UPDATED: Links and Resources for coping with (and preventing) tragedy - Sandy Hook and beyond

I have spent much of my adult life as a school psychologist,  working with children, teens, young adults, and those who care about them. This Sandy Hill Elementary tragedy hit close to home, because among those killed was a fellow school psychologist, Mary Sherlach.  My heart goes out to everyone who has been touched by this event in some way, especially the families of those who lost their lives. 

Before going on to the rest of my post, I encourage you to take a few moments to listen to the children singing Silent Night in honor of those who lost their lives on Friday, December 14, 2012.

 


RESOURCES AND LINKS

Over the past few days, members of the National Association of School Psychologists  (NASP) have been providing information and resources for the public to assist with coping with the tragedy, and Twitter and Facebook have proven to be great ways to spread the word. 

Some of the information below is appropriate for those who are directly involved with the children who attend Sandy Hook Elementary or those who attend other elementary schools in the community.   Other articles have suggestions that would be appropriate for parents, teachers, and support staff in schools around the nation (and world).  There are other articles below that are good for those responsible for planning longer-term safe school strategies

Leading School Psychologist Advises How to Talk to Kids about Sandy Hook ShootingNASP: A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope - Tips for Parents and Teachers 
NASP: Managing Strong Emotional Reactions to Traumatic Events: Tips for Parents and Teachers (pdf)
NASP: Threat Assessment at School: A Primer for Educators (pdf)
NASP: Threat Assessment: An Essential Component of a Comprehensive Safe School Program (pdf)
NASP: Helping Children Cope With Crisis: Care for Caregivers (pdf)
NASP: Tips for School Administrators for Reinforcing School Safety (pdf)
NASP: School Safety and Violence Prevention (Multiple links on topics such as mental health, suicide prevention, bullying, violence prevention planning, crisis prevention and intervention, and behavior/discipline). 
NASP: National Emergency Assistance Team (NEAT)
North Carolina Dept. of Justice: Keeping North Carolina Schools Safe & Secure (pdf)

If you are a parent or concerned member of your community, check your school district's website to learn more about what local safe school policies are in place. There may be a section with tips for parents. (Additional related resources can be found in the body of the comments below and at the end of this post.)

REFLECTIONS

Violence prevention is a complex problem.
From my point of view, preventing or minimizing tragedies such as the one experienced at Sandy Hook Elementary will take a systems approach, and involve people from a number of disciplines. I am convinced that it will take a larger number of people, who can commit to sustaining their efforts over a long period of time. 

What troubles me in this case is that the perpetrator was homicidal, suicidal. and matricidal. He had the wherewithal to know that the school most likely had a school safety plan in place.  He did the unthinkable - he  used a powerful weapon to gain access by blasting through the entry doors. And he would not stop until he had killed 20 young children and a good handful of caring adults.

The problem of protecting schools from intruders can't be solved by making schools more prison-like. Sandy Hook school reportedly had a video surveillance system, locked front doors, a policy for visitors to be buzzed in, and a safe schools policy that required that all teachers (and students) receive training in what to do in an emergency requiring a school lock-down.  If these things were not in place, many more lives would have been lost.  

Firearms:  The Elephant in Our Nation's Living-Room
The elephant that is taking up a huge space in our country's living room?  Weapons that are appropriate for military and law enforcement use, such as the semi-automatic rifle that was in the hands of this young man, are readily available in most communities. We know that the perpetrator did not own the weapons he brought to Sandy Hook Elementary School.  We know that he had easy access to it because it was purchased legally by his mother, and apparently was kept in his home.  

This topic is a political hot potato, but worthy of serious study.  With "Big Data", advanced analytics, and some engaging information visualizations, I am sure something positive can emerge from the 'debate'.   (Nate Silver, author of the New York Times FiveThirtyEight blog, might have a few words to say on this topic, judging from his December 14th post, "In Public 'Conversation' on Guns, a Rhetorical Shift".)


Need for Research - Co-Morbidity - Identification, Evidence-based Treatment, and Prevention

At the time of this post, it was not certain if the perpetrator had a disability, a personality disorder, or a mental health disorder that may have contributed to his violent acts. We do not know if he was receiving treatment, or if he had ever been hospitalized or prescribed medication.  

