Therapy helps users to locate prepositions visually.

ABC Reading Magic by Preschool University Push the letter to hear the sound that it makes. This allows the user to select the items that they don’t know and then sound out the ones they do. They can hear it as many times as they push the box. It helps in hearing the blend that all the letters make to form the word. This is part of a series of apps like it. This is important for students who still don’t understand that the letter name is different from the sound. They need practice with the sounds that letters make.

QuestionIt This app by Language Learning Apps, LLC, presents a story in sentence or paragraph form with visual support followed by “WH” questions.

Proloquo2Go by AssistiveWare This app allows you to build a field with visually supported words that have voice output. You can adjust the field size, use their templates or make your own. The great part is having a fully functioning AAC device for the user to select targets, watch the combinations form and then hear it voiced. We added another step with the student then repeating and writing the sentence that they made. Those who couldn’t were given a type of scaffold help that was removed when they could write their own words.

Evaluation We used a teacher made rubric called the evaluation of sentence complexity (EOSC). It measures sentence complexity with a value given according to the syntax targets in a sequence that follows language acquisition. Part of Speech used Verbs 1-4 points simple verbs in present or past tense=1 point, past or future tense=2 points, perfect or progressive tenses= 3 points, perfect progressives =4 points Nouns or pronouns 1-3 points subject=1 point direct object or predicate noun=2 points, indirect object or object of preposition = 3 points Noun Clause=7 points Example: I got what I like for lunch. Adjectives (including articles and prepositio ns) 1-point Predicate Adjective= 2 points, Adjective phrases=2 points, Adjective clauses 6 points Adverbs 2 points adverb phrases= 3 points, adverb clauses 6 points Conjunctions Coordinating(exampl es: and, but, or)=2 points, Subordinate (examples: before, because, since, wherever)=3 points Verbals (infinitive s, gerunds or participles ) Used as an adjective= 4 points, Used as an adverb=5 points, Used as a noun=6 points Clauses (independen t) 5 points Example: She ran. (dependent) 6 points for adjective or adverb Example: …because the dog chased her. …that my brother drove. Noun clause=7 points Example: You fixed what was wrong.

Results Name Phas e I EOSC Phas e II EOSC Phase III EOSC Pre Phase EOSC Mike Lucy Name Phase I WPS Phase II WPS Phase III WPS Mike Lucy Evaluation of Student Complexity (EOSC) Words Per Sentence (WPS) The pre-phase was a two week period in December when both students used visual supported text and corrected discourse— without the help of AAC. Mike had 28 sentences graded and Lucy had 30.

Discussion --More research is needed in visually supported text and corrected discourse. --AAC programs like “Proloquo2Go” make it much easier to build expressive language. --Students respond well to technology approaches like apps. --Programs like “Reading Magic” can help students at all levels in learning letter-sound relationships.

Take-away --Student motivation was never a problem when they used apps like these. --Language development is a complex task that requires support on many levels. --Technology can help to focus development in a way that attracts usage.

Thank You goes to… --The Council for Exceptional Children for their generous help in this project. Our students continue to improve based on the tools that we acquired. One of the students in this experiment was tested at the end of the year. They couldn’t write one word at the start but are now on grade level in reading and writing.