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okay welcome my name is Brenda Britton from ablenet and I thank you for joining me for today's professional development session on strategies that utilize assistive technology to address some of the challenges faced by individuals on the autism spectrum you will receive a follow-up email after today's session where you'll find several links that will enable you to download a PDF of the presentation slides that I'm using today view the recording of this webinar and get your certificate of attendance in regard to the promotional offer I'll tell you more about that at the end of the session in the 30 minutes that we have today which will go by quickly I will address some of the most common challenges that many individuals with autism spectrum disorders face with the focus on those involving some aspect of communication I will share with you assistive technology solutions that can able that can enable you to implement relevant and meaningful support strategies lastly I'm going to tell you about ablenet special promotion and give you a little bit more information about upcoming professional development sessions as well as give you contact information please use the chat feature if you have any questions and that is located at the top left hand of your screen also if you'd like to enlarge your screen that can be found at the top right hand portion of your screen I hope to have time to address some of your questions if we don't be assured that I will list them out in a question-and-answer format and we'll send them to everyone as a neurological condition autism affects the most essential of human behaviors impacting in an individual's expressive communication social interactions attention motivation organization academics self-care and really their overall understanding of environment with the ability to function independently within that environment while there are certainly going to be changes over the lifespan of an individual the presence of these behaviors may exhibit themselves and a wide variety of combinations and degrees in intensity ranging from mild to severe today I'm going to focus on challenges that involve communication both receptive as well as expressive these challenges must very often involve other people situations may arise because of an individual's inability to ignore modulate or organize sensory information and many of the stresses simply involved the demands of daily life whether at home at school at work or in the community we also know how interruptions and changes can derail an individual in big and small ways lack of information can be a part of misunderstandings and misconceptions which can significantly impact an ability an individual's ability to function so if you think about it all of these challenges involve communication when considering challenges that involve communication the following considerations can be important for individuals with ASD first of all speech does not ensure communication skill development does not always follow the typical or expected sequence the automatic drives that urge to understand and use the communication process is weak in basic skills such as eye contact motor or verbal imitation symbol matching or even labeling skills are not a prerequisite assistive technology can greatly aid an individual's ability to understand others and his or her world as well as to communicate more effectively it's paramount to keep in mind that assistive technology must be portable durable easy to manage and most importantly all is available it needs to be easy to use and capable of delivering a clear message quickly and of course it needs to be easy to adapt and or and or to expand because we know that individuals change and sometimes it's better to have an assistive technology device that can change with them so let's take a look at able nuts talking bricks using talking bricks is an easy and affordable solution to address many of the challenges that individuals with ASD face here's just a few details to familiarize yourself with some of the great features of talking bricks first of all they come in a set of three and they are connected so that you can make a customized layout any way that you choose there's a power on and off switch as well as a built in rechargeable battery so all three talking bricks can be recharged at the same time there's ten seconds of recording time on each bricks and then there's the snap caps snap switch cap which allows you to use picture simple support as well that's incorporating that all-important visual component schedules are a great strategy as you may know for helping individuals understand the events of the day and the sequence of those events it can allow individuals with ASD to better focus as they know what is going to happen first and what's coming up next and next and next it's a great idea to include any changes that might or could occur in the schedule some people like to use a lightning bolt or a change symbol to indicate a new or unusual event another important function of a schedule is that it can allow for an increased level of independent functioning for many individuals many people find that using schedules in a consistent manner every day at home in school at work and in the community serves to reduce anxieties which can greatly ease transitions best practice is to consider individual needs including building in a balance in the schedule of non-preferred or high-stress activities with preferred or low stress activities using able nuts talking bricks to create a visual schedule that pair simple auditory directions unique to an individual or situation with the scheduled activity is shown here you can record a 10-second message add a matching symbol and mount it on any surface using velcro or the talking bricks internal magnet knowing that you can connect a limitless number of talking bricks is really a big plus organizing and structuring space can help meet the goal of increasing an individual's level of independent functioning and talking bricks can be a simple solution here you can see a cubby and a coat identify for student at school in this example the boys photo and/or his name would be under the clear snap switch cap to provide visual support talking bricks is also a great tool to help organize and structure events as routines we know that routines can also serve to increase independent functioning as well as give individuals a sense of control routines can be useful as transitions between activities or events too in this example you see two talking bricks are placed at the door of a classroom to make saying hello and goodbye part of the classroom routine talking bricks are then readily available for all students to use regardless of need now I'm really excited to tell you about one of ablenet most popular products especially for those with autism and that's called the talk track this wearable communication device is great for on-the-go messages at home school at work and in the communities there are two levels featuring four message locations on each level that gives you a total of eight messages and each message locations has ten seconds of recording time that's giving you 80 seconds of recording time top track features a nickel metal hydride battery which boasts more energy and a smaller package well why is that important because we know that we in order to have devices be available at all times they need to be able to work and