Whatever the case, I am sure that the tragedy that happened at the Sandy Hook elementary school has caused additional worry for a number of parents of teens and young adults who struggle from mental health problems and other disorders.  Having worked with a number of young people with challenging mental health concerns over the years, including psychiatric patients with a history of serious violence, my heart goes out to these parents. I am sure some of them wonder if the next crisis that flashes on the news is something that was initiated by their child, no matter what the child's age.

Not everyone is aware that serious mental health disorders can crop insidiously during the early teens. The "red flags" might be attributed to puberty, and not be interpreted as precursors to something more serious.  Some mental illnesses become full -blown during the later teen years or during young adulthood, often past the age where a school psychologist or similar professional in the education system can step in to intervene, or provide resources and information for parents. 

Many families have struggled to obtain an appropriate level of care for their teen or young adult child, only to find that these services have been reduced due to budget cuts to mental health and transition-to-adulthood programs in their communities.  Many of these young people have good potential, but their mood states, unusual mannerisms, or periods of erratic thought processes make it difficult to interview for jobs and keep them unless they receive consistent support in the form of counseling, job coaching, and/or medical management. 

There is a need for more research and support that focuses on the needs of teen to young adult age group. This includes research in psychological treatment,group counseling approaches, psychopharmacology, mental health education, and more.   

Update: 
For a graphic description of what this might be like for a parent of a teen who struggles with emotional/behavioral issues at time, see the blog post that has been circulating around the internet.  The mother, Liza Long, wrote the post  immediately after she learned of the Sandy Hook shootings. Her post triggered hundreds of comments, some of them critical.  In response, an anonymous school psychologist reflected on some experiences with a student in need of support.  I do not think the school psychologist's story exaggerates reality in any way. 

Role of technology in Intervention and Prevention:
Interactive digital media, such as serious games, might play a role in this effort.  For example, the Australian National University developed the MoodGym training program, an interactive, free web-based application that use a cognitive-behavior approach to cope with anxiety and depression, and E-Couch, an online program for preventing and coping with depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder.  

For middle-school children, the PBS ItsMyLife website provides a number of activities, games, and videos that explore topics such as emotions, school, friendships, bullying, and more. The website includes lesson plans for teachers and tips for parents. 

More research is underway to support the use of interactive digital technology to support mental health.  One example is the work of Stanford University's Calming Technology lab. Another example is the use virtual reality for treating post-traumatic stress disorder. The USC Institute of Creative Technologies has been involved in this area for a number of years. MindHabits, a suite of games developed by psychologists in Canada, was based on research and aims to help people reduce stress. 

Coincidentally, Connecticut's Southwest Regional Mental Health Board is developing a web-based resource for young adults with mental health concerns, if the information from a job posting for the project is correct:

"The goal of this project is to design or adopt an electronic/virtual system to engage young adults in mental health services.  This system would assist young adults in enhancing their own mental health, and addressing mental health issues as they arise or develop via an interactive, multi-media electronic platform.  This platform would integrate social networking and information media which may include website, facebook, You-Tube, Skype, blog, chat room, texting and phone apps.  Development of this platform will be informed by Connecticut youth and young adults and advised by an advisory group of statewide young adult leaders in the mental health and addiction fields."

It is my hope that the power of the "social" web will support efforts to collaborate and tackle this problem, on many levels.

RELATED

Mental Health Issues - Co-morbidities
After I learned that it was speculated (but not confirmed) that the perpetrator of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings may have had Asperger's Syndrome,  I thought it would be helpful to include additional on the topic of Asperger's Syndrome and co-morbid mental health disorders.  

Mazzone, Luigi, Ruta, Liliana, Reale, Laura.   Psychiatric comorbidities in Asperger syndrome and high functioning autism:  diagnostic challenges. Annals of  General  Psychiatry. 2012; 11: 16.

