Research proposal on Assistive Communication Device

My research proposal is based on my own teaching experience of working with a special needs student “Nakita” who was born with downs syndrome. I have been this little girls TA since she was three years old, now she is in the second grade and is eight years old. This little girl is the apple of my eye, and while I am in school my world revolves around her. I am her momma when she is in school, and she is always making sure I am around her or she can see me even when she is on the playground. Over the past four years I have seen this little girl blossom with her communication skills however, she still has a hard time getting her friends and teachers or anyone else understand her wants and needs. When she first came to our school, she was nonverbal and knew a few words through sign other than that she would make grunts or point to what she wants. We have both learned through each other how to communicate to each other. She has taught me some sign language and I have taught her some in return. I have become her communication device and can communicate for her. The problem I see is that I will not always be with her, and she needs to be able to communicate on her or through the help of an assistive communication device.
My research paper will be based on certain assistive communication devices for non-verbal downs syndrome students, just like my own student “Nakita”. Our school is a small public school that houses four hundred fifty students’ elementary students. Among these four hundred fifty students, there may be about fifteen to twenty special education students that have a disability from dyslexics to downs syndrome. Nakita is the only student that has downs syndrome, so our assistive communication devices have been very limited until this past school year.
There are more and more schools that teachers are suing their own ipad to help there nonverbal child with their communication. I think this is a wonderful and great way for teachers to help their own students. Some schools can barely afford one ipad so teachers are taking a risk by bringing their own personal ipad up for children to learn. I have done this; I understand the risk of my personal ipad however, if it will benefit my students than I’m all in. Our school finally invested in two, but with three special ed teachers we have to share our time with them.
So my hypothesis or research question is “what type of assistive communication device will benefit this wonderful little child and other children like her? The answer to this question will be based on two assistive communication devices that have been introduced to Nakita this school year. My research will be based on what I have seen with hands on experience with this child using both devices. The assistive communication devices that we introduced to Nakita are: ipad and go talk. She has been using the ipad for the past six months and the go talk since January, both were purchased to help her communicate better and most importantly help her learn and say the words.
The research information I found on both the go talk and ipad are from website journals, I will compare their information to my own research and firsthand experience of using these devices. Both devices can serve the purpose of helping nonverbal students communicate to where they can push a button to ask or tell someone what they what or need.
Go Talk is a means of communication in which photographs, drawings, and objects are used to help a non-speaking child communicate needs and wants to another person. Go talk in the classroom is most useful when a child has not yet grasped basic language skills.
Using this assistive technology will be an important step in helping a student understands that each desired object or action (picture) could be represented by a word. ()
This type of device can be used with her own drawings or pictures she chose, or what teacher suggested. This way she can touch the picture button that she wasn’t and it will say the word of the picture. For instance is she chooses the paint picture, than the device will say paint please, or I want to paint. The educator or speech therapist, or parents can speak into the device and say what the object is and can teacher her small but full sentences. Such as “I want to paint”, the more she hears these words the more practice she can get and therefore can be able to speak all or some of the words, very clearly. Most importantly she is learning how to speak in full sentences and will be able to communicate better.
This speech/picture device can also grow with her as she grows and gets older, because there are communication books as well as picture cards. These smaller portable communication books can be carried easily to classroom to classroom and she can also keep her portable picture card key chain to swap or change any picture she would like to change. She can accommodate her own communication device to fit her needs.
Now the IPad is a different assistive device because it can do more just teach this child to communicate and help her with her speech. This device can also give her a fun and exciting education as well, without her even knowing it. This little wonderful device can be used through her entire education, in school and at home. This device can grow with her as she grows and develops. Ipad can be programmed for her to use the simple touch screen that can be programmed with words and pictures of what she wants or needs.
She does know some sign language but her friends don’t, so by using this type of communication device will benefit her and her communication.
The Ipad has a wonderful but costly app called Icommunicate for ipad, this iCommunicate for iPad allows you to create pictures, flashcards, storyboards, routines, visual schedules and record custom audio in any language. Aside from being an AAC device iCommunicate also includes task completion and audio visual prompting. iCommunicate comes preloaded with 10,000 symblstix pictures. You also have the ability to insert Google images and the story boards are printable. (Friendship Circle Blog, 2011)
Now that we are all familiar with both assistive communication devices, let’s compare with my own personal experience with using these wonderful devices. Our school has purchased these devices for our only downs syndrome student. Her special ed teacher and myself have used these devices with her throughout the school year. We first introduced her to the ipad, this device is amazing and can benefit her tremendously. However getting her use to the touch screen was difficult and sometimes still is. We have the app I communicate just for her, wasn’t too difficult for us to figure out and to setup what words we want her to communicate the most. We started with simple pictures and words that corresponds to the picture, Such as drink, hungry, restroom, play and tired. At first she would just touch every picture and not understand how or why she should use them.
