Resources and ideas for teachers and caregivers of learners with severe, profound, intensive, significant, complex or multiple special needs.
Did you know you could use your iPad as a switch? Or with a switch? All special education teachers need to know how to use their iPads like this! So many different accessibility features!
Image Source - (@iAmMaccing) Apple's switch control is an accessibility feature that allows users with very limited mobility to control their entire iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch in combination with ability switches and other adaptive devices for mobility impairments. No matter how comfortable users are with technology, researching and practicing switch control tips and tricks will lead to becoming a switch master in no time. Start your journey by joining online communities, watching video tutorials and connecting with Apple Support. Join Communities Apple Support Community Apple's community is a great first place...
We’ve said it once, we’ve said it 100 times: we’re all for short-form video and motion content now, which means that we’re all for Reels. But even more than that? We’re completely for creating impactful Reels, simply and effectively. After a process of trial and error, we’ve learned and gathered 7 simple tips to help c
Foil Capability Switch: In Assistive Technology, one of the major areas that is considered for people with significant disabilities is switch access. Using a capability switch or accessibility switch, someone can control their environment, play with a toy, use a comp…
Updated 11/09/2015 This is an update of the post listing online switch activities for learners with multiple or significant special needs. The activities listed are chosen because they can be used with switches, they are simple and they are enjoyable. The activities listed are free. Some activities may require set up by an assistant before switch use. Although care has been taken not to include switch activities with any violence or graphic images teachers and others still need to check activities for age and general appropriateness before use. Cause and Effect (and Press to Play): Cause and Effect Sensory Light Box Carbon Lehigh School District Fisher Price Infant Games* Help Kidz Learn* Hiyah* Ian Bean* (Downloads) Kneebouncers* Priory Woods Videos Revamped* Owlie Boo* (any of the activities under "Pressing Keys" with switch set to space bar or enter) Rock Paper Scissors Mother Goose Bugs Musical Monkey Transportation NGFL Switch User Activities SEN/Switcher* Sensory Stories (Downloads) Shiny Learning Silly Books (look for the "click through books" and set mouse arrow over "next") Special Bites* Build a Snowman Christmas Stocking Magic Discover What is in the Garden Humble Brussel Sprouts Penalty Shoot Out One Switch Wonder Roast the Turkey Rudolph Gets a Fright Rudolph Melts the Snowman Single Switch Scanning/Timed Single Switch Response (sites may include some cause and effect games as well): A Sliding Puzzle for Helen (download)* Bullseye CBBC (UK only) CBeebies (UK only) Cow Jumped Over the Moon Doorway Online Pelmanism (memory) Same or Different? Moving Targets ePlayground (four completely accessible games) Help Kidz Learn* Ian Bean* (Downloads) Learn about the Rainforest Mother Goose Jack Be Nimble My Switch Games by Scott McKay* NGfL Papunet* Priory Switch Juke Box Priory Woods Kids Only* Penalty Shoot Out (Soccer) 10 Fat Sausages African Sounds Bugz Farmyard Sounds Find Out About Shapes 5 Little Ducks 5 Little Speckled Frogs 5 Naughty Monkeys Tooting Reindeer Sarah Greenland Games SENICT Software SEN/Switcher* Shiny Learning * Blast the Pirate Ship Car Crusher Crazy Chicken Fireworks Fly Swatter Special Bites* Baseball Switch Game Baseball and Spikeys Baseball and Pumpkins Switch Recycle Sort Tar Heel Reader (online adapted ebooks) Tar Heel Typer (online switch keyboard) The Great Fish Race (download only) Whiteboard Room Resources Two Switches (unless otherwise noted you must click in the area of the game and then use tab and enter to play): Accessible Book Launcher* Bug Memory Fruit Memory Space Memory Sensory House (tab and enter)* Special Bites* Tar Heel Typer (online switch keyboard) Chrome Apps and Extensions Electra Just Touch Plazma iPad Apps Jane Farrell's List of Switch Accessible Apps Note: using the Puffin Browser app makes many switch accessible websites work on the iPad! Subscription Sites with Free Trials Busy Things is a switch accessible site for young children out of the UK. You can try it out for free for two weeks. Ginger Tiger is another switch accessible subscription based site. Help Kidz Learn Subscriptions are listed here. They DO take PO's. Also be sure to check out Game Base and One Switch for other (usually more advanced) switch games. *Those sites with a star have multiple activities to try out! Wednesday's With Sam lists these by activity instead of website if that is useful for you.
