Colorful, technological approach to autism | MyCentralJersey.com | MyCentralJersey.com

Colorful, technological approach to autism | MyCentralJersey.com | MyCentralJersey.com

Nish Parikh wanted to reach autistic children and ultimately help them become more independent. He thought about what his own children liked — technology, animation, color, fun characters and positive reinforcement. So he set about trying to reach autistic children using those principles.

Parikh, CEO of Somerset-based WebTeam Corp., developed Shanesh Colors Program, an “interactive, educational intervention program for children with learning disabilities or with autism or autism spectrum related disorders.” The program involves the use of kiosks in schools or in his after-school program, and he also designed apps to be used at home.

“It’s an innovative way to deliver evidence-based therapy like Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA),” Parikh said, adding that there also is an integrated tracking and monitoring system.

Parikh owns Shanesh’s COLORS Academy at Raritan, which uses the program via special touchscreen kiosks and cameras recording their success. Children use colorful and animated apps designed specifically for their needs in the after-school program to reinforce their Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

Dynavox = Clueless?

Dynavox's stock price has taken a nose dive of late. Sales are down.

For the 13-weeks ended October 1, 2010, net sales were $21.6 million or 11% below net sales of $24.3 million during the 13 weeks ended October 2, 2009. Sales of the Company's speech generating devices declined 8% from the prior year to $17.2 million, and sales of its special education software declined 22%, to $4.4 million, for the first quarter of fiscal year 2011.

They blame lack of government money in a time when government spending is through the roof.

The Company believes that reduced domestic government funding, and particularly more constrained state and local government funding of school budgets, is adversely affecting its product sales in the United States.

How about this? Dynavox won't let me purchase the software to run on a computer or other device which would be a huge benefit for us. We have touchscreen computers and laptops at our house that my daughter loves and it would be great if we could run the Dynavox software could be used elsewhere.

They seem a tad oblivious to the fact that iPads and similar devices are on the verge of cleaning their clock and providing superior products at a fraction of the cost. Wake up, Dynavox. You make your money on the durable devices, drop the paranoia about your software.

First Then Visual Schedule

First Then Visual Schedule - Good Karma Applications

First-Then visual schedule application is designed for caregivers to provide
positive behavior support for those with communication needs. This application provides an affordable and convenient audio-visual prompting tool for use on the iPhone or iTouch. The portability of the iPhone and iTouch and ease of use of the application make it perfect for use at school, home or in the community.


















Visual schedules provide positive behavior support through the use of
images that show daily events(i.e. morning routine or therapy schedule) or steps needed to complete a specific activity, (i.e. using the restroom).
For individuals with communication needs, developmental delays, spectrum disorders or those who benefit from a structured environment; visual schedules serve to increase independence and lower anxiety during transitions through different activities. Visual schedules help set a
child up to be successful with clear expectations by promoting understanding
of upcoming events.

















First-Then application is unique in that it is completely customizable. User
can *record their own voice*, *add their own images* from their computer or
iPhone camera, or simply use images from the application’s stock library to create a schedule. This customization allows the application to be unique to the user and their needs. This also allows for schedules to be created “on-the-go” to help transition through unexpected changes in a routine.

First Then Visual Schedule - Good Karma Applications

A mom excited about the iPad and autism possibilities ...

Related:

• The iPad a Near-Miracle for my son
• Best iPad APPS for Autism
  

Autism and the iPad: Proloquo2Go Demo Video

8 Best Therapies For Children With Autism

Autism Dan's 8 Best Therapies For Children With Autism

1. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
2. Dietary Interventions
3. Augmentative Communication
4. Floor Time
5. Son Rise
6. DAN! (Defeat Autism Now)
7. Fast ForWord
8. Auditory Integration Training

FULL ARTICLE / DETAIL : Autism Dan's 8 Best Therapies For Children With Autism

Dynavox - Mobile Activity Player

DynaVox Mayer-Johnson's New Mobile Activity Player Supports Learning in Class, After School, and at Home PITTSBURGH, Nov 05, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --

DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, the world's leading provider of communication and education products for individuals with significant speech, language and learning disabilities, announces the Mobile Activity Player. Using a small, portable touch screen computer with wireless connectivity, the Mobile Activity Player lets students experience interactive learning in virtually any environment.

