Working with Students who use Switches

This post is going to follow the last post on center time, but this one is focusing on students who are working with using switches for cause/effect and communication. 

Over winter break, I created a poster to help the adults in the room (and substitutes!) know how to work with these children. Our IAs do such a fabulous job working with these children, but it helps to have reminders or ideas on where to go and I am all about that data and accountability. I want to know what each child did with each adult during each center time and how they reacted specifically. It is important for me to know if they are always sleeping during centers even if that is what they are doing but to see what types of activities they were doing. All data has a purpose.

Here is the poster. I will include all the text on this post!

On the top left, here is the text:

Key notes for working with students using switch activation:

1. Does this child have a switch placement established, meaning, do we know consistently where they use their switches all the time?

Yes: Plug them into interesting toys using their select switch, or using both their scan and select switches. If using two switches, put the item on the same side as the switch (if the switch is on the right side of the head, have the item also on the right side, same for the left). Use activities of their interest and strengths, for example, if the student cannot hear, do not plug them into something that is audio only. If the student has low vision, try to make the area as dark as possible and use lights to stimulate. Try to communicate with them to find out their preferences and note on their data sheet (use PODD, “that’s the one I want” or yes/no switches).

No: Try different switches and different placement and you may use a switch preference sheet to note your findings. Use one sheet per switch. You are looking for the most easily accessible movement. While you are trying to find switch placement, you can activate to test different toys to find their preferences. Once you know they like something, you can hook it up to a switch and they will be more motivated to activate the switch. 

2. When they are hooked up-GIVE THEM TIME TO DO IT THEMSELVES! This is critical. If you are pushing the button for them, they are not learning the motor movement or that they are in charge of their own learning. It may take an awkward amount of time where you feel as if you are doing nothing. You can stimulate the area by the switch so they know where it is and talk them through it (touching their head if the switch is activated by their head). If they are capable of activating it, they must be doing it on their own. Every time you hit the switch for them, they are loosing valuable learning experiences. You may show them how to do it 1-2 times at first by using their body part to show them, hand over hand.

3. Ok-I know how to hook them up, I know what they like, and we’ve been doing this a while. What do I do next?

Communicate and choice making. When they come to your center, ask them what they feel like doing today and use their switch for them to communicate (HINT: their switch must be hooked up to communicate with you “that’s the one I want” or yes/no). Let them pick a toy, then ask them if they want more, they have to communicate with you to get the activity, not just getting the activity anymore. Make it more academic-I have two books today and we are going to read one, which one do you want? Then ask them, what was our book about and have two choices for them to pick from (use PODD or you can even go to the sensory room and pick overlays for the light box that deal with the story (and one that does not) and ask them questions that way). Practice counting by using a counting switch where they can count along with a story or game. Try new things or simply-ask for advice from other adults in the room. Everyone has great ideas and new insights. PLEASE use things in the classroom-that is what they are there for!

Then, I go into the three types of set ups with pictures,

TACTILE:

These set ups are ideal for students who you are unsure how much vision or hearing the student has. These set ups provide the student with tactile feedback-anything that they can feel using their sense of touch. You can use these set ups on their hands or other parts of their body, be careful around the head or face (do not place near mouth or shunt). Use of vibration or other textures. Engage and note change in expression, vocalizations, eye movement, or any other response. Sensory matching cards are fun and also provide a visual experience. You can engage with the student by feeling one card, then another and determining if they are the same/yes or different/no. You can fill up a bin with different material for the student to engage with. This can be especially helpful for students who move their hands a lot or typically have their hands in their mouths. Please do not let them put the materials in their mouth. Clean all equipment.

How do I make it more academic?

Tactile letter cards, tactile number cards, tactile ABC book. Engage with the students and talk them through it, pair it with a song or a story, engage with their pointer finger, encourage them to feel and participate.

VISUAL:

These set up are ideal for students who have low vision and are working on attending and tracking. It can also be used for students with good vision who enjoy looking. Please attempt to make the area as dark as possible and use the black background. Engage with the materials near their eyes and in different places near their range of vision to find a place where they attend most often. This is optimal placement-take notes on their data sheets. Use shiny or colorful materials and pair with a light for a more visual experience. Give them time to attend. You can also time how long they attend, and also note changes in facial expression, movements or vocalizations. 

How do I make it more academic?

Tactile Treasures books-use these to pair with stories or songs, or to engage with the pointer finger and then allow them to look at them. Counting, shape identification. Use the doodle mat to draw and then have them look at it. Use high contrast backgrounds or the light box for them to attend to. Use different overlays and different placements and tell them what they are looking at and note preferences. Color preference is a big thing for students with visual impairment. Try to find the color they can see best. Do a preference assessment for each color and take data on attending. You can also do sorting activities or the transparent letters on the light box.