After the first four months she started getting better communicating by just the push of the button. However to her it’s just fun and games, we are slowly adding more words and pictures for her to use to communicate. We have her touching the button and saying the word at the same time as the ipad.
Doing this everyday has improved her speech skills as well as her communication with others. I feel that she can overcome her speech issues with the everyday use of assistive communication device. I have experienced watching and hearing her repeat some of the words on her own, especially when she thinks no one is looking or paying any attention to her.
Using the ipad as a communicational device can have its advantages and disadvantages we have realized this pretty quickly. The disadvantages that I have experienced with Nakita while using this device is adding the actual words of the pictures; for example, the picture of juice with no words, she got use to touching that button for juice.
However now that she has become familiar with it we have added kinds of juice to where she can pick out of the three, exactly what she wants to drink. Apple juice, grape juice and orange juice, these words are under the picture of juice and she is getting confused with what she wants because she is so use to touching the plain juice button. I feel that it is a bit overwhelming for her to make a silly decision on what juice she wants to drink.
As for the advantages we have experienced together is that she can use her picture and their words to make complete sentences. This is a big educational growth for her to be able to make complete sentences by the touch of the button. We have started her off by using these two little words “I Want” than she can add what she wants, and she can touch the speak button and it will say what she wants. An example of this is” I want to play outside”. She can combine her own pictures to come up with her wants and needs.
After we get her well acquainted with this step, we will move on to a more difficulty level as she grows and develops. Although we want Nakita to use this or any other type of assistive communication device we always encourage her to “use her words”.
There are times that she refuses to communicate with us verbally and would rather just touch the button. Sometimes this can be a disadvantage for us and her because she can get lazy and not want to verbally communicate and we can get frustrated with her because we want her to speak.
My main study will be my student Nakita and her needs to want to communicate; she has come a long way for a school that only offers her speech forty minutes a week. However I have to admit the speech teacher spends time talking to the special ed teacher about other students so Nakita gets about twenty minutes a week from speech.
I will be observing her closely especially when she is a round her closest friends those she feel safe around and watch her try to communicate with them. I have witnessed her communicating to her friends, but it’s not with words that her friends can understand it’s more of grunts and jesters. Nakita can say “I go home” but it sounds more like “ I o ome” . One of her friends “destiny” was so excited because she could understand her.
I will begin my study and observing Nakita when she is with the general ed teacher, and write down what she is trying to say or how she gets her point across to the teacher. I will interfere when Nakita is getting frustrated because she is not being understood or when Nakita ask me for help. I will continue this study and decide if I should come up with picture cards with words that corresponds to the picture or will using the assistive communication device be better for her in the long run.
Any type of communication will benefit this child is so many ways, but do we want her to depend on the assistive communication device and not even try to use picture cards or her own words?
There is a lot to consider when teaching nonverbal students to communicate, especially how to go about teaching these children how to use any type of assistive technology device. Rather it would be picture cards, gotalk or the ipad or maybe all three. First thing is not to push or overwhelm the student by showing them too much to where they are lost and confused.
Researching assistive communication devices is the key especially because you don’t know which device will work for what type of need. There are all kinds of devices that can nonverbal students. Question is does your child provide these types of technology, can get they get it to help your child. I know when the state budget cuts there are some schools that don’t have these devices because they don’t have a student who is completely nonverbal.
Take for instance our school, we have had Nakita since she was in prek and this year was the first year we bought an ipad for her. Granted she was younger then and now she’s older and a little more mature to where she can understand what it is used for.
I would like to present my research plan to my special ed teachers and show them what these items are used for and how much they will benefit this child along with any other nonverbal students. My plan will show which device will be best for her to be able to communicate with her classmates, teachers and anybody else she chooses to communicate with.