Published online 2012 June 25. doi:  10.1186/1744-859X-11-16

Link to online publication: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3416662/

Link from publication:

Summary of studies published between 2000-2011 exploring psychiatric comorbidity in Asperger syndrome and high functioning autism:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3416662/table/T1/

Taylor, Julie Lounds, Seltzer, Marsha Mailick. Employment and Post-Secondary Educational Activities for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders During the Transition to Adulthood Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 201010.1007/s10803-010-1070-3

Link to online publication: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-010-1070-3/fullte

Mental Health Issues: Funding
State Mental Health Cuts: A National Crisis (pdf) (2011) National Alliance on Mental Illness

Systems Approach/Prevention
The following resources are from various disciplines:

Systems Theory (Wikipedia)


2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action (pdf)
A Report of the U.S. Surgeon General and of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention

Pinder-Amaker S, Bell C. A bioecological systems approach for navigating the college mental health crisis Harvard Medical School

Source

Sprague, J. and Nisioka, V.  Skills for Success: A Systems Approach to Delinquency Prevention and School Success (pdf)

Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior, University of Oregon

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Violence Prevention

Dynamical Systems Theory (as applied to psychology research) Front Psychol. 2012; 3: 382. Published online 2012 October 4. doi:  10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00382

MIT Partnership for a Systems Approach to Safety (PSAS)

Songify for Instant Musical Social Stories?!

I just finished a digital social story for one of the students I work with who has autism, and I was thinking about ways I could add some music into his story...and the idea occurred to me that something like the Songify app might be just the thing I needed.   


What is Songify?  It is sort of like a reverse Karaoke.  Whatever you speak into your iPad or iPhone's microphone is immediately transformed by the app into a song.   Key phrases are repeated and integrated into the melody.   The free app comes with a few songs, stripped of the words/singing.  (There is an option to purchase additional songs through the App store.)





My first few attempts using Songify with students was to create personalized "All About Me" story-songs, in real time, during group activities in the classroom, with input from the students.  I also created a few story-songs that focused on positive behaviors - following the rules, listening to the teacher, kind hands,  waiting patiently,  calming down, etc.


Although Songify was designed to transform the spoken word into music, I found that it worked nicely with I spoke in "sing-song".   I experimented with variations of the following story/song:


"name" likes  to go to school, he/she likes to go to school, get on the bus and go to school...
"name" is so cool, "name" is so cool...
"name" likes to see my friends at school..
"name" likes to........   "name" likes to..  (play with friends at recess, learn about animals and their habitats,  go to music class... wear cool shoes... etc.)
"name" likes to go to school 


The students had a chance to share information about what they like, what they like about school, and so forth. Most had no problem participating for a 30 minute session!  


Comments


I can see quite a few uses for the app:

• Use students' Songify creations as the narrative to digital social stories. This might be impressive on the SmartBoards - with the music coming from nice speakers rather than the small iPad.
• Use the Songify creations as part of other group or class digital projects.  (Remember School House Rock?) 
• Use Songify to create digital social stories for "on-the-job" routines and social skills.

The beauty of Songify is that it is simple to use- and it provides immediate, awesome feedback to the students.  I have a hunch that if Songify is used in a variety of ways, the novelty effect might be sustained. 


Cautions: If you work with students with significant special needs, you know how difficult it is to find activities and interventions that are effective - and also based on sound research.  The reality is that with budget cuts, it is difficult to implement interventions designed for classrooms with a higher adult-to-student ratio.  Technology can help, but iPad technology is  new.   It is highly unlikely that someone is researching the use of applications like Songify with students with special needs!


Reflection: I'm happy to have all of this technology at my fingertips.  Unfortunately, my digital life in my role as a school psychologist is far from seamless or "integrated".  Even the iPad2 requires a lot of work to create, move, share, and display content.  Mark Weiser would rolling in his grave.

RELATED
Digital Stories in Schools and for Special Needs Children
LIS 5315 Course Wiki
Songify
SmartApps for Kids: a Dad's quest to find the best applications for the iPad and iPhone, 8/4/11
khu.sh: Intelligent Music Applications
"Khush Inc. develops intelligent music applications for mobile phones. The company was founded by music technology enthusiasts at the Georgia Tech Music Intelligence Lab."
Songify makes your speech into song, sort of

Rafe Needleman, Rafe's Radar, CNET News, 7/7/11

SOMEWHAT RELATED

Songify This:  Songifications by the Gregory Brothers (YouTube)

The Computer for the 21st Century

Mark Weiser, Scientific American, 9/1991

Ubicomp website

Note:  My school district has not ventured into the iPad world, so I'm using my personal iPad2 at work, along with a speech and language therapist.  The district purchased two Dell multi-touch tablet PCs for the school, but alas, there isn't an "App" system for Windows 7.  We'll be using multi-touch applications from the Open Autism Software Project with the Dells.

iPad Apps: Supporting Communication for Young People with Autism (& Links to Moms with Apps)

Have you ever watched a kid pick up an iPad for the first time and just go with it? 


