I recently read an interesting article on Adapted Learning in the News & Views section. The article is about Visual Scene Displays. If you log into Adapted Learning then click on the link you will see the actual article. The article includes pictures, I have reprinted the text below. I have never specifically used a Visual Scene Display, but am looking to see how it might work. I'm not sure I completely understand how a visual scene might make a difference with students, so I'm looking for comments. Has anyone used these before? What sort of luck have you had, do you think it works?
Patrick
Using Real-Life Backgrounds for Communication Boards:Why Visual Scene Displays?
by Phyl T. Macomber, Assistive Technology Specialist
Augmentative communication systems have traditionally used single symbol target and grid-based symbol displays for depicting vocabulary and promoting language development. These single symbol targets can contain a photograph or digital image, pictograph or cartoon-like illustration, or word. The symbol targets are placed on a page in squares that look like a grid, often times in uniform columns and rows.
An alternative functional approach to these grid-based displays, known as Visual Scene Displays (VSDs), has been gaining wider use in recent years. Visual scene displays organize and depict vocabulary in scenes relevant to the communicator – child or adult. VSDs use background images, such as photographs of a particular event, to provide contextual support for the learner. They place the communication messages on the communication board in an environment image in which they exist or will be used.
Start by creating simple low tech communication boards using a visual scene approach:
1. Purchase basic file folders to use as communication folders.
2. Obtain 2 copies of your background image – one printed on photo paper and the other printed on cardstock.
3. Place the first photo paper background image on the inside folder. Next, cut apart the cardstock background image to make your communication symbols. I like silhouetting these symbol target images so they appear as part of the scene - as opposed to squaring them off.
4. Make the symbols durable by laminating them and placing your favorite adhesive (Velcro, two-sided removable tape, or Dual Lock) on the back of each symbol.
5. Place the symbols onto the background image and you are ready to provide your AAC user with a practical environmental scene in which to communicate.
Visual scene displays can be used in a number of ways using Boardmaker Plus! and Speaking Dynamically Pro to make them interactive. These software solutions offer quick and easy ways to drag and drop your background images onto a board. Then, you can create invisible “hot spots” over different parts of the background picture so that, when touched or otherwise selected, they say or do something relevant to that part of the background picture.
Boardmaker Plus! and Speaking Dynamically Pro offer excellent options for expanding vocabulary within a visual scene display. Using pop-up boards or variables, you can increase the number of communication intents for the augmented user and expand language usage.
I have had a great deal of success guiding teams in using this practical design approach with both low tech and high tech tools because visual scene displays:
• Empower the communication partners to be much more active in the communication process – it gives them something to talk to their AAC user about by referencing the real-life environmental image,
• Reduce the cognitive demand for symbol learning – it is easier to learn communication symbols displayed in the context in which they are used, as opposed to numerous squares,
• Improve the motivation of not only the AAC user, but also the team implementing the tool because it makes sense to them and they see successful communication quickly
Research shows that visual scene displays offer more immediate success for emerging communicators and for many individuals with communication deficits due to congenital or acquired disabilities. Simply put, it is a real-life way to display communication messages – low tech or high tech.
“Reprinted from Phyl T. Macomber’s free AT Solutions At-A-Glance Newsletter. Subscribe at http://www.PracticalATSolutions.com.”
Patrick
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I have to say that I am yet to have visual scene displays work well for a student. There is almost NO research to back up what is written above and the research that has been done was conducted mostly on 1) adults with aphasia, 2) typical preschoolers, 3) a very, very small sample of very young students with autism.
ReplyDeleteI want to see some serious studies comparing VSD to typical grid display.
Our agency has seen such failure with these displays in our multiply disabled population that we are no longer willing to consider AAC devices which make VSD the default. All AAC devices we are trialing/purchasing must have traditional display without any extra work.
Think about it - a traditional display has symbols in cell of any size. Where the symbol begins and ends is clearly defined. There is no cognitive load as to figuring out what is a symbol and what is just background. There is no confusion when the VSD of a classroom has a teacher's desk and three student desks which desk activates brings up which messages. A student who thinks very concretely is unlikely to select a plate with some cake and cookies on it to choose a snack. The symbol for snack is likely to be much clearer. A student in a wheelchair who has never opened a closet door do to limited motor skills is unlikely to guess that the closet in the bedroom scene holds a button for "Have you seen my hoodie?". (These exact things are in the dynavox interacct software.)
VSD may be good for some kids, but certainly not all kids. Just like anything else we must focus on what our students need, not what hot, sexy thing our new technologies can do.
My students, thus far, have only faced confusion and communication difficulties from VSD. The SLP in the our program calls VSD, "those stupid screens" and is always asking, "Who is thinking about OUR kids?"
Anyways I wrote about this a while back: http://teachinglearnerswithmultipleneeds.blogspot.com/2008/09/visual-scenes-what-do-they-mean-to-our.html
I think in general you will find proponents of broad spread VSD to be those who consult but do not work with "our" kids and those who work for AAC companies.
I totally agree with Kate. My son had already been exposed to PECS and grids for quite awhile and I tried VSDs for something very simple - the kitchen and bathroom. It was too abstract for him. He did better with the grids/boards - much more concrete. (it may be worth noting that he never did well with icons on the actual spots - from age 4 did better if he was requesting from one spot - a pecs board or book. Maybe this is an indicator for success with VSD's?) I've also looked a lot at the samples on Dynavox Series 5 - I would think they'd be better for higher functioning students/adults. The displays are all different - you don't know what is hot and what is not (better to have things bordered - not invisible) and when you hit a hot spot you don't know what you'll be getting - the communicative function and placement of symbols vary a lot between the displays and would be very confusing for the moderate to severe cd population who do better with predictable consistency.
ReplyDeleteAn addendum. I only voiced my opinion on VSD's for primary communication. I'm actually in favor of VSD's for fun and teachable activities. On Adaptedlearning.com, Maryannsdad posted a fun Christmas VSD. For instance, if you touch the plate of cookies - it asks you to pick what you're going to leave Santa. So it's a fun exploratory activity - the user is not trying to find something they need to communicate.
ReplyDeletePiggybacking on what Sandy said, I too like VSD type activities for playing, not communication. That is what all those old programs like Baily's Book House and Millie's Math House really are: VSD type activities for playing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments, This is what I was thinking at this time. I still plan on reading the articles that the author sent to me. Let you know what I think when I'm done.
ReplyDelete