so what's great about this particular battery and top track is that talk track can last all day and generally just be recharged at night and for some individuals depending on their their amount of youth the battery can even last longer than that it does come with a velcro strap wristband but do know that it can be easily changed out for watch bands of your choice the talk track can be used by an individual to express his or her wants and needs it's ideal for those times when an individual may find it difficult to speak perhaps due to increase levels of stress and or anxiety but it's also great for those individuals on the autism spectrum who have little to no speech or maybe speech that's difficult for others to understand in addition talk track into use by individuals with ASD to help them manage their emotions and behavior by listening to a message as often as needed individuals can lessen their overall level of anxiety which can assist them in better managing their behavior it can also be used to record messages relating to self instructions such as first I will finish my math problems then I can listen to music messages that help an individual cope with situations that may be difficult can also be recorded for instance in a work environment the individual may be told that he or she has made a mistake or he or she may recognize that they've made a mistake the message if I forget a step I can go back can be very reassuring and enable an individual to self-correct and feel okay that things didn't go as planned but most of all to move forward rather than getting stuck messages can also convey understanding or acknowledgement this can be especially important to others when they cannot always read whether or not the individual with autism has heard or comprehended what they have said also using top track provides an excellent language model for all individuals regardless of their speech ability assistive technology such as talktrac can be used to provide individuals with important information to answer questions including where should I be what worker activity will I do how much work will I do for how long do I need to work how will I know when I am finished and most importantly what will I do next what will I do when I am finished the I talk to is another great product from ablenet it's a dual message communicator that gives users the freedom to choose between two activities food choices stories or really two of anything else you can imagine the new digital technology inside di talk to provides improved sound and it also has 25% more battery lives which is always a plus with two minutes of recording time the possibilities are endless and did you know that you can also add a toy or appliance for immediate positive reinforcement into enhanced messages do know that ablenet also offers the I top 2 with 3 levels if you want more information about that please check us out at the website and it also features built-in storage which is a perfect choice again for those that want to use that picture simple support because we know that visual component is so important for people with it with ASD so let's take a look at a few uses of I talked to choice making well we know it's important for everyone and it's really essential for feeling like we have some control over our lives I talked to a fourth individual the ability to make choices and app X like format but instead of exchanging a symbol for a desired item the individual activates the I talked to for auditory feedback I talked to is also great for offering individuals acceptable alternative actions when what they want to have or do is unobtainable or undesirable in a given situation I talk to is a great device to use for telling to part jokes and who doesn't love a well-told joke can you tell that I used to teach middle school it also lends itself to asking and answering questions in an easy to program and easy-to-understand way it's simple to program the I talked to is a support for individuals when they are given any variety of tasks messages can include communication before the start of a task such as I understand can I start working now or I don't understand can you show me or can you tell me more the I talk to can also be available to an individual when he or she needs help or to indicate when he or she when he or she has finished with a task having yes and no recorded on the device our message is that the individual can use to answer a variety of questions that someone may ask of him or her especially in the workplace and now I want to tell you about the supertalker progressive communicator because it rules when it comes to flexibility easy to learn it can function as a single message communicator for beginners and progress to a 2 4 or 8 message communicator as an individual's needs and abilities change no need to learn the new device instead simply change the keycard supertalker offers 8 levels so you can record and store as many as 64 messages this is really important since there's no dedicated time allotted to each cell you have the freedom to record as much information as you choose in each cell with a total of up to 16 minutes of recording time for individuals who cannot use direct access supertalker has the benefit of having a step ahead jack which allows messages to be played in sequence similar to a step by step communicators it also features a switch jack so that multiple people can use it the same time and just like the I talked to there are two toy or appliance jacks which just adds to its multiple uses know that you can easily make overlays with any of the simple system software that you may have learning routines can be an important skill for individuals especially for those on the autism spectrum and the supertalker pairs visual and auditory support that better enables routines to be learned we know that using a familiar device can reduce the stress of a new experience and also ensure that the routine takes on the intended meaning in addition dependency on others for cues can be lessened if not eliminated using a teen can increase the rate of learning and the ability to generalize tasks learn as part of a routine the supertalker is perfect for keeping a conversation going comments can let others know thoughts and viewpoints offer additional information or can be used to agree or disagree questions can serve to demonstrate interest and what someone else is saying and allow an individual to gain much-needed new information lastly questions can be used to verify or negate assumptions or perceptions questions can really play an important part in helping an individual with autism better understand others as well as his or her environment decades ago Michigan educator Carol gray pioneered the idea of using a story format to teach social skills and created a formula for writing such stories the goal of a social story is to share information meaningfully and safely in an overall patient and reassuring tone well the supertalker is perfect for providing the auditory and visual components of a social story such information can be especially helpful in creating a reference to an event yet to come or in helping an individual better understand an event has past the flexibility offered by the number of grits as well as the total amount of recording time afforded by this device make it ideal for the strategy please be sure to check out Carol's website at the Grade Center org for more information and important guidelines to follow