tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652523492847250742.post1045452773994145416..comments2023-10-09T05:07:22.004-05:00Comments on Teaching All Students: Visual Scene DisplaysAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10175486897439267229noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652523492847250742.post-33443196844954379182008-12-14T20:03:00.000-06:002008-12-14T20:03:00.000-06:00Thanks for all the comments, This is what I was th...Thanks 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.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10175486897439267229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652523492847250742.post-58519183644011344422008-12-13T17:59:00.000-06:002008-12-13T17:59:00.000-06:00Piggybacking on what Sandy said, I too like VSD ty...Piggybacking 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.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05513289226118469583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652523492847250742.post-26969779505921641912008-12-11T17:26:00.000-06:002008-12-11T17:26:00.000-06:00An addendum. I only voiced my opinion on VSD's f...An 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.Sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815385840702398765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652523492847250742.post-60481081477616758232008-12-11T17:14:00.000-06:002008-12-11T17:14:00.000-06:00I totally agree with Kate. My son had already bee...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.Sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815385840702398765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652523492847250742.post-77881118307159041302008-12-09T22:29:00.000-06:002008-12-09T22:29:00.000-06:00I have to say that I am yet to have visual scene d...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.<BR/><BR/>I want to see some serious studies comparing VSD to typical grid display. <BR/><BR/>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.<BR/><BR/>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.)<BR/><BR/>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.<BR/><BR/>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?"<BR/><BR/>Anyways I wrote about this a while back: http://teachinglearnerswithmultipleneeds.blogspot.com/2008/09/visual-scenes-what-do-they-mean-to-our.html<BR/><BR/>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.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05513289226118469583noreply@blogger.com