"The Wonderful World of Language"

Welcome to our class - seven amazing middle school students with severe disabilities. Amanda is able to verbally communicate with short sentences or single words. Danny has limited verbal output and uses gestures and PECS to communicate. A few other students use PECS and/or signs in a variety of settings and two students have very limited communication. Their needs are many, their abilities are varied, and we want the best for all.

Last spring, I was fortunate to be able to attend a training conducted by Adam Wing from Laureate Learning Systems. The training was offered on a Friday and for the entire day I sat, listened, and thought about all the different ways to use the new Laureate programs to reach the students. What about the student that can’t take too much stimulation? No problem – use the black background. Another student needs a lot of variety. No problem – switch between the activities within a level. Another student needs to use a switch – the programs all have built-in switch accessibility as well as touch screen capability if needed. Delayed time reaction – taken care of. Tracking – got it! Best of all, the programs are SO EASY to use and to adapt to each student’s individual needs.

Over the weekend, the Laureate software programs kept creeping into the forefront of my mind. What about trying this? Danny would love this! Maybe this will reach Manny. Monday arrived and we began to use the software to conduct assessments. It took one week for all the students in the class to have the opportunity to be probe-tested. This wasn’t because the programs were difficult to use, but my time in the classroom was limited. At the end of the week, goals and starting points for all seven students had been established.

Laureate software has expanded the opportunities our students have to explore the wonderful world of language. It has given them a chance to use the computer in a meaningful way.

During the second week, the goal in the classroom was to have each student on the computer daily. Time and personnel became an issue. Most of the students needed to have an adult sitting next to them while at the computer so we trained the para-professionals to work with the students. Mounted on the wall in plastic file folders are directions for each student. These include the program(s) to use as well as any special guidelines for each student. Amanda needs to have the cues repeated for her. B’s hands have to be held until the stimulus is given or she’ll touch the screen at random. If Shaun gets too excited, rub his back hard between the shoulder blades, etc. Within a few weeks, everyone was familiar with these pointers, but the reminders are still there and they really do impact the students’ performance.

That was last May. It’s now a new school year. Three of our students graduated (with their records in their files) and we have four new students. Within the first two weeks, assessments began and all the students were evaluated or re-evaluated.  The new guidelines are on the wall and computer time has begun again.  

Over the last few months, many exciting things have happened. Danny began with the First Words program and started to repeat many of the target words as they were presented. He has now moved on to Simple Sentence Structure and First Categories. He loves computer time and when he is able to stay on task for classroom activities, he is given extra time on the computer. B will focus on the program for over five minutes (she started at under two minutes). Amanda is currently working with the Words and Concepts Series and Language Activities of Daily Living: My House, My School, and My Town. She is also starting to read and Laureate’s software has been very beneficial in supporting this.

Laureate software has expanded the opportunities our students have to explore the wonderful world of language. It has given them a chance to use the computer in a meaningful way. Best of all, the programs are flexible and easy to use which allows for the individual needs of all the students to be addressed. I have to say that I’m amazed by what Laureate software has done for our students; it’s just wonderful!

Janet Gillespie
Speech-Language Pathologist
Glen Crest Middle School
Glen Ellyn, IL

Train 100 nouns and the sounds they make!
New! Nouns and Sounds Sterling Edition

We’ve just released a new Sterling Edition of Nouns & Sounds. It’s a fun, effective way to increase auditory awareness and build listening skills! This new version of Nouns & Sounds begins with an assessment test and automatically guides the student through the curriculum. After each lesson, you’ll receive a detailed report of student performance to ensure accountability.

New! Wireless Switch Interface

This new wireless switch interface makes using a single switch much easier! Because there's no cord connecting the switch to the computer, students can use their switches from different locations in the classroom. Plus, it uses a radio frequency so there are no line of sight requirements. You can plug in up to 5 switches for easy access to software with built-in scanning. It's Mac/Win compatible and comes with a one-year warranty.