Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about optimizing symbolic
representations for children who experience difficulty transitioning to two-dimensional
symbols. We’ve already discussed in the previous post (09-28-15) how Dual=Representation symbols can be used
to help students make that transition by allowing ready-access to the next
higher level of representation for the purposes of stimulation. The child is
allowed to operate at his current level of representation but is continually
stimulated with the next highest level of representation.
I recently discovered that using a program such as Adobe Photoshop, I could apply a drop shadow to the symbols downloaded
from the n2y online SymbolStix library. Presented below is a page of 2 inch Dual=Representation
supplemental symbols, designed to support the Animated Step-by-Step™ activity, Banana
Berry Yogurt Shakes. On the left is the page assembled in the regular
way; on the right, a drop shadow has
been applied to the symbols to help them stand out from their background cells.
The drop shadow does seem to make those symbols pop off the page. Could this be
a helpful trick for some children?
Illustrated below is a color-coded SymbolStix communication display designed to mediate the task of
hand washing (I often precede Animated Step-by-Step™ cooking activities with a Hand
Washing routine). As you can
see, the communication display on the left is constructed in the typical way,
i.e., using symbols with no shadows. The
symbols of the communication display on the right have been enhanced with a
slight drop shadow. The 'drop shadow symbols' do seem to pop off the page.
I fully appreciate that the drop shadow approach may not be
the best strategy for children with severe visual challenges who might benefit
more from the symbols on the left (symbols that have good figure-ground
contrast and crisp clean lines) or displays with no colored backgrounds but I’m wondering whether children who find two-dimensional
images challenging might find the drop shadow version on the right helpful.
As an aside, I’ve always found color-coding helpful when
conducting Aided Language Stimulation
(ALgS). When the symbols on the display are color-coded, it essentially narrows
the Facilitator’s field of search allowing him/her to conduct ALgS more
efficiently. The above displays are color-coded according to Goossens’, Crain
and Elder (See references). When I wish to communicate the message, “I NEED to PUT my DIRTY
WIPIE IN the TRASH,” I’m searching subsets of symbols based on their color
code, i.e., I (orange for pronouns,
negatives, sound effects) NEED to PUT (pink
for verbs) my WIPIE (yellow for nouns) IN (green
for prepositions) the TRASH (yellow for
nouns).
At this early stage I don’t know whether the addition of a
drop shadow is a difference that will make a difference for students who
struggle to transition from photographs to picture symbols … but I’m willing to
give it a ‘test drive’. If I’ve learned anything from being in the field of
Augmentative Communication for a long time, it’s the fact that its all about
accumulating a very big ‘bag of tricks’… you never know when that specific
trick will come in handy for that specific child.
© 2015 Carol Goossens’, Ph.D.
Augmentative Communication Consultant
Speech-Language Pathologist
Special Educator
© SymbolStix 2015
(used with permission)
n2y
PO box 550
Huron OH 44839
References
Goossens’, C., Crain, S., & Elder,
P. (1988a, October) Engineering the preschool classroom environment for
interactive symbolic communication. Short course presented at the Fifth
Biennial International Conference of the International Society for Augmentative
and Alternative Communication : Animations of the mind, Anaheim, CA.
Goossens’, C., Crain, S., & Elder,
P. (1988b, October) Engineering the preschool classroom for interactive
symbolic communication. Short course presented at the Annual Convention of the
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Boston.
Goossens', C. & Crain, S.
(1992). Engineering the preschool environment for interactive symbolic
communication: 18 months -5 years developmentally. Birmingham, Alabama:
Southeast Augmentative Communication Publications.
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