Both iOS devices and Android devices, including iPhone, iPads and Macbooks, contain a built-in accessibility features for almost every task you can think of. Users with fine motor-skill impairments and those with quadriplegia may have heard of Switch Control for iOS and Switch Access for Android, but there are many other features designed specifically for these users in mind. This post covers the different built-in accessibility tools available today in Apple or Android products that work together with tecla-e to provide users with disabilities hands-free access to mainstream smart devices. Apple’s iOS Accessibility Features for...
If you’ve been planning to begin using switch-accessible iPad games in your AAC work but haven’t quite gotten it all figured out, this post is for you. We’re delighted to introduc…
If you’ve been planning to begin using switch-accessible iPad games in your AAC work but haven’t quite gotten it all figured out, this post is for you. We’re delighted to introduc…
Resources and ideas for teachers and caregivers of learners with severe, profound, intensive, significant, complex or multiple special needs.
Below is the basic Scarsdale Diet Plan. How the Scarsdale program works: Dieters follow the Scarsdale Medical Diet (SMD) strictly […]
So you're now working with an older PMLD student, perhaps a teenager and want to work on developing understanding of cause and effect. There is a lot of discussion around the idea of 'age appropriate' toys and resources. What is meant by that is not using toys developed for babies and toddlers with teenagers and young adults. Personally, I think there's no such thing as a toy that's not 'age appropriate' and if it is motivating and enjoyed then there's no reason not to use the toy. I mean, I am a 35 year old woman and I love playing with Lego and my son's toy trains so who says older people can't use toys developed for children? However, you may well have a student who is no longer motivated by those toys, or maybe you've exhausted the use of those toys and want to try something else to support your students to develop their understanding of cause and effect. So what could you use? Well below I have laid out examples of some things that you should have around the house or in school or college which could be used. You may need to attach a switch to them if the young person you work with needs switch access. Items you might find in the kitchen Electric Whisk - plug this in and model to your students how to press the buttons to turn on the whisk. You can have great fun using it with items to whisk up - if it's a cooking lesson then whisking up cream or eggs to do some baking is great. If not then some dish soap and water will create a nice bowl of bubbles in which to then have some sensory play. Salad spinner - this one doesn't even need to be plugged in. Just press the big plunger down in the middle to watch it spin. If you're doing some food preparation lessons then of course you can put salad into the middle and wash it. However, if you want to try a using it differently, why not try using it with paint and spray onto paper for a fun art activity? Blender - plug it in, put the fruit or other items into the top and press the button! Don't forget to put the lid on though or everyone will be covered in fruit! Although, I suppose if you wanted to make it a funny experience you could just leave the lid off but the clean up may not be so fun. Perhaps better to use this as a cooking experience and make some nice fruit smoothies to taste afterwards. Toaster - pop the bread in, pull the switch down and wait for some delicious toast. While waiting you can talk about the delicious smell coming from the freshly toasted bread. This is a nice one for then tasting afterwards but it does take several minutes to go from the cause (pulling the lever down) to the effect (the toast popping up) so perhaps one for students who have already begun to develop their understanding of cause and effect. Egg timer - if you choose an egg timer which has a ring or bell when finished then this makes a good cause and effect resource. Model how to set the timer for about 10 seconds and then count down and anticipate the ringing sound when it has finished. Pans and wooden spoons - using pans, their lids and a wooden spoon to bang them is always a fun and loud cause and effect activity. It's always fun to make a drum out of a pan! Items you might find in a living room Television - most people have a television and using the remote control to turn it on and off this could be used to demonstrate the idea of cause and effect. Lamps - if you manage to get one of those lamps which come on through being touched then they would be a particularly great cause and effect item. However, even a standard one with a switch would be useful! CD player (or other music player) - some of these will use a remote and some will just have buttons to press to turn the music on and off. Recliner chairs and sofas - Okay so this isn't one you're likely to be using in a classroom but if parents ask for a suggestion for home and