There are many advantages to creating Dual=Representation Symbols to support your Animated Step-by-Steps™. Dual=Representation Symbols are symbols
with back-to-back representations that straddle two different symbolic levels.
I routinely create two types of Dual=Representation Symbols: Picture Symbols paired with Photos and Picture Symbols paired with PrintedWords
for use with my Animated Step-by-Steps™.
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| Dual=Representation Symbols for Mary Wore Her Red Dress (SymbolStix) |
For poems and songs it’s often the time dependent repetitive line and the slot-filler items that are rendered as Dual=Representation Symbols.
You will recall from a previous post (06-15-15 The Poem as a Mini Play) that Dual=Representation Symbols can be assembled into flip books.
For crafts, recipes and science projects I usually create Dual=Representation Symbols for the materials/ingredients.
Here are a few examples of how Dual=Representation
Symbols can be used with Animated Step-by-Steps™:
During Cooking
(using PictureSymbol=Photo
when making Brownies)
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“ Beth, can you please get the brownie mix out of our big
bag” … “Brownie mix” (showing the photo side
of the brownie mix symbol to serve as a reminder of the assigned task)
After Beth successfully retrieves the requested item from the big bag, the teacher flips the card to the picture symbol side of the card. “Thank you, Beth. You found our brownie mix” (showing the picture symbol side of the brownie mix symbol while simultaneously showing the real box of brownies, side by side).
During a Therapy Room Art Project
During a Therapy Room Art Project
(using PictureSymbol=Printed
Words when making Butterfly Puppets)
“Yazie, we need to get some pipe cleaners for our Butterfly
Puppets.” “Pipe cleaners, please” (showing
the picture symbol side of the pipe
cleaners card).
Upon successfully retrieving the pipe cleaners from his zip lock
bag, Yazie is stimulated with the flip side of the card. “Well done, Yazie. You were sooooo fast." You found the pipe cleaners. You have a red and orange pipe cleaner” (showing the printed word side of the pipe cleaners
card now paired with the real pipe cleaners).
During a Small
Group Center Activity
(using PictureSymbol=Printed
Words during a Mary Wore Her Red Dress extension
activity)
The class was exposed to
the Mary
Wore Her Red Dress Animated Step-by-Step™ activity on the interactive
whiteboard during morning meeting. Later that morning Brittany and Marian are
engaged in an extension activity involving Dual=Representation Symbols at an
activity center.
A
symbol line is created on a board covered with Tempo Display Loop fabric (a velcro®
receptive fabric). Sometimes the song is sung using the picture symbols as the
guide … sometimes the symbols are flipped to the printed word side of the card. The color and clothing Dual=Representation
cards are rotated through slots in the symbol sentence. You might even have a
paper doll cutout with a full array of clothing items in every color that allows Brittany and Marian to sequentially dress
the Mary cutout as they sing. A velcro®-receptive fun cube can be used to
determine the color of the next clothing item. After a color has been used in the
symbol sentence, that color card is re-attached to the fun cube with its printed
word side showing ("That color has already been used."). This strategy provides great incidental learning for literacy. To heighten engagement you can even velcro photo faces of the girls on the paper doll. Sometimes the cutout doll has
Brittany’s photo face; sometimes it has Marian’s photo face.
You will recall from a previous post that you already have
Dual=Representation symbols for all the students in your class (08-17-15 Using Dual=Representation Symbols to Randomize
Turns).
This extension activity is a great example of students having fun ‘playing teacher’, using materials that support both AAC and literacy.
This extension activity is a great example of students having fun ‘playing teacher’, using materials that support both AAC and literacy.
Advantages of Dual=Representation Symbols
Dual=Representation Symbols have several advantages over
single representation symbols. They allow you to work at the child’s current/appropriate
level of representation, while having ‘at your finger tips’, a higher level of
representation that can be effortlessly provided for stimulation. They also
reduce the number of symbols that need to be stored! Instead of storing three
sets (Picture Symbols, Photographs, Printed Words), you are now storing two sets
(PictureSymbol=Photos, PictureSymbol=PrintedWord).
So what is the most efficient way to create
Dual=Representation Symbols?
Regardless of the symbol set you have chosen to use, I
recommend that you always work from a template. A template ensures that symbol
size and font choice/size will be consistent across all the Dual=Representation Symbols that you create over time. This is especially crucial when you have several stake holders
within an organization creating content to be used by several students. My templates for Boardmaker PCS symbols and n2y SymbolStix always use text
place holders i.e. XXXXXX. Staff are encouraged to double click on the xxxxx’s then
type over the xxxx (rather than deleting the text) so that the font and size
remain consistent within your organization. I primarily use Comic Sans bold due to the simplicity
of the text (the ‘a’ letter looks like a printed
letter rather than the more complex ‘a’ but there are many great options
available. Just make a decision within your organization then try to remain
consistent.
When I add symbolic representations (picture symbols,
photos, printed words) to the template, I always position the paired
representations side-by-side for reasons that will soon become apparent during
the construction process.
After using a template to create the Dual=Representations here
are the steps for creating Dual=Representation Symbols that will last at least
5 years.
Do NOT cut the individual symbols apart!
Be especially careful to apply glue to the entire outer edge then apply
some glue to the middle. Firmly press the sticky folded halves together.
back-to-back representations.
between each symbol. If you are using a large automatic laminating
then stop the machine to load the next row. Don’t try to load symbols while the machine is running … you simply waste too much laminate.
Step 7: Apply a
narrow strip of white adhesive male velcro to the top and bottom edge of the symbol. Both
sides! This will allow you to use the
Dual=Representation Symbols on the
velcro receptive fun cube (http://www.mayer-johnson.com/learning-fun-cubes-3-pack-black).
If the need for Dual=Representation symbols is great within your organization
consider buying a ‘wheel’ of male velcro that is 1/8” wide (www.lockfast.com). It does save a lot of
time.
I think you would agree, Dual=Representation Symbols are an easy way to allow students to perform at their current level of representation, while providing some incidental learning at a slightly higher level of representation. Yes it’s a lot of work but if you have a great need for differentiated instruction within your school or program, dual=representation symbols (although not the sole solution for AAC) will give you a lot of programming flexibility.
…’til the next post …. (New posts every Monday)
© 2015 Carol Goossens’, Ph.D.
Augmentative Communication Consultant
Speech-Language Pathologist
Special Educator
Picture Communication Symbols (Mayer-Johnson/Dynavox) &
SymbolStix (n2y) used with permission.
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