Some parents have found that the same is true for their of children who have autism.  The  iPad is a great way to support learning and communication in that it is user-friendly and easy for children- and parents- to understand. 


Here are two videos that were shared with my by Liz Ditz,  author of the "I Speak of Dreams" blog.  The first video is of a boy with autism. The second video is of his little sister, interacting with the iPad to watch a "home-made" social story about a family trip to a coffee shop, created in the "Stories to Learn" app.


iPAD Spelling App

YOUTUBE INFO:

"Another too-cool app for his iPad, this one all about writing as well as spelling (http://itunes.apple.com/app/iwritewords-handwriting-game/id307025309?mt=8). For each letter in the word, the app says the letter, has him trace it in super-easy guided steps, and his written letter replaces the original letter in the word (at top of screen). When he finishes, the word appears in his handwriting. The program then spells it and pronounces it, displays a kid's illustration of the word -- and Leo gets to shake the original letters into a hole in the corner of the screen. LOVE IT."

STORIES TO LEARN

YOUTUBE INFO:
"Our family (and a friend) worked together to make this social story about visiting our local coffee shop for my son with autism. We used Stories2Learn (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stories2learn/id348576875?mt=8), on our iPad. It was so easy! And he loves it. In fact he loves it so much I had to have his sister demo it, as he loves to play the voiceovers over and over again. :)"


RESOURCES
Moms with Apps
Moms with Apps for Special Needs
Moms with Apps:  Characteristics of great apps for kids with autism


SOMEWHAT RELATED
Posts on the I Speak of Dreams blog:

• What Are The Most Important Research Questions About Interventions for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders?
• What Are The Most Important Research Questions About Interventions for Learning Disabilities?

Cross-posted on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog.

Early Intervention, Reading, and RTI: Great article from Education Week

Responding to RTI
"Early-reading expert Richard Allington believes response to intervention is possibly "our last, best hope" for achieving full literacy in the United States. So why does he sound so unhopeful?"

By Anthony Rebora


I'd like to see an RTI approach to supporting students with disabilities at the high school level. Too many are dropping out of school.

Somewhat Related:

KIDS COUNT Indicator Brief: Reducing the High School Dropout Rate (pdf)

"Since 2004, 28 states increased their requirements for graduating from high school with a standard diploma for students both with and without disabilities, and some states report that one result was a rise in dropout rates (National Center on Educational Outcomes, 2007)."
Anna E. Casey Foundation

Computer Based Intervention For Individuals With Autism

Valerie Herskowitz, M.A. CCC/SLP shared her presentation slides on slideshare. Her presentation focuses on computer-based intervention for individuals with autism. It provides a good overview of technologies that are currently available, and some that are in development. For more information, visit her website at http://www.valerieherskowitz.com/home.php

Valerie is the mother of a son who has autism, and has written a book, "Autism & Computers: Maximizing Independence Through Technology".

Computer Based Intervention For Individuals With Autism

View more presentations from galeeprol.

Video Modeling and Social Skills Development: Scott Bellini and Tom Buggey's Resources

Scott Bellini is an assistant professor in the area of School Psychology in the Counseling and Educational Psychology department at Indiana University. His work focuses on social skills development with children and teens who have autism spectrum disorders. He is known for his research in the area of video modeling. He is also the author of the book, Building Social Relationships: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Social Difficulties.

Dr. Bellini is involved with the Indiana Institute on Disabilities, which sponsors the Autism Resources website.

It is worth taking the time to explore the Autism Resources website/blog. There you will find a descriptions of resources for children, teens, parents, and teachers. The resources include books, videos, websites, and related events. Some of the links are to education-related websites that also include information related to autism spectrum disorders, such as links to fairly recent article on the Edutopia website by Fran Smith that highlights the problem facing public schools schools in dealing with the increase in the number of students with autism spectrum disorders.

Tom Buggy is the Siskin Chair of Excellence in Early Childhood Education at UT-Chattanooga. Like Scott Bellini, he also focuses on video self-modeling with young people who have autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Buggy is the author of "Seeing is Believing: Video Self-Modeling for People with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilties", authored by Tom Buggey.

According to the description of the book, "VSM involves filming and editing footage to create a video of a person's ideal performance of a skill. The person then can watch whenever they please and gather valuable information about the skill. Seeing is Believing offers and step by step guide about how to get the equipment to begin the technique, how to plan the film, how to edit the video and much more."