they happen to have one then they are great fun. If they are electric or have a remote then of course they are easier to use. If not then the button can be more difficult to pull, but it's still pretty good fun to sit on while it moves or to watch move. Items you might find in a bedroom or bathroom An electric fan - plug in and use the buttons to turn it on to different speeds. If you want to make it more visual you could tie some lightweight ribbons to the fan cage so that when it blows it blows the ribbons out too. This is a particularly nice cause and effect resource if working with someone with a visual impairment as they will be able to feel the breeze if sat in front of the fan. Hand held fans - with these there is usually a button you press to turn the fan on and they tend to be battery operated. These are more portable and if you have a few then you can have several students using them at the same time. Hairdryer - another item that is useful if your student has a visual impairment. Just be a bit careful with this as they can be hot, choose the cooler setting if possible. Electric toothbrush - these are great if used as a sensory experience too. You can hold the toothbrush gently on someone's cheek, or arm and they will be able to feel the effect when it is turned on and off. Taps - bath, sink or even the shower. This is another one that isn't portable but many classrooms do have a sink which could be used. Otherwise, this is another one to suggest when at home. Other items you might find and use Torches - if you have a torch then these are also great cause and effect items as you can turn them on and off with the buttons. Great if you want to do some work on this skill in a dark space such as a sensory room or just if a parent wants to do this on one of the dark evenings we have in the Winter. Doorbells - these are great as you just need to push the button for the chime to go off. If you have one with different tunes to play then that can be good fun for doing some work on making choices too. Water spray bottles - I have one of these at home for spraying on tops and shirts ready to iron them. If you have one then these are great as both a cause and effect toy and also as a sensory resource for retelling stories which have water in them. I find it's best to spray them just above so that the water sprinkles down a bit like rain. I do let students spray them at me though as they find that pretty funny and motivating once they realise that pressing the bottle handle actually sprays the water at me! Garden hose - if this has a spray nozzle on the end then it's particularly useful. Have students work on their grip skills to press the handle of the nozzle to activate the hose and allow the water to flow. Oranaments - such as music boxes or carousels - these are great for students to turn and then listen to the music while the carousel or the little dancer turns. Christmas ornaments / decorations - one great thing about Christmas is all the great ornaments and decorations which can be used. Items such as Christmas tree lights with a switch, or sound activated dancing reindeer or Santa clauses. Every year I go around all the Christmas decoration shops and stalls that pop up and look for anything that could be useful in this way. When choosing which items to use you might want to consider things such as your students fine and gross motor skills, how will they access the item, can they press the switch or do you need to look at using Big Mac switch access somehow? You might also want to consider which senses the item is most useful for, can it be accessed by someone with a visual impairment, a hearing impairment? Will the sound be too loud for a student who is over sensitive to noise. As you get to know your students you will learn more about what they find motivating and any likes and dislikes they have as well as their individual needs. Are there any other items you would add to my list? Post in the comments to let me know what items I am missing and to share your ideas!
undamentals of Cisco CLI Switch Configuration In this book you will learn how to access the switches CLI through an out-of-band connection, using a console cable and a terminal program. Learn how to configure a Cisco switch to connect and control resources on your network. The Cisco switches are one of the best on the market. Versatile, reliable, flexible and powerful, the Cisco switch product line offer unparalleled performance and features. Learn about the built-in help features, help commands, and the Tab key function. I'll then cover the basic global commands used to configure essential switch settings. After addressing the switch and configuring a default gateway, we will explain how to modify individual port modes, secure those ports, and create and manage virtual LANs (VLANs). Finally, at the end of the book you will learn how to verify your settings and reset the switch if necessary. We will then get into some more tips that you should know. By the end of this tutorial will have a solid understanding of setting up Cisco CLI Switch Configuration.
