Animated Step-by-Steps®

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Mary Wore Her Red Dress

Mary Wore Her Red Dress is available as an Animated Step-by-Step and a simple Vest Display worn on a velcro-receptive vest or apron.

While the ASbyS version follows the traditional song format, the Vest Display version can be tailored to address the needs of individual classmates. The ‘body’ velcroes on the scene, but can be easily removed to be placed in the child’s visual field or can be used to address an OT fine motor agenda of placing the clothing item on the cut out. It can also be personalized with 3” photo faces. The resource also includes Dual=Representation Symbols (Picture Symbols=Photos; Picture Symbols=PrintedWords) for colors & clothing and a full array of color clothing manipulatives that can be velcroed to the 'body cut out'. Given the range of materials provided ... differentiated instruction is a flexible reality.

For Example

Initially …

You might choose to display the blank top tile and only use the colored clothing manipulatives, in keeping with what the child is wearing that day.“Everybody, look! Jose is wearing some kool blue pants (tug on Jose’s pants). Let’s sing about Jose’s blue pants (placing the blue pants manipulative on the ‘body cut out’ of Jose)….

Later … (a simple expressive component is added)

“ Tabitha, what would you like to sing about today? … ? “Your dress? (tugging on her real dress) or your socks? (tugging on her real socks). I see you looking at your socks. Your socks are green (placing green socks manipulative on display). Let’s sing about Tabitha’s green socks ….”

Later … (an expressive choice is offered; reflected as manipulatives)

“ Tabitha, what would you like to sing about today? … “Your dress (placing the dress manipulative matching her outfit on the choice board)? or your socks (placing the socks manipulative matching her socks on the choice board)? I see you looking at the socks. Your socks are green (placing green socks manipulative on display). Let’s sing about Tabitha’s green socks ….”

Later … (manipulatives are still being used for choice-making but symbols are added to the symbol lines as a receptive component)

Later … (symbols are incorporated as an expressive component)

“ Tabitha, what would you like to sing about today? … “Your PANTS placing the pants symbol on the choice board) or your TOP (placing the TOP symbol on the choice board)? Your PANTS? (place red pants manipulative on body cut out) Okay. … Your PANTS are (expectant pause) … RED. Let’s sing about Tabitha’s RED PANTS.” The song is sung using the symbol lines.

Of course there are many paths that could be pursued when providing differentiated instruction.

Well designed materials always have ‘room for growth’. The Mary Wore Her Red Dress Vest Display is no exception.

…’til the next post …

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Augmentative Communication Consultant

Speech-Language Pathologist

Special Educator

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Invictus Enterprises ... 'Unconquered'

Inspiration comes in many forms …. and for me …. a visit to Invictus Enterprises offered it up ‘in spades’!

Invictus Enterprises is attempting to create jobs for young adults in the autism community. They are currently using the task of making gourmet dog biscuits as a vehicle for their job training program. They are teaching trainees to become increasingly more independent, pacing themselves through job tasks using a digital recipe. The end goal for the program is job training and ultimately employment … but it is very evident when you visit their program that enhancing social interaction is pivotal to their underlying philosophy.

The enterprise is spearheaded by the dynamo team of Alison Berkley and Molly Sebastian. Allison is a teacher by profession with a background in psychology. Molly works professionally in television & production and brings additional passion to this project as the mother of a child functioning on the spectrum. The combination of their skill sets is definitely a ‘recipe for success’.

Photos Derived from Website

On their website https://www.invictusenterprises.org/nobonesaboutit/ they have numerous fabulous videotapes that successfully impart the excitement and camaraderie of this exceptional program. In particular check out their ‘music video’!

Every Saturday these powerhouse ladies (Alison Berkley and Molly Sebastian) get together with a team of dedicated volunteers in a commercial kitchen setup in the heart of Manhattan to provide their ‘trainees’ with ‘hands on’ experience making No Bones About It Dog Biscuits. The resulting gourmet dog biscuits are sold online and at various pet stores https://www.invictusenterprises.org/nobonesaboutit/

The team was just recently granted ‘a wish’ by Microsoft for several touchscreen-enabled laptops (Surface Book 2) to display their digital recipe (Microsoft PowerPoint). In a very competitive field of 10,000 submissions … they were selected as one of three wishes awarded. To say that this team is ‘getting things done’ in a creative way is an understatement.

For the new calendar year, the Invictus team have set their sights on expanding their training program to include trainees with greater communication challenges. I was thrilled to be asked to make a series of Animated Step-by-Steps® to support them in their attempts to expand their community.

As is the case with all Animated Step-by-Steps®, the text directions are broken down into smaller manageable units, each supported by an animation. The trainee/facilitator reads the text up to the star then swipes to the left to bring in a supporting animation. For the expanded roster of trainees, this altered format is a great way to scaffold comprehension skills.

For individuals who can benefit from symbol support, an alternate version was created to enhance receptive and expressive communication using picture symbols. As is the case with all Animated Step-by-Steps®, symbol support is added as a group after the page has been read and animated. This strategy is designed to minimize visual overload and support a ‘literacy first’ agenda. The page can then be ‘reread’ using the symbols or volunteer staff can use the symbols to provide the Aided Language Stimulation needed to mediate the task at hand.

I love the fact that the team assumes competence. In the words of the founders of Invictus Enterprises … ‘lack of spoken language is not the same as having nothing to say’.

Invictus Enterprises lives up to its name … ‘unconquered’ (in Latin). I’m thrilled to have a small part in this exciting project!