Spectrum Spring 2000

Spectrum

Spring / Summer 2000

The following article grew out of a parent survey about computer software for children with SMS. Publication of this article by PRISMS does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any particular software product.

Computers and Children with SMS:

A Winning Combination

by Beverly Frey, parent

Whenever I read a description of individuals with SMS, I am heartened to see the section that describes our children's positive attributes. The keen ability and interest our children show with computers is certainly at the top of this list. This strength provides our children with an important leisure activity, the means to learn many academic and vocational skills, and the ability to share an interest with mainstream peers. The following information resulted from an informal survey of parents of children with SMS, as well as my own experience as a parent and special educator.

Your child can begin to use the computer as soon as s/he is able to sit up and attend to the monitor. You'll want his/her seat to be high enough so his/her gaze is eye-level with the screen. Large "mice" and trackballs may be easier to use than a traditional mouse. Adaptive keyboards such as IntelliKeys by IntelliTools or the Touch Screen by Edmark eliminate the need to use a mouse at all, and they are compatible with many software programs. If possible, observe your child using different devices and programs before purchasing them. Most states have assistive technology centers which allow you to borrow special equipment.

The first skill your child will learn will be "cause and effect" - when s/he presses a key, clicks the mouse, or touches the screen, something exciting is sure to happen. Programs like "Jump Start Baby" teach this skill to the youngest learners. Once the child has established an interest in using the computer, there will be countless programs to capture his /her attention. Many programs capitalize on an existing interest, from Tellitubbies to Sesame Street, and Blues Clues to Carmen SanDiego. Because your child is attentive to the program, he will be able to more easily learn new skills. Our son, Craig, was unable to grasp the concept of basic sequencing (star / ball / star / ball - what comes next?) until we found a software program that addressed this skill. Edmark has several programs such as Bailey's Book House and Millie's Math House that teach these important early concepts. More Bugs in Boxes by Simon and Schuster, Interactive, helps with listening skills and distinguishing "same" and "different."

When your child is ready for some higher level problem-solving, s/he may enjoy programs by Humongous Entertainment, Inc, including the Putt Putt and Freddi Fish series, and Blue's Clues Birthday Adventure. The Reader Rabbit series by The Learning Company encompasses many ability levels and receives high reviews from many individuals with SMS. The Living Books programs by Broderbund are also popular and especially helpful for a child who is learning to read.

Speech and language skills are often an area of great challenge for individuals with SMS. Fortunately there are several software programs on the market that address this need. The Laureate series is specifically geared to the acquisition of speech, language and communication. Their programs start at a very basic level (cause and effect) and progress to more difficult skills such as vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar. You can speak to a speech pathologist at Laureate who will assist you in choosing the most appropriate program for your child. Their programs are expensive, but Laureate does honor its money-back guarantee, and they also typically offer a 50% off sale during the summer for parents only. Cognitive Concepts, Inc. has a program called Earobics that is now available in 3 versions for varying levels of development. These programs teach auditory discrimination skills and offer many levels of play that adjust as your child progresses. Fast ForWord is a similar but much more comprehensive series that must be administered and followed by a speech pathologist. It is extremely expensive, but some families have acquired school or insurance funding to cover this expense. IBM has another very comprehensive program called the SpeechViewer III that actually provides feedback on your child's expressive speech. The child uses a microphone and the activities give visual feedback based on the child's speech patterns. It addresses loudness, fluency, articulation, and other speech skills. The Speech Viewer is now available in an introductory format called Visual Voice Tools consisting of seven activities for a fraction of the price of the entire program. These tools provide feedback when the child makes a sound, when he adjusts his/her pitch, timing, and loudness, and when s/he controls voiced and unvoiced sounds. Visual Voice Tools is available through Edmark and comes with a 30 day money-back guarantee. The most helpful program for Craig to date has been Dorling Kindersley's "My First Dictionary." A woman's voice pronounces and then defines over 1,000 words, among other things. After Craig became obsessed with this program, his expressive one-word vocabulary increased dramatically in several month's time.

Our children may have the ability to become quite adept at keyboarding skills because of their interest in the computer. This important skill may be useful for a vocation or in daily school work. One child with SMS uses a portable keyboard called Alpha Smart 2000 for all his writing assignments. He is even able to print out his work from the Alpha Smart. We are fortunate that our computer-savvy children live in an age where technology is readily available and usually affordable. I am certain that future advances in this field will continue to be of great value to our children.