Want to discover how to speak directly with your hypnosis subject's unconscious mind? Check out this article to find out 5 effective ways.
Learn how to link your Nintendo Account to your Switch and gain access to online features, game progress backups, and multiplayer gaming.
The classroom teacher picked up this blowup snowman after the holidays last year. This child, Jim, needs movement and light to draw visual attention to his weaker right visual field. In this inve…
There’s a secret Switch web browser that many users don’t even notice. This post will tell you how to access and use that hidden browser.
If you’re like most SLPs, you didn’t learn a lot about teaching clients to use alternative access in your graduate program. This resource document from the ACE Centre North provides a great overvie…
Switch access is a very important part of what we do at AssistiveWare. We brought our switch access experience to the upcoming Proloquo2Go 3.0, which gives switch users access to five different scanning modes and advanced settings to fine-tune scanning behavior to match individual physical needs.
It's crucial to stop running around with a junkie mind. This restlessness stops you from reaching the true essence of the Shaolin teachings. And, if the teaching isn't authentic, you end up misdirecting your energy. In the past, our learning was limited to the martial arts schools.
Some people are reluctant to make the switch from fast fashion to slow fashion, thinking products that are ethically and sustainably made are too expensive. I’m here to dispel that rumor.
If you’ve been planning to begin using switch-accessible iPad games in your AAC work but haven’t quite gotten it all figured out, this post is for you. We’re delighted to introduc…
Proloquo2Go offers switch scanning where items on the screen highlight in groups or one-by-one and...
A few years ago, I had a conversation with my assistant principal that I’ve thought about many times since. We loved to sit in her office and grapple with big educational questions, such as issues of equity and access, as well as the smaller stuff, like when the copier paper would be delivered. In this … Continued
Things to Do With a Switch and a Battery Interrupter (Just insert the metal disc of the interrupter between the battery head and the receiver and plug in a switch, does not generally work with anything that recharges. Also, when using a battery adapted it will just turn the item on an off making things like a stapler or pencil sharpener "partner" activities. You may need to tape, glue or velcro down the devices built in power switch if you want it to be an independent activity. Many of these items are available at dollar, discount and salvage stores as well as flea markets. It generally costs less to adapt them yourself. Save your school budget for things you can't pick up for cheap.) 1. cut with battery operated scissors (pre-adapted) 2. have a race with toys that walk accessed through the switch (pre-adapted) 3. use walking switch toys to knock down block tower 4. use an adapted remote control car to knock down towers 5. put paint on the wheels of the adapted remote control car and drive over paper to make a painting 6. use a battery run electric razor and remove the pills from sweaters 7. turn on and off a hand held massager to give massages or to shake a box filled with paint covered marbles 8. turn on and off a flashlight (point it under your face and tell ghost stories, hit another switch to play ghost stories) 9. turn on and off battery operated holiday lights decorating your wheelchair 10. blow bubbles on your adapted battery run bubble blower 11. staple things 12. turn on and off a mini-tv 13. stir a drink 14. sift flour 15. be in charge of the pencil sharpener 16. dry your nails 17. open mail 18. sharpen the crayons 19. vacuum up bugs or dust bunnies 20. scare the pants off someone 21. make something spin in circles 22. cool off 23. spray a mix of water and food coloring over a stencil to paint 24. take a bubble bath 25. make spin art Using a Switch and an Electric Power Adapter (The Powerlink from Ablenet and the Electra from Tash with both interrupt the power to electric {plug in} devices and can be set to direct, timed or latch {first hit turns on, second turns off}. Oh, don't use it with high power items like microwaves!) 