for writing effective social stories now I'm going to tell you about the little step-by-step communicator it is a favorite and has been for a long time because it's easy tech and it's a quick ready communication device featuring two minutes of recording time the interchangeable switch tops and red yellow green and blue makes switching colors a breeze with better than ever digital sound 40% more recording time and 25% more battery life the little step-by-step communicator is the real deal ablenet also offers additional products on the step by step family such as step-by-step with levels and step by step choice with levels so be sure to check them out on our website the step by step can be especially useful for initiating and maintaining conversation both of which can be difficult for some individuals with ASD a key can be most effective in giving individuals with autism the information that they need to meet expectations to the best of their ability when it comes to following directions the step by step communicator can help individuals gain maintain and even refocus their attention furthermore each support can assure that complete instructions are provided thus reducing the amount of support needed in increasing an individual's independence skills the step by step can also be a valuable tool in helping individuals learn to regulate their own behavior by listening to a message as often as needed whether it be a reaffirming message a first end message or a message that offers alternative behaviors or choices individuals can lessen their overall level of anxiety can help them better self manage their behavior at ablenet we believe that assistive technology can and does change lives I invite you to consider one or more of the 80 solutions that I shared with you today that address some of the many challenges faced by individuals with autism spectrum disorders I invite you also to take advantage of a 10% discount on any of the great products featured in today's webinar and those would be talking bricks top track I talk to the supertalker progressive communicator and lastly the little step-by-step communicator for your convenience this promotional code will be sent to you and a follow-up email just a reminder ablenet is proud to offer webinar sessions dedicated to professional development offering that keep you up to date on emerging assistive technology as well as curricular solutions please visit the ablenet university website at ablenet ENCOM /a you to see our current schedule of upcoming live professional development sessions we offer ones on assistive technology solutions special education curricular solutions and solutions that integrate assistive technology and special education curriculum in the classroom and please don't forget that we have a vast library of archived webinars that are there for you to view that are perfect for professional development sessions as well please look for a follow-up email from me with your certificate of attendance along with the promotional code entitling you to the 10% discount on the purchase of any of the assistive technology products that you learned about in today professional development session again my name is Brenda Britton and I thank you for your time and interest today I look forward to assisting you to bring the right assistive technology solutions to individuals with disabilities to address the many challenges that they face now I'm going to shut down the however I will remain on the phone I ask that you please do not close your browser because in just a moment you should see a short survey that's going to consist of just three questions and I want you to please take a few minutes to complete it as ablenet values your people in just a moment I think we have a few minutes here to take some time for questions I want to go ahead and look at you have some questions and would like to put them chat them to me I'll take a moment and see what we can address here while I have you on the line you alright it looks like you don't have any questions at the moment I do see one Thank You Kimber a couple here is there a handout from the PowerPoint thanks again for asking as I indicated earlier in the presentation there will be a hand and hand out as well as these slides and we'll go ahead and send them to you and that you can get those as well and there's another question here Thank You Kimberly with the supertalker there's a total of 15 minutes of talk time is it limited to two minutes for the eight self that's a great question Kimberly because when I was first learning about all the pluses of supertalker that was exactly what I wanted to know and like I said there's no dedicated amount of time specified for each cell so for instance if you just had the two cells you could record ten minutes in one cell and court record six in the other so it's limitless with how you can do that and that's why I just absolutely love it and it is one of our very favorite most versatile products that we offer from ablenet and again is perfect for social stories like I explained and they see another question here and you work with it off someone is indicating that they work with the supertalker and how can I use it with the parents great question perfect and I'm going to give a really quick response here and then I'm certainly no follow up with a little bit more of that in the follow-up email to you because we're running a little short on time but again it's so important oftentimes we find that being able to send those devices back and forth between home and school is ideal and often just taking that time whether you're meeting parents in the classroom or going directly into their home and showing them how to use it often I find that enlisting a sibling can be very effective as well right sometimes younger people are a little bit more apt to embrace technology and so sometimes that can be great to have a sibling involved or if nothing else to have someone else in that household that knows how to program and record the device and also a great idea is for parents to start out with using it for getting their child a choice of leisure activities an ordinate food request or perhaps what television program women like to watch who is what they like to have over those types of things where they can again means their child with those those questions that they're probably asking their child anyway and looking for those choices but using this piece of assistive technology to help out in that regard and also using the board can be great in terms of helping other people within that family structure communicate with the child such as grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles so thank you for that great question and if I have any more to add to it or sir we will do so in a question and answer email and we are not looks like that we're out of time so I'm going to go ahead again and ask you to please stay stay on the line to answer our short survey that just has three questions and I ask you to do that because we really appreciate your feedback at ablenet we want to meet your needs not only in telling you about our great assistive technology solutions but also finding out what challenges you're facing and better ways that we can help you meet those needs so I'm going to hang up now on our session please know that when you're done with the survey it will automatically submit once again I thank you for your time and interest in ablenet assistive technology solutions