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Write:Talk Press Release |
WriteTalk: An Investigation into the use of
Classroom Writing in a Communication Device by Children
A two-year research project has investigated the relationship between classroom writing and story telling with children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The £127k study, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, has shown that children with severe communication disorders can use a computer to share their experiences with other people.
Children with disabilities which affect communication, e.g. Cerebral Palsy and Downs Syndrome, often rely on computer-based communication devices with speech output for spoken and/or written communication. Although some children develop good communication skills, many more remain passive observers. One reason for this is that these children find it difficult to tell their stories to family and friends.
The research team worked with six young people for a year on a one-to-one basis, both at home and within the classroom situation. Three girls and three boys aged between 6 and 19 years, learned to use Talk:About™, a computer-based communication system which allows people to relate their own experiences. All the young people had severe problems with expressive communication - even their parents had difficulty in understanding their own children.
The computer system provided the young people with the ability to take full control of an interaction, a new experience for all of them. One young girl delighted in telling her friends every story in her system but ignored any question or comment from them. They couldn’t get a word in! The young people slowly began to react appropriately to their partners’ interactions and showed an ability to retrieve and use appropriate information towards the end of the study. The researchers believe that the ability to relate personal experiences, jokes and stories has enabled the participants to develop skills in initiating and controlling interactive communication.
The effect of the system on the young people’s self-esteem and personality was probably the most exciting outcome of the study. Teachers, therapists and parents agreed that all participants were now able to express their personality. A mother of a 19 year old girl said: “I didn’t know she had a sense of humour”. A teacher reported that a 10 year old girl was “now cheeky” and another parent commented that "our relationship has changed". These statements from those closest to the participants strongly suggest a development of a personal identity not possible prior to the study.
Some of the participants were able to speak in public – holding an assembly at school and even delivering a poem at a national youth meeting! The system also had a therapeutic effect on some children. A young girl developed the linguistic skills and confidence to use her own speech – she recently told a researcher that “the computer made me want to speak”. The communication system also had a positive effect on the participants’ written language skills – their spelling and sentence structure improved.
The results of this research clearly show that all five participants benefited from the introduction of a narrative-based approach to AAC. The use of a literacy-based communication system provides a bridge between formal classroom work and interactive communication and allows teachers and speech and language therapists to use the same system to achieve a common communication and educational goal.
Based in the Department of Applied Computing at Dundee University under the leadership of Dr Annalu Waller, the research partners included Mrs Hilary Hood of the Dundee Healthcare NHS Trust Speech and Language Therapy Service and Mrs Lynda Booth of the Dundee City Council Education Department. The study was staffed by a multi-disciplinary team - Mr David O’Mara (a research psychologist),Mrs Jennifer Francis (a speech and language therapist), and Mrs Lesley Tait (a special education teacher).
Although the Talk:About™ system provided a unique opportunity for the young people to communicate, it fell short of meeting the needs of young people with basic literacy skills. As Talk:About™ was designed for linguistically able adults, it is hoped that this research will continue by developing a system which better meets the needs of young people.
| The Article | Edition / Date | Article Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer speech help for girl who cannot kiss her mother | 19/05/2000 | © The Courier and Advertiser | © Press cutting |
| Girl finds her voice with the help of pioneering computer program. | 20/05/2000 | © The Herald | |
| Computer invention gives Channyn a voice. | 20/05/2000 | © Aberdeen Press & Journal | © Press cutting |
| The computer which frees disabled from isolated world. | 20/05/2000 | © Daily Express | |
| Computer girl who is talk of the class. | 20/05/2000 | © Daily Mail | © Press cutting |
| Computer talks girl into finding own voice. | 20/05/2000 | © The Scotsman | © Press cutting |