26. cool off with a plug in fan, attach streamers and watch them blow 27. make sailboats, place in a long underbed storage box of water, set up fans with switches, use fans to make wind, race the boats 28. turn on and off the lights in a haunted house 29. be the D.J. 30. use hair dryers to dry paintings 31. go apple picking then use a juicer with a switch to make juice 32. make ice cream shakes, use food coloring to make a color to go with your holiday theme, sell them for two dollars 33. use a food processor to mix up the ingredients to make recycled paper, use your fans to dry it 34. grind up oreos in a grinder or food processor to make "dirt" 35. turn on holiday lights or a holiday fiber optic tree 36. run a foot massager 37. use the switch and the overhead projector to shine a light onto a friend and trace silhouettes 38. make a funky sixties or seventies space by running lava lamps, a liquid projector, and groovy music all by switches 39. run a fog lamp to make the room spooky or mist-i-cal 40. turn on the black lights with all of your glow in the dark stuff around, make your own planetarium 41. use that sewing machine and make some curtains (or aprons...) 42. plug in one red light and one green light - now the switch user runs gym class 43. shave people's heads for a dollar during spirit week Things to do with specially adapted devices and a switch: 44-48. use a pouring cup to pour cooking ingredients, art supplies like glitter, to pour sand in the sand box, to measure for science experiments to to dump water over your friends head 49. Use and iScan to run your iPod 50. change the tv channels 51. listen to CDs 52. be a bookworm 55. spin 56. be a high roller 57. ring my bell or bells 58. bowl 59. scoot 60. joke
Do you have a student with limited mobility? Adaptive Switches are learning tools that enable these students to interact with a device.
With PaintShop Pro 2019, Corel released an add-on program called Pic-to-Painting. It was separate from PaintShop Pro and could add some unique effects to photos. With PaintShop Pro 2020, a new workspace was added, called Photography, and it included some instant effects that a user could apply to their photos for a different look. With
Battery interrupters used to be cheap. I know I’m dating myself, but who else remembers getting them for under five bucks? They are such useful little buggers to have around so that battery-operate…
Compiled by Toni Waylor-Bowen, Ph.D. & Jessie Moreau, M.Ed., NBCT; March 2007 ELA/Reading Comprehension • Recite a repeated line in a story/play/poem/speech • Read from a story, chapter book, newspaper, magazine • Name the characters in a story • Sequence events in a story/chapter • Give important details in a story/chapter / recall facts • Ask questions (who, what, where, etc) of others about a story/chapter • Give “stage directions” to others in a play • Follow the steps in multi-step directions/task analysis (e.g., recipe, simple machine) • State the logical order of information in a non-fiction text • Give timeline information about a person in a biography • Retell familiar events/stories to include beginning, middle, and end • Name vocabulary words and define terms ELA/Listening/Speaking/Viewing • Answer questions during calendar/schedule time • Uses oral language for different purposes: to inform, to request, to entertain • Recite the Pledge of Allegiance • Tell others about an event that happened (at home/community/another class) • Ask questions of others about their evening/weekend/special event • Ask survey questions of others • Repeat auditory sequences (letters, words, numbers, rhythmic patterns) • Present an outline of a group report or class project to others • Identify people to participate in a group project/play a game/determine “Who’s next?” • Interview a guest or teacher new to the school • Sing the chorus of a song or music/video • Recite Nursery Rhymes • Recite a poem • Call items for Bingo games related to curricular themes (especially fun with a randomizer) ELA/Writing • Sequence items to go into a story • List adjectives/adverbs to go into a story (especially fun with a randomizer) • Provide vocabulary to be included in a story • Give details about different parts of a class story Mathematics/Numbers and Operations • Count forward • Count backward • Count days of the week/month/year • Count sets of items • Count using 1-1 correspondence • Recite prime numbers with visual models for identification • Skip count • Recite addition/subtraction/multiplication facts • State money amounts (by dollars, quarters, dimes, etc.) • Identify parts of a whole (fractions) • Identify numerals in expanded notation (9 thousand, 3 hundred, fifty, five) • Identify and order percents • Identify and order decimals • Identify numbers on a number line Mathematics/Measurement • State the order of objects based on a dimension (e.g., big/bigger/biggest, long/longer/longest) • State time (hour/half-hour/quarter-hour) • Count the increments while measuring (for length, capacity, time, temperature, etc) • Counts items used in the formula to determine area, capacity • Give steps in formula