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Money Smarts: Using Scene Speak to Teach Monetary Values

8/30/2013

1 Comment

 
Scene Speak is one of our most versatile, multi-purpose apps. In addition to creating social stories, digital scrapbooks, etc., it can also be used to teach everyday concepts, like money recognition and management. 


If the individual has not mastered basic monetary concepts, you can always begin by creating VSDs to define and identify different types of currency.
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Show front and back of each denomination to help the individual be able to recognize it in everyday situations.
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Highlight the name of the coin or bill by capitalizing it. This will help it stand out and will help with word recognition.
You can also combine different types of currency to help the individual learn how to count change, payments, etc.
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Showing the money up close, but in tangible situations will help the individual relate to the act of exchanging currency.
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Whenever possible, try to find clear and large images to highlight the size difference in appearance among coins and bills.
Once each denomination is mastered, you can show the value in practical settings.
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Start by introducing highly motivating and familiar activities that the individual will easily relate to.
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Showing money being used in real time can help the individual generalize it across environments.
Now, to work on spending wisely!
1 Comment

Following Recipe Steps Using FTVS HD

8/19/2013

1 Comment

 
For an easy, functional activity that encourages both family time and independent living skills, try using our First Then Visual Schedule HD app for recipes. 

To do this, find a simple recipe that is concrete and easy to follow, with minimal steps. Take pictures of each step and create a template for the individual to follow along with. At the end, you can either allow the food item itself to be the end reward, or you can choose another small token to encourage participation. 

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Create a schedule dedicated to the preparation and/or cooking of the recipe.
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Make sure the title is concrete and the corresponding photo represents the activity.
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Add as many items as you need to create steps that the individual can follow easily.
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Give the final step a motivating image, sound, or other "reward." In this case, the cookie itself would be the reinforcer, coupled with a preferred character.
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Once the schedule has the desired steps/appearance, enable timers and set them according to bake/cooling times, prep time, etc.
You can develop more complex recipe "schedules" as the individual learns to follow along with the steps and becomes more familiar with cooking tools. Happy eating!!!
1 Comment

More Than A Feeling: Increasing Verbal Reporting and Receptive Recognition of Emotions Using My Choice Board

8/14/2013

1 Comment

 
If you're working on self-awareness and emotional recognition/regulation, try using our My Choice Board app to allow the individual to express how they are feeling. This is beneficial in two ways - it helps increase the individual's ability to self-report feelings and moods while also giving you much-needed insight as to how they are feeling. 

Implementation is simple - You can either use images of the individual or find generic images (if the individual is good at generalizing) online to use. Once you have your choice board created with all of your desired images, allow the individual to choose from the field (which can be as large or small as you'd like). 

This can be incredibly effective for grumpy morning risers, individuals who have medical/pain issues, and pinpointing environmental triggers/stressors.
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Create a choice board with a title that reflects its purpose. Make sure to be as clear as possible, as the board itself will need to be slightly modified to suit this type of use.
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If you are working with an individual that has a tough time generalizing, try using your finger or a small piece of paper to cover the "I Want" graphic. Then, prompt the individual to choose from the field by asking "How do you feel?" Tailor the emotional complexity to the individual's level of understanding.
1 Comment

Creating Memories With Scene Speak

8/12/2013

1 Comment

 
Summer is almost at an end! For those of you not in year round school or day programs, it's likely been a VERY long couple of months - full of the usual day-to-day activities, and maybe some fun day trips and vacations thrown into the mix. 

For a fun and interactive way to create a digital "scrapbook," take all of those pictures you've been snapping all summer long and upload them into our SceneSpeak app. From there, you can add text for a more book-like retelling of your summertime adventures, or take it to an interactive level by adding hotspots to your images that come alive when your loved one or client taps them. 

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Adding details about the trip to the images can bring them to life in the individual's memory.
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Hotspots can be added (with colored popup text, audio, or both) that can create an interactive and fun experience when recalling trips.
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Don't forget large family events! Include visiting friends and family to show the individual how many people care about them.
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Once you've created all of your summertime VSDs, you can then add them to a Book, creating your very own personalized digital scrapbook.

This way, the individual can look back upon all of the amazing things they did this summer and recall all of the fun they had. Who knows? It may even become one of their favorite leisure time activities.
1 Comment

Remembering Important Dates Using Visual Schedule Planner

8/9/2013

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Our Visual Schedule Planner app is great for helping loved ones/clients remember important dates like birthdays and anniversaries. In addition to therapies, doctor appointments, school/day program schedules, routines, etc., it can be used as a tool to mark and remind the user of these dates, so they do not get overlooked. 

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When you create the event, you can choose to set up a reminder, make the event for the entire day, and add images/video.
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In Day View, you can see the event clearly and make any edits/changes to the details.
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In Week View, you can view the event along with all of the usual recurring events in your schedule. This can help the individual plan around pay periods to purchase a gift, plan a party, etc.
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To view special events in Month View, simply click the star that corrsponds to the date you wish to view, and a list of that day's events (including the special event) will be displayed to the right.

It might also help us remember too! 
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Independent Study Simplified Using Visual Schedule Planner

7/24/2013

1 Comment

 
Having a hard time getting your loved one/student to study independently?

