1. Supporting AAC users with Literacy using Clicker 6 Anne Williams AAC Officer, Cornwall Council. Education, Health and Social Care aswilliams@cornwall.gov.uk

2. www.cornwall.gov.uk Dr Caroline Musselwhite Musselwhite, C. Literacy for All. Webpage © 2013 PrAACtical AAC

3. www.cornwall.gov.uk My motivation to explore options for access to literacy skills Cornish children AAC support and ICT AAC devices often tablet computers which allow additional software such as Clicker to be run on the same device Direct access – switching – eye gaze

4. www.cornwall.gov.uk Importance of Literacy Skills for individuals who require AAC Enable participation in education Increase self-esteem Helps to facilitate inclusion Enhance cognitive development – research proves that reading develops intelligence and learning potential Expand options to communicate Support social relationships Allow personal expression Use various technologies Improve employment opportunities Support independent living Literacy skills allow students to access written information in their everyday environment

5. www.cornwall.gov.uk Why do students with SLCN often have poor literacy skills? Complex process Historical? – suppressed expectations Phonic learning in school is fast and furious and requires students to say letter sounds and words – in mainstream schools teachers are not used to working with children with complex communication needs and access difficulties and need some guidance in teaching phonics Time – In a paper of Janice Light and David McNaughton they refer to recommending that students receive at least 90 minutes of literacy instruction per day, for some this may need to be increased to 130-150 minutes per day Access to learning materials

6. www.cornwall.gov.uk Language Skills Understanding vocabulary, sentence structure and narratives Immerse the student in reading materials, that motivate and are meaningful. Clicker books Context based on their own experience – creates a more powerful learning technique Using photos and objects from the students own environment is a powerful way of engaging students and allowing them to understand the purpose of the literacy process. Clicker books demonstrate how speaking and listening relate to each other. This is an integrated learning process opposed to a phonic process

7. www.cornwall.gov.uk Phonological Awareness Skills Participation in phonics lessons with peers Introduce options for non verbal child to participate using low tech or high tech - Etran frame with the sounds being covered or high tech using software that will record phonic sounds (PowerPoint, Grid 2, Clicker 6 and others) phonic sounds 2, phonic keyboard 3

8. www.cornwall.gov.uk Letter and sound correspondences Phonics Letter and Sounds 4

9. www.cornwall.gov.uk Decoding skills Phoneme Frame Spelling – set one 5

10. www.cornwall.gov.uk Recognition of sight words Matching Choice of Two 6

11. www.cornwall.gov.uk Reading and understanding simple texts

12. www.cornwall.gov.uk

13. References Clicker 6 (Cricksoft, Northampton, UK) Light, J., McNaughton, D., Webpage AAC-RERC (2012) Musselwhite, C. Literacy for All. Webpage © 2013 PrAACtical AAC http://inclusiveeducationpdresources.com/literacy/conversation_with_caroline_musselwhite.php#10 http://inclusiveeducationpdresources.com/literacy/conversation_with_caroline_musselwhite.php#10 Vaughn, S., Wanzek, J., Woodruff, A. L. thompson, S. (2007). Prevention and early identification of students with reading disabilities.

14. www.cornwall.gov.uk http://aacliteracy.psu.edu/index.php/ page/show/id/13

15. www.cornwall.gov.uk Cornwall Council County Hall Truro TR1 3AY Tel: 0300 1234 100 www.cornwall.gov.uk