for finding volume, surface area, etc. • Name measurement-related vocabulary words and define terms Mathematics/Geometry • Count the number of shapes/solid figures identified in the class, school, community • Name the various types of geometric shapes when shown the same • Count the number of sides, edges, vertices, in plane and solid figures • State the properties of different shapes/solid figures (i.e., a triangle has three sides; a cube has 12 edges) • Count points on a grid • Name geometry-related vocabulary words and define terms • Choose geometric figures then identify them with visual/tactual manipulatives Mathematics/Data Analysis and Probability • Count/name the items that are part of the survey • Count the number of responses/tally marks for each item on a table/chart/graph • Skip count number of responses when using different scales • Estimate number of items in a set • Predict the probability of a given event (i.e., numbers on dice, colors of M&M’s) for experimental probability activities (randomizer device works best) Mathematics/Algebra • State items in a pattern • Skip count • State addition/subtraction/multiplication/division rules • Tell other strategies for solving problems (mnemonic devices) • Count using ratios/fractions (i.e., 1/3, 2/3, 1; ¼, ½. ¾, 1) • State formulas for solving problems • Announce simple equations for students to solve • Describe simple story problems for students to solve Science • State science-related vocabulary words and define terms (“A mineral is made from non-living substance found in nature.”; “A rock is made from minerals.”) • Describe items being used in the science task (i.e., minerals, rocks, animals, habitats) • Describe common features between items (i.e., both the tiger and polar bear use camouflage, both the bat and possum are nocturnal) • List reasons/outcomes (i.e., pollution is caused by littering, pouring items in streams or rivers…) • List items (i.e., major organ systems, names of the planets, items that can be recycled…) • Sequence items (i.e., life cycles, planets in order from the sun, steps in the water cycle) • Explain steps in an experiment • Describe changes in items before, during, and after an experiment • State parts of a whole (i.e., parts of a cell) • State parts of a group (i.e., animals that are vertebrates, types of habitats) • Call items for Bingo games related to science standards (especially fun with a randomizer) • Describe physical attributes of items (i.e., shape, color, size, hardness, texture) • Describe characteristics (i.e., habitats, cloud formations, hurricanes, physical/chemical changes) Social Studies • List items (individual freedoms on Bill of Rights, original 13 colonies, ) • Sequence items (steps in the producer/consumer cycle) • State items in first/then and if/then format (“First England wanted to tax, then America wanted independence”) • Give a timeline of events (history of music, transportation, important persons, events in a decade) • List key individuals (presidents, world leaders, Civil Rights personalities, famous Georgians) • List reasons for an event • Recite lines in a play/music video/skit about subject/time period • List items/places in governmental jurisdiction (city, state, country) • List states in regions of the United States • List countries on different continents in the world • List cultures (Indian tribes living in Georgia) • State/list items related to a culture (common words in different languages) • State social studies-related vocabulary and define terms • List/describe geographic regions • List major products of a state, region, country • Call items for Bingo games related to Social Studies standards (especially fun with a randomizer) • Sing a song or chorus from a song of a country being studied • List cultural achievements in the fields of art, music, literature, theater, movies/TV The following devices allow for sequential messaging: LITTLE Step by Step Communicator (AbleNet) BIG Step-by-Step Communicator (AbleNet) Step-by-Step Communicator with Levels (AbleNet) Sequencer (Adaptivation) Partner One/Stepper (AMDi) * Big Talk Triple Play (Enabling Devices) Step Talking Sequencer Switch Plate (Enabling Devices) * Randomizer (Adaptivation) Press Your Luck w/ Built-in Sequencer (Enabling Devices) * These devices offer randomizing options. (Device list adopted from GPAT's list of Assistive Technology D
We can use switches for communication (like recordable switches) and we can use them to access items with wired or wireless switches.
Very strong anti-piracy measures are in place to detect when an illegal digital Switch game is being played online. Once detected, Nintendo will ban access to online play, although offline play will still be possible.
