Apps can be used for a variety of educational and non-educational purposes. I've previously listed some apps that lend themselves well to be motivators. The harder a task is the higher the motivator must be. Think of it from your own experience....if something is not easy for you, then you will probably avoid the activity. Same thing goes for your children. And lets face it, if communication was easy for them they would have developed it at the same rate (within a range of typical) as their same age peers. So we as your child's teachers need to find something highly desirable for which they are willing to "work."
This post will focus on using a language stimulation strategy called, Aided Language Stimulation, in tandem with fun and engaging apps (to be listed at the end of the post). Aided Language Input is an approach to vocabulary teaching created by Goossens, Crain, and Elder (1992). It was first used with individuals who use a assistive tech device (AT) or an alternative augmentative device (AAC). Although, it has been found to be useful for more than AAC learners. It can also increase the language of children and adults who are visual learners. "This technique provides the communicator with the opportunity to visually process words and symbols being concretely combined to form functional utterances within meaningful routines. Since the printed word accompanies each symbol on the display, Aided Language Stimulation also may assist some children in the development of reading skills. Aided language stimulation is primarily good verbal language stimulation (emphasis removed) with visual augmentation" (taken from Portland Public Schools website). Other names the strategy goes by include: focused language stimulation, partner assisted language, verbal language stimulation, aided language immersion, aided language, and aided language input. For the remainder of the post I will use the term aided language stimulation to describe this vocabulary teaching strategy for the sake of consistency.
One great app I have used with the students is called Kitchen Monsters by Toca Boca Apps. I like all their apps, and sometimes they become free for a short period of time. Consider checking the App Store periodically for sales. The file to the right is called a "topic board" and it includes vocabulary from a variety of word groups (nouns, verbs, descriptors, etc.) that can be used when commenting or requesting while playing the app. Here are just some examples of communication using the topic board: He + eat + hot dog; Cook + hot dog + microwave; Cut + hot dog; He + eat + hot dog; and He + like + that. As you point to the pictures say the words simultaneously. I often will also add in additional grammatical words if the student is ready for it. By using the strategy of aided language stimulation, you slow down your speech model while locating the target words on the topic board. Slowing down enables children to learn the meaning of the pictures/words and process the information due to the visual cues. If I am using the topic board for comments, then I do not make them imitiate after me (although I have found they often will). If I am using the topic board for requesting, then I place the board on top of the iPad and encourage them to tell me what they want to do, using their voice or their voice and the picture symbols. |
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