The ipad would suit this child’s needs and then some, because it can act as her communicator along with giving her an education, due to educational apps that can come with it. She can use the icommuncate app and make up her own sentences with her needs or wants. She can also touch the little girl that represents her and it will say “My name is Nakita, what is your name? This little saying she loves it. Because she can hear the ipad say her name. We can also set it up with millions of sentences and questions for her later on in the future, or as she gets older she can design it herself. This ipad can also benefit her education, because she or teachers/parents can download millions of educational games from prewriting, learn abcs to social studies. This ipad will grow with her as she continues to grow and education develops.
I will incorporate the ipad in her daily routine along with her picture cards as well; when she is in the classroom she will use the ipad for any particular subject. If the general ed is doing spelling with their white boards than Nakita can use her ipad and do her own spelling words as well, this way she feels like she is part of the class. Math time, she can use the math manipulative to count and she can also use the ipad as well. She can do math and handwriting at the same time, by tracing the numbers and the ipad tells her the number she is tracing. The teacher can come by her and ask Nakita “what number is this”, by having the teacher verbally communicate with Nakita, she will respond back in her own words or she can touch the ipad to the number the teacher asked what is was, and have the ipad speak for her. She can also use her ipad as a sharing experience, one of her classmates can use the ipad with her as a reward, and this will help her learn how to take turns and helps her also to communicate as well.
This assistive communication device can be used to communicate with others; while it can also benefit her as well through other developmental areas such as her social development area. From my own experiencing of observing her and her little gestures; I have noticed when she wants to know who that new kid is or an adult or teacher, she will point to them and keeps pointing till I figure out what she is asking me what their name is. Thanks the ipad she can hit the button that says “what is your name”, by doing this will help her with her social skills, because she isn’t afraid of using this device but is afraid of trying to speak their words herself.

I would also show my coworkers the web site that backs my information on how much a nonverbal downs syndrome or any other nonverbal students can benefit tremendously by using the ipad. This article from foxnews.com has had an Interview with autistic student and their parents along with the student’s teachers and principals. They have all seen amazing results just by using this wonderful device known as the ipad and its amazing apps. Principal Rima Ritholtz says the iPad has unlocked the communication barrier for these children on the spectrum.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/05/17/ipad-apps-key-to-unlocking-communication-barrier-with-autistic-students/#ixzz2QaIyLIbG
Even though we want her to use these types of assistive devices to help her communicate we will also encourage using her words, and telling us in her own words what she wants. By having her repeat what the device said or repeat what we say will also improve her verbal skills.
Education is for every child out there, regardless of what type of disability they may have. Thanks to this newer and improved technology assistive technology has made devices that will benefit more students that have disabilities. Question is what at device will my student benefit the most from? I like the idea of her using these assistive communicational devices, because they will help her gain her independence and a sense of accomplishment that she can do things on her own.
What I am hoping to gain from this lengthy research is a great assistive communication device that can help my wonderful student Nakita become verbal downs syndrome student. I want people to be able to understand what she is saying in her own words and sometimes with the help of her communication device, it depends on the circumstance.
There is no reason why this child won’t be able to use her own words to communicate as she gets older and her speech develops more. Regardless of what type of assistive communication device she uses or any other non-verbal student, they should be able to benefit from it by speech and education. My knowledge on these devices will help me further in the special education field and help my students. I am hoping to benefit my students now and in the future thanks to all of these wonderful devices that can be used to help these children with their speech to where they can become verbal students.
These devices can grow with the user and will help them proceed with their education, along with helping them to be able to socialize with their classmates, and the public. They can be independent which is great for them, this way they won’t have to depend on someone constantly beside throughout their lives. I would love to be able to see my wonderful child Nakita ordering her some McDonalds through her own words and through her communication device, knowing she can and will be able to do this someday , will give me the satisfaction that I have done my part by teaching her.

References: http://www.ehow.com/about_6465574_assistive-technology-down_s-syndrome-students.html http://suite101.com/article/pecs-in-the-classroom-a158805 http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2011/02/07/7-assistive-communication-apps-in-the-ipad-app-store/ http://www.ehow.com/about_6465574_assistive-technology-down_s-syndrome-students.html#ixzz2NqMm3Z7J http://www.downsyndrome.ie/index.php/computers-a-technology http://www.teachervision.fen.com/assistive-technology/teaching-methods/3791.html http://library.educationworld.net/a11/a11-148.html http://www.newschannel5.com/story/15875502/ipad-technology-helps-downs-syndrome-student-communicate