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The Mobile Activity Player provides a portable platform that allows students to access interactive educational activities created with Boardmaker Plus! This engaging new tool provides a fun experience for students and encourages their participation in the learning process. Educators, speech-language pathologists and parents can use the Mobile Activity Player to: -- Deliver individualized activities to each student or client regardless of whether staff is stationary, itinerant or mobile.

-- Download free interactive activities from AdaptedLearning.com.

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.

-- Motivate students to demonstrate new skills by making learning fun.

-- Expose a learner's hidden potential.

-- Continue the learning process at home, during school breaks, or when a learner must be absent from the classroom.

-- Jump-start learning with the Curriculum Companions included with each purchase.

"With desktop computers, it's often difficult for staff to integrate technology into the daily activities," said Barbara Chwierut, speech-language pathologist and assistive technology coordinator at AERO Special Education Cooperative in Burbank, IL. "The Mobile Activity Player made it easy for staff to integrate technology across all areas of the curriculum. The students were highly motivated to work when given the Mobile Activity Player, and often demonstrated skills that were not previously recognized."Thousands of free interactive lessons and activities are available at AdaptedLearning.com, and a variety of ready-to-use curricular content is available for purchase at Mayer-Johnson's online store or through AdaptedLearning.com.

A fully-functioning Windows computer, the Mobile Activity Player can run any software compatible with the XP Home operating system. Its integrated keyboard also aids in literacy activities.

The Mobile Activity Player costs $749, and includes Boardmaker Plus Player and three titles from Mayer-Johnson's library of Curriculum Companions. Discounts are available for multiple unit purchases. Volume discounts on Curriculum Companions are also available when purchasing the Mobile Activity Player.

About DynaVox Mayer-JohnsonDynaVox Mayer-Johnson is the world's leading developer and provider of speech communication and education solutions designed to help children and adults challenged by significant speech, language and learning disabilities make meaningful connections and participate in the home, classroom and the community. The company's DynaVox line of speech communication devices gives a voice to the millions of people who are unable to use speech as their primary means of communication due to the effects of conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease), stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, autism and intellectual disabilities. The Mayer-Johnson line of print-based and on-screen education products engage students in the learning process and support academic achievement. Driven by a strong entrepreneurial culture, the company develops technology-based products and offers an extensive customer support program to assist individuals as well as their families and support professionals. For more information about DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, visit www.dynavoxtech.com.

SOURCE DynaVox Mayer-Johnsonhttp://www.dynavoxtech.com

DynaVox Xpress (<1 KG)

This product looks very promising. While I love the Dynavox Vx, it is seriously bulky!

DynaVox Xpress - The new lightweight device from DynaVox-Mayer Johnson!

The DynaVox Xpress is a lightweight hand-held custom built speech generating device with a lot of power in a small package. Weighing less than 1kg and of durable construction, this new device has a lot of communication power. All the InterAACT page sets are included in the Xpress software and the device can be accessed via Touch Enter, Touch Exit, Scanning and Auditory Scanning. The 8GB flash drive not only increases the durability but also provides storage for photos and MP3s. Calendar, Contacts, MP3 Player and a Video Player also allow the device to be used for some PDA functions if desired. And an optional web browser also allows the user to take advantage of the built-in WiFi for surfing the internet and sending and receiving emails.

Communication page design can be done on any computer using the included Xpress Design software.

For more information please click here. The Xpress will be released in September and we should have pricing available soon.

Medicaid, Telehealth and Autism

At the 2nd Autism Telehealth Summit, April 23-24 in Boise, Idaho, Ms. Patricia Guidry, LCSW, MPH spoke about Medicaid's policies and approaches to adopting telemedicine in Idaho. Ms. Guidry is a Program Manager at the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the Idaho Division of Medicaid, and a telemedicine specialist.

Autism Software

Pics for PECS 2008: CD of Picture Exchange ...	Picture This Professional: Photo Collection	Functional Living Skills and Behavioral Rul...
Ultimate Learning Suite for Visual Learners	Visual Essentials Photo and Template Collec...	Playful Primer
TeachingPix 2 Flashcard Software	Places You Go, Things You Do Flashcard Maki...	School Routines and Rules: Photo Collection...