Tom Buggey's "how-to" presentation about video self-monitoring can be downloaded at http://www.utc.edu/Faculty/Tom-Buggey/vsmorlandoclean.ppt

RELATED

If you are interested in free software that allows for detailed annotation of video, you might be interested in the Video Note Taker, which is free and open-source. It was developed by IBM researcher Eben Haber. I might give it a try.

In my job as a school psychologist, I use video to record some of my assessments, especially when I'm assessing students who have autism spectrum disorders. I also use it to develop video self-modeling activities and content for digital social stories. I find it to be useful when I conduct functional behavioral assessments. More recently, I have been using it to document student response to intervention, paying close attention to things that are difficult to record in real-time using traditional methods. What results is lots of video footage!

I think the Video Note Taker might help me with my work with young people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

I learned about the Video Note Taker from Harry Brignull's blog, "90 percent of everything". Harry is a User Experience Consultant. You can download the application from the SourceForge website.

Here is the description:

"The basic function is to allow the user to take notes while watching a computer video file. The program combines a video playback window and a very simple text editor. Keyboard shortcuts can control playback, e.g. pause/resume, skip back, etc."

This looks pretty cool, considering that video footage of assessments completed by a team, such as the ADOS, require a good deal of collaboration, and of course, rewinding, forwarding, and rewinding video! According to the software's author:

"This software has one other interesting feature: if two people at remote locations are watching the same video file, it can synchronize their players, so that if one person pauses the video, it pauses the other, and if one person skips ahead, the other player shows the same thing. This can be handy for going over a video with someone remote."

Tahirih Bushey's Autism Games Blog

Tahirih Bushey is a speech and language therapist who works with children who have autism. She describes herself as a "collector and recorder of good games for children with ASD". She blogs at Autism Games and also has maintains the Autism Games website.

The video clip below is one of a series about the Stage Play Games acting class for young people with autism:


Be sure to read Tahirih's post, "Why Games".

You can follow Tahirih on Twitter.

Establishing Joint Attention with Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders using the HP TouchSmart PC and NUI Suite Snowflake Software

I've been using my HP TouchSmart PC at work with students with disabilities. I'm experimenting with the NUI Suite SnowFlake on my TouchSmart.

The software utilizes a plug-in from NextWindow that allows for more than one touch on the screen at a time. I found that interacting with the Particles application delighted students with severe autism.

I found that many of the activities included in the Snowlake software provided opportunities for the students to establish joint attention. I also noticed an increase in the number of vocalizations and/or verbalizations among the students. Of course, this was NOT a scientific study.

NUI Suite Snowflake Multi-Touch Applications (Demonstrated on a touch-table, but the effect is similar on the HP TouchSmart.)

Note: The Particle application starts at 3:00 - the demo is set to show how it could be used as a social activity in a bar, but it is clear to see the possibilities for use with students.

Update: Here is the SnowFlake application running on a TouchSmart:


More about the HP TouchSmart PC in education:
Interacting and Communicating with HP TouchSmart Notes: Photos, Video, Audio, and More


Joint Attention:

Definition of Joint Attention from UConn:
"Joint Attention is the process of sharing one’s experience of observing an object or event, by following gaze or pointing gestures. It is critical for social development, language acquisition, cognitive development…"

Establishing joint attention is an important step in the development of social interaction skills among young people who have autism spectrum disorders.

Joint Attention Study Has Implication for Understanding Autism Science Daily, 9/29/07
Asperger-Advice: Joint Attention
Autism Games: Joint Attention and Reciprocity
Why is joint attention a pivotal skill in autism?
Tony Charman

Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2003 February 28; 358(1430): 315–324. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2002.1199.

Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Children and Teens: The Challenge Software Program

Brad Chapin is a psychologist and director of community based services for a mental health center.

Brad developed the subscription-based online Challenge Software Program to teach children and teens how to problem-solve and moderate their thinking processes. Students who have significant mental health problems do not always have the coping strategies they need to prevent things from becoming extremely out of hand, as in the case of violent fights, school shootings, or suicide.

Links to information, including video tutorials, about Challenge Software:
What it does
How it works (This is important to view, as it describes the assessment process, the scenarios, and the games.)
Pricing and Features
Endorsements
Supporting Research
News and Events
Contact

The program provides a scenario approach to assessing the child or teen's problem solving skills and coping strategies, using video scenarios and an easy-to-use assessment interface.

