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NOUNS
AND SOUNDS
By Valerie Herskowitz, M.A. C.C.C.-SLP |
Reprinted from the ADVOCATE Newsletter of the Autism Society of America, Inc.
March-April 2000. |
I love when my speech clients come running into my office eager about their therapy lesson. I enjoy the energy that they exude. Their positive attitude always converts into a successful speech therapy session. NOUNS AND SOUNDS, the newest software program by Laureate Learning Systems is one of the reasons that they anticipate a fun-filled lesson. This program provides an exciting educational learning experience. This group of seven highly stimulating activities will give your child the ability to develop greatly needed auditory skills that are so important for speech and language abilities.
The first activity called "Introducing Nouns and Sounds" focuses on auditory awareness. Beautiful photos of nouns are presented with the corresponding sound. Children who are just learning words and sounds will be able to utilize the capabilities of this game. They will enjoy seeing beautiful photographs and hearing the sounds of animals, musical instruments, vehicles, household items, etc. This is a highly motivating way to build auditory awareness and listening skills. Several of my non-speaking children have verbalized for the first time when they were exposed to the sounds of these words.
After the child has been introduced to the words with their corresponding sound, they can move on to the activity, "Exploring Noun Sounds." The teacher, parent, or therapist selects six, eight, or twelve pictures to appear on the screen. The child then clicks on a picture. The computer then plays it's corresponding sound. ("The cow says...moo"). This game will help your child acquire noun-to-sound pairings.
Developing auditory discrimination abilities has never been more fun. In Matching Nouns and Sounds", the child is asked to determine which picture is producing the given sound. Initially, it is recommended that the child make his/her choice from only two pictures. When this skill is mastered, a selection of three pictures can be presented.
Another activity is called "Concentrate on Noun Sounds." This concentration-type game is available in six, eight, or twelve card formats. Initially, the playing cards are displayed face down. The child clicks on one of the cards at which time the noun with the corresponding sound is displayed. The child is then prompted to find the matching word and sound. When a match is found, the program rewards the child with animated characters that do a variety of dances: the Hula, the Hustle, the Charleston, the Tango, the Can-Can, the Swim (do any of you remember that one?), and our favorite, the Chicken Dance. I can't tell you how motivating these re-enforcers are for our kids. Coby L., a four-year old highly verbal child with autism that we see in our office is very fond of this activity. He loves to match pictures. This activity is so exciting for him that toy and food motivators that are often needed during his lessons are unnecessary when we play this game. A very interesting option is available: this game can be played by just matching the sounds alone-A great way to develop auditory memory skills.
"Is This the Right Sound?" is an activity designed to improve auditory discrimination. The child must decide whether the sound presented is the correct one for the noun selected. They can either click on the head nodding "yes" or the head shaking "no". An option to show only the words "yes" and "no" can be selected if the visual cue is not needed.
In order to develop auditory memory, as well as auditory discrimination and identification skills, utilizing "Remember That Sound" is recommended. Initially, the computer plays a sound. Then after a delay time (which is set by the therapist or parent), 2-3 pictures are presented on the screen. The child must then select the picture that corresponds to the sound.
Recently, I was asked to administer speech therapy to a group of autistic children who had come from Italy to spend the summer. They were receiving therapeutic services at the Miami Children's Hospital Dan Marino Center. Quite a bit of preparation was needed in order to prepare for these Italian-speaking clients. Utilizing my laptop, we have been working with NOUNS AND SOUNDS. These children have responded very well to the pictures and sounds of animali (animals) such as maiale (pig), cavallo (horse), and mucca (cow).
A wonderful feature of NOUNS AND SOUNDS is the ability to choose which words and sounds that you want to work on. Sometimes, for instance, I may select only animal sounds or musical instruments. Other times I may want only "s" words. You can pick just a few words or a wide selection. The customization feature of this program creates many opportunities for a variety of different learning opportunities.
Many programs that are designed for children with autism recommend including exercises that focus on auditory listening skills utilizing environmental sounds. NOUNS AND SOUNDS provides the opportunity to develop these essential skills in a highly motivating environment.
Valerie Herskowitz, M.A. CCC-SLP has been a speech pathologist, who has treated children and adults with developmental disabilities for the past 22 years. She is also the mother of Blake, an 8-year old boy with autism. She has been in private practice since 1981.
Ms. Herskowitz is also a speech and language computer software consultant and is available to answer any questions that you may have regarding these programs or any other speech, language, or communication matter as it relates to autism. You can reach her at:
Dimensions: Speech, Language, and Learning Services 481 E. Mount Vernon Drive Plantation, Florida 33325 1-800-99SPEECH (997-7332) www.dimensionsspeech.com
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