I also talk about the direct select-which you can see located above:

Direct Select: You can turn anything with a plug into a switch activity by plugging into the direct select. You can determine how much time it stays on when they hit the switch. Note: if you have two switches plugged in, only one can be activated, then once it stops, they can hit the other one-so they won’t get both stimuli if they hit both at once. This helps them to attend to what they picked first and understanding when it’s done, they have to hit the switch to enjoy again. Try new things here-the possibilities are endless!

AUDIO:

These set ups can be beneficial for students who have low vision but good hearing. Use the iPad to watch videos or songs, read them stories or use a listening center to listen to a story. Use musical instruments and present them not in their visual field to note how their hearing is-if they turn their head when you play the instrument, or if they vocalize, move or have a change in facial expression. Encourage them to activate the audio or musical instrument. 

How do I make it more academic?

They can make choices on what they what to hear or play. They can choose books. They can choose songs or videos to listen to. Do a preference assessment on what sounds they like best.

And I also talk about different switches to use:

SWITCHES:

Toggle switch: this is used like a joy stick but often if I hold it near a body part, it is an easy activation-such as holding it by their head and the turn of the head can activate the toys. 

Jelly Bean: these switches often have velcro that you can attach to a strap so that it can be placed hands free in different places on their wheelchair or near the area. This is helpful for head switches or to attach to trays.

Tactile switches/suction cup: these switches are good to stick to surfaces but sometimes need dycem to attach. Be creative in placement-under a tray they can activate with their knee, for example. This is good for students with a lot of movement, particularly their hands. You can sometimes put these upright on a tray or surface so they can reach directly out to activate. 

So, this poster should help everyone get some ideas as to what these kiddos are working with. But, like I said my goal is data to. Show what you did with each child each time. It is best to work 1:1, but there are 2-3 kiddos at each center. My goal is to get one kid set up with an independent task, or even that child observing you working with the other child, and then taking good data on one student. I would rather have one student get a lot done rather than trying to manage two kiddos and get nothing accomplished. 

There are many ways to work with each student. Each kid has a clipboard at their station. It has an individual IEP data sheet on it in a clear sleeve with a visa vis marker attached. They can take quick data on this (usually it is frequency or duration) and then I photo copy it on Friday, put it in their binders, and then clean it off for the next week. We also take data during circle (maybe another post!). 

If we do not know where the child uses the switches best and consistently, they can use a switch preference assessment. They attach one switch up to one toy and test all the accessible areas of the child's body to determine if they can access that particular switch and where is the best place for it. They can also look for other cues such as eye gaze, etc. We are looking for specific interactions with the stimuli and trying different stimuli to see what motivates them!

We also have preference assessments. This, they can try different activities and see what the child is preferring and how they are interacting with different activities. 

Many of our students get on the computer and play switch activated games. My co-teacher made a fabulous list of all the computer games and what types of switch they use (single switch, two switch scan/select, two switch play again each other, etc) and each child has a sheet. You highlight the games they seem to enjoy. There is also a data sheet where you write down the game and do frequency count of how often they activate the game on their own. We also have pictures of all the computer games to do a list for the child to communicate their choice. 

We need to get more going with the iPad. I got some switch hook ups and will get that going soon!

These are hanging on the wall so they can choose them and take notes and put on the child's clipboard. 

Here is my single preference assessment:

Single toy, instrument, color, or other item that you are testing their preference (please write date)	Notes (change in facial expression, visual attending, change in movement, vocalization, reaching, etc).
Example: 1/5/15-pink light toy	When first presented, the child had their eyes closed, but when activated, the child opened their eyes for 2 seconds before closing again. When activated again, the child did not open their eyes.
Example: 1/5/15-bird toy with sound	When first presented, child had eyes closed, but when activated, they opened their eyes and smiled. They kept eyes open for entire activity (4 minutes)

Here is my multiple preference assessment:

Multiple toys, colors, instruments or other items you are seeing preference (please add date) Item 1	Item 2	Notes or activation tallies
Example:  1/5/15- on select switch (right) student is on light box with red overlay	On scan switch (left) student is with a switch toy dog	R- IIII L-IIIIIIII Time: 6 minutes, 50 seconds

Here is my computer game data sheet:

Date	Game and amount of time (be precise, set timer)	Activation Tally (single switch or select switch)	Activation Tally for second switch, if using two switches	Notes (change in facial expression, vocalization, attending)
Example: 1/5/15	5 Firefighters, 10 minutes	IIIIIIIIII	N/A	Smiled and laughed
Example: 1/5/15	Load the Truck, 7 minutes	III	II	Seemed to hit coincidentally, not looking or engaging, closing eyes.