Try using Visual Schedule Planner to "sandwich" study time between preferred activities. For example, if the individual has a project due at the end of the month, set a specific amount of time each day (or on specific days of the week) that are earmarked specifically for studying/research. To motivate the individual, try placing Study Time after a highly preferred activity (such as free time upon arrival home), and another motivating activity (like a snack, or TV time). 
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Set up a study time event for any days/times that will work well between two preferred activities.
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Make sure the two events on either side of the independent study time are motivating and enjoyable for the individual in order to ensure success.
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Using Week View can further highlight the frequency/duration of the event for the individual.
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Use Month View to view any day that the event occurs (or to see which days you may have available to add in more study time, if needed).

Placing a non-preferred activity between two motivating activities within a schedule can be extremely effective, especially for those individuals who respond well to "First/Then" concepts.

1 Comment

Creative Tips for Long Road Trips

7/22/2013

12 Comments

 
Taking a trip this summer? Whether it's a few hours or a few days, we've got apps to help maintain structure and make transitions on vacation much easier. 

For example, use Scene Speak to take pictures of car logos, then use the VSDs to create a book of cars to look for on a long road trip...or First Then Visual Schedule HD to create a travel itinerary, complete with stopovers. Our apps are so versatile, the potential uses are only limited by your imagination!

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Create books of VSDs with different things you can easily spot on the road for a fun road trip game.
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Find motivating and interesting images to import into your book that will keep the individual occupied while traveling.
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Create a travel itinerary for the individual to follow along with as the trip progresses.
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Knowing what comes next on the trip can alleviate a lot of stress from the unknown while traveling.
12 Comments

Levels of Friendship & Bullying

7/22/2013

1 Comment

 
Discussing Levels of Friendship and Bullying:

Scene Speak can be used to create social stories and other exercises that address the issue of bullying. This is an important issue for many of our younger individuals (and adults too, in some situations). 

The concept of "levels of friendship" is hard for many individuals to understand. Sometimes the most damaging bullying occurs in less obvious scenarios. Teaching these individuals how to advocate for themselves, when to report a situation to adults/higher authorities, and the difference between "acquaintance," "friend," and "toxic person" can help protect the individual from emotional and/or physical harm in the future.

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Use caps to create emphasis on the concept being taught/expressed.
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Use images that clearly convey the desired target emotion.
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Focus on real-life scenarios that the individual may face.
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Use a variety of images to accentuate the theme being discussed.
1 Comment

Some Assembly Required: Using FTVS HD to Follow Instructions

7/21/2013

1 Comment

 
Helping individuals to follow written instructions:

Take a picture of each step in the instructions with your device (if your device has a camera function, older devices do not). You can then use each image in sequence as "steps" in your schedule, paired with an audio prompt like "Insert Part A into Part B." Adding video will further enhance the experience, as it may help the individual work through a particularly challenging part of the instructions. 
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You can either choose to use real pictures of the items, or take individual pictures of the assembly instructions.
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Numbering steps in the instructions will help the individual with sequencing.
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Attach a video for further modeling of the assembly.

If one step may be more complex/difficult than another, you can also use the app to break that one step up into a couple (or multiple) steps for the individual, to adapt the instructions to their level of capability or understanding, perhaps using the same photo of the step itself, but giving further instruction. 
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To further break the task down, use a separate schedule to create individual steps within a particularly tough/involved step.
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You can also use the separate schedule to create a list of needed items that can easily be displayed in checklist format.
This works with everything from furniture instructions (for older individuals) to Lego/other toy assembly, model planes/cars, and anything else that may come with instructions that may not always be so easy for the individuals we love, work with, and care for to navigate. 

Any tme you can set your loved one/client/student up for success and create a feeling of independence and accomplishment is a WIN!

1 Comment

Surviving Vacation Transitions

7/20/2013

3 Comments

 
Summer Trip Survivial Tip:

If you're taking a big trip to a theme park or other large area requiring many transitions this summer, try using our apps to alleviate some of the stress involved in changing activities. 

Scene Speak can be used to give your loved one complete visual access to the entire facility/area, and hotspots can be created to allow them to have input over where you go next and what comes next. Simply label the desired area with a hotspot, make several "places" available, and allow the user to touch the space they wish to visit next. This will foster an excitement and involvement in the chosen activity, and give them the power of choice during an activity.

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Easily upload a map into the app, add hotspots, even link to another VSD of individual places within the theme park.

You can also simplify it for an individual who may already be familiar with the vacation spot by using My Choice Board to offer them a choice between activities, rides, etc. To avoid indecision, it may be helpful to offer one preferred and non-preferred place. That way, the individual still feels they are having a "say" in the day's activities, and pictures can be taken and used quickly.

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Create an individual choice board with rides, restaurants, etc.
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Give the individual as many or as few choices as they are able to use.

For lunchtime, toileting, and any other shorter activity, First Then Visual Schedule can be used to create a step by step guide for your loved one to know exactly what is coming next within a specific activity. For users who are good at generalizing, you can also use the app to plan out each activity beforehand, and offer choices (or even a video of a rollercoaster or other applicable activity) to further enhance the experience/choice making. 

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FTVS HD can be used to compliment the other two apps by providing an outline for the day's events & activities.
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Try to create a schedule that is clear, contains all possible events in the day (including toileting and meals), and has an ending/departure time.
3 Comments
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