Visual Foods Photo Collection for Picture T...	Dr. Peet's Talk/Writer	The Great Action Adventure: Interactive Ver...
Fonts4Teachers Handwriting CD	Discrete Trial Trainer Home Bundle	Problem Solvers Interactive CD-Rom
Fun with Feelings Interactive CD-Rom	Autism Academy CD: Behavioral Programming f...

Jacob's Lessons - Free Online ABA Activities

Great website for kids on the autism spectrum,
Jacob's Lessons - Free Online ABA Activities and toddler education.
Description from the site:

The activities on this website were originally created to give my
toddler a fun introduction to the computer. It grew into a terrific
interactive experience for us as well. My wife is a behavior analyst
who works with children on the autism spectrum and she began using the
activities with her students. She discovered that Jacob's Lessons is an
effective way to teach young children with autism beginning computer
skills, and is useful as a complement to their Applied Behavior
Analysis (ABA) programming. These activities were created so that the
adult works with the child during the lesson, not as an independent
activity for the child, although some of the children will be able to
do some of the lessons on their own. New lessons and modification of
current lessons will be done with your input-please use the button
below to comment, ask a question, or suggest new content for Jacob's
Lessons!

• Introduction.
• Learn to associate a number with that many objects.
• Learn to use the mouse by helping the bee color the flower.
• Contact Jacob's Dad
• Learn to use the mouse with the simplest of coloring books.
• Receptive Labeling
• Matching Pictures
• Matching Colors
• Matching Shapes
• Matching Category
• Perspective Skill Game Watch the frog's eyes
• Reading and Phonics
  

DynaVox v. 1.05 Enhancements

DynaVox Releases Software Version 1.05 for DynaVox V and Vmax Latest Software Enhances Communication Options and Provides Greater Flexibility PITTSBURGH, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- DynaVox, the world's leading provider of advanced communication solutions that assist individuals with significant speech, language and learning disabilities, announced the release of software version 1.05 for the V and Vmax speech-output devices. This new release includes a range of new features that enhance communication options, ease device setup and use, and provide greater flexibility when working with applications outside the V/Vmax communication software. New features include: -- EyeMax Support - A robust new eye gaze system, the EyeMax enables individuals with significant physical limitations to access all Vmax features using just their eyes. -- eBook Reader - This tool allows users to download books from sites such as bookshare.org and eBooks.com directly to the V or Vmax. Books added to the eBook Reader can be read onscreen using multiple access methods, or the V/Vmax can read the book aloud to the user. -- Navigator - This intuitive user interface provides quick access to speech, email, internet, computer, eBooks, and environmental control capabilities. An alphabet-based core word strategy that combines seamlessly with the InterAACT language framework, Navigator supports fast, easy and independent communication for literate adults. -- Onscreen Keyboards - These specialized keyboard pages enable V/Vmax users to operate other Windows software applications using the same selection method (e.g., scanning or eye gaze) used for their communication software. -- Enhanced Environmental Control Functionality - An intuitive setup interface allows individuals with significant physical limitations and their care teams to quickly configure V and Vmax devices to operate common household appliances such televisions, DVD players, etc. equipped with infrared remote controls. -- Bluetooth Connectivity - The V or Vmax can now be configured to control another computer through a Bluetooth connection. This benefits users who wish to use another computer as their primary computer. "This latest software release for the V and Vmax is very exciting," said Jim Shea, DynaVox's vice president of marketing. "Software version 1.05 streamlines communication and device support and makes basic tasks such as reading a book or using computer software easier and more accessible. This release is the direct result of customer feedback and DynaVox's commitment to supporting our customers by continuing to enhance our product line to better meet their needs." Software version 1.05 for the V and Vmax is available free of charge and is included with all devices shipped on or after September 24, 2008. Individuals with devices that shipped before that date can obtain the software by visiting Support at Dynavoxtech.com. Instructions for determining the current software version running on a specific V/Vmax can be found on the same page. About DynaVox DynaVox pioneers speech communication technology, giving an opportunity for a better life to the millions of adults and children around the world challenged by significant speech, language and learning disabilities caused by conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease), stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's Disease, autism and mental retardation. Driving by a strong entrepreneurial culture, the company applies proprietary and third-party technologies, and applied research efforts to deliver a broad range of speech communication hardware and software tools, and offers an extensive customer support program, which enables individuals and their families to access the latest technology and reimbursement counsel regarding the company's suite of products. For more information about DynaVox, visit http://www.dynavoxtech.com.