I do not have samples of my switch placement assessment on my computer, but it is simply a picture of a child in a wheelchair with arrows at each possible switch placement. The adult writes the type of switch and stimulus tried and then attempts to have the child activate it at all body placements to see what they were able to independently, looking for the most accessible switch placement. 

I hope this helps! It can be a bit confusing. I will take some pictures of the new set-ups in action to ease any confusion!

Modified Reading Centers

Hello and Happy New Year! I am excited to get back to school and working with kiddos. Not many posts since the beginning of the year. I wanted to fill in readers about my modified reading centers. I teach reading while my co-teacher teaches math and we work with kindergarten students. This summer, I was fortunate enough to get Orton Gillingham training and I am also working on my reading endorsement and am done after my last class this spring! I wanted to use these strategies with my students, however, they are functioning at a much lower level than a typically developing student. So, what to do but modify! Please see earlier posts about how we set up our centers, but I will describe what the "orange" center works on during our reading center time, 30 minutes a day. They are either working with my co-teacher and I or any of our four instructional assistants. This set-up works well for when they are substitutes also.

One of the Orton Gillingham strategies I have adapted is the ABC folder, which is similar to the "card deck" if anyone is familiar with OG. It has the letter and a keyword picture below it and I paste the keyword picture into their folder for the letter we are studying each week. So, each student has a folder with the keyword pictures under the letter that we have reviewed in class. They work on this at the beginning of each center as a warm up. Some kids practice the routine-saying a, apple /a/ and pointing to the picture, and other students point to the letter or sound or picture the adult asks, some practice singing the abcs and following along, etc. It can be a "Game" warm up-find this letter, find this sound, find this picture, etc. like bingo.

I made a picture schedule and laminated it so the kids could check off each activity as they do it. It also helps the adults know what I am talking about with a picture of the object.

The second activity on Monday is the book box. We got a Donor's Choose grant for 6 listening centers so I have a bunch of books on CD which is a huge hit this year. I have audio jacks and two sets of head phones so the adult can follow along with the student and keep them on the correct page. This also works on book handling skills and pre-reading skills. They are into exploring books this year.

As you can see, Monday is all about book exploration and comprehension. We use the PODD, which I am not sure I talked about in another post, but it is a great communication tool in the classroom.

Here is Tuesday, you can see the ABC folder is a constant each day.  This idea was all about making vocabulary a tactile experience. I have a list of vocabulary words for the week paired with a picture and they try to find those things in the sensory bin. Usually it is themed or related to a book. Then, I throw in all the tactile letters for the letter of the week and they search for the letter.
I created a letter dice by velcro-ing letters to the sides of a large dice. They think it is such a fun game to roll the dice and see what letter they get-aiming for the letter of the week. We use the misses as learning opportunities. Did you get the letter of the week? no? What letter did you get? what sound does it make!?
I have an ABC big book that my co-teacher made. It has each letter of the alphabet on a big page written in upper and lowercase and in different fonts mixed in with some of the other letters of the alphabet. They have to be detectives and find the letter of the week.
Finally, there is ABC bingo which can be differentiated for each student.

Wednesday is all about writing and pre-writing skills. They build the letter using handwriting without tears pieces, they make the letter on play doh mats and they write it on dry erase or chalk boards. I find the kids that avoid writing like to use the water on the chalkboard to "erase" your writing. I also have a prewriting worksheet for them to complete. This particular group does not do much worksheets because they are very into pre-writing and aren't developmentally at the worksheet level.

Thursday is all about sorting. I have tubs where they will sort the objects based on the first sound they hear, then they will sort the letters based on what they look like. I pick the letter of the week and the past weeks letter and put a bunch of magnetic letters in a tub and they sort them into trays accordingly. There is also a letter box that I made over the summer with a bunch of objects to talk about with books that begin with that letter. Then, I have a worksheet where they sort pictures between this weeks letter and the week prior and they color the pictures. More working on handling a writing utensil.

Friday is kind of an overall alphabet day. They listen to songs we do during circle, each child has a name folder where they velcro match the letters of their name. There is a worksheet where they glue a letter on top of its matching letter and then they can play computer or puzzles that are alphabet themed.
The orange table is who completes these activities each week. I have a similar one that is even more academic for the red table, but along very similar lines, more worksheets.
Then, we have the yellow, green and blue table which are students working on more functional skills during center time-on the next post!