Brad maintains a blog that complements the Challenge Software Program. Here are links to a couple of his posts:

Teaching Cognitive-Behavioral Strategies to Small Groups of Children

School Violence and Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention

Brad Chapin is a member of Classroom 2.0, the social network for those interested in Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies in education.

Cogmed RoboMemory: Technology to Improve Working Memory; Play Attention to Improve Focus

Cogmed is a Swedish company that developed a computerized working memory training program. There are two versions of the application, one for children, and the other for adults. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has worked with children or teens with Cogmed computer applications.

Here is a recent article that demonstrates how using the Cogmed application can change brain chemistry:
Changes in Cortical Dopamine D1 Receptor Binding Associated with Cognitive Training (pdf) Fiona McNab, Andrea Varrone, Lars Farde, Aurelija Jucaite,Paulina Bystritsky, Hans Forssberg, Torkel Klingberg
Methods, Table S1, and References(pdf)

Abstract:
"Working memory is a key function for human cognition, dependent on adequate dopamine neurotransmission. Here we show that the training of working memory, which improves working memory capacity, is associated with changes in the density of cortical dopamine D1 receptors. Fourteen hours of training over 5 weeks was associated with changes in both prefrontal and parietal D1 binding potential. This plasticity of the dopamine D1 receptor system demonstrates a reciprocal interplay between mental activity and brain biochemistry in vivo."

Cogmed's Working Memory Guide


Photos from the Cogmed website.

Cogmed JM, for children ages 4-7



Cogmed RM for children and teens 7 and up


Cogmed QM for adults


It looks like this software would be good to consider for people who have working memory problems related to traumatic brain injuries, in addition to people who have ADD or ADHD and problems with executive functions.


Another computer-based application, reportedly been used in 450 schools, is Play Attention, by Unique Logic and Technology, and uses "Edufeedback", a technique that is similar to neurofeedback, to help people improve focus and attention.

Play Attention's ADHD Video Gallery

"Edufeedback allows Play Attention students to see attention in real-time by controlling video games by attention alone in order to build cognitive skills and shape behaviors. Edufeedback also allows students to see a direct correlation between attention and behavior; fidgeting makes the Play Attention games stop if attention wanes."

I would be interested in hearing from psychologists who use Cogmed or PlayAttention products. Is anyone using Cogmed or PlayAttention for RTI purposes?

Potential School Dropout or Late Bloomer with High Potential - Do adult attitudes regarding struggling ninth grade students make a difference?

So often I see students in the ninth grade who are completely overwhelmed by the demands of of the "Big School". They soon find that they can not keep up with the rate and pace of work, and often failing key core courses. Some demonstrate increasingly disruptive behaviors and express their discontent in ways that rub teachers and administrator the wrong way.

As a school psychologist, I know that many of these students have hidden strengths and talents, but the curriculum they face does not match the way they learn.

What are the consequences of this problem? It isn't pretty.

Ninth grade students have the highest rate of failure in grade, detentions, expulsions, suspensions, long-term alternative school placements, and school drop-out.

Despite various efforts to improve outcomes for high school students, things don't change from year to year. Cohort after cohort of teens follow the same path, and this is documented by similar statistics throughout most of the U.S.

The following chart shows what I mean. It outlines the average number of short term suspensions of students at various levels of the educational system in North Carolina from 2002-03 through 2006-07:



For more information about the problems young people face when entering the ninth grade, and links to some solutions, see the following post:

"Ninth Grade Tipping Point: What Happens in the First Year of High School Impacts Graduation and Dropout Rates"

For an interesting story about one man's personal experience as a late bloomer, take a look at
"Confessions of a Late Bloomer "
"We have fixed notions about the time course of success and the nature of talent that encourage us to write off the very people who are most likely to (eventually) change the world."
Scott Barry Kaufman
Psychology Today Nov/Dec 2008

DimensionM', a 3D Interactive Multi-Player Algebra Game is Spreading in 21st Century Schools

Tabula Digita's 3D multi-player algebra game, DimensionM, is spreading to more middle and high schools around the country. Steven Hoy, of Tabula Digita, is working with UNC-Wilmington and educators in Pender and New Hanover counties.

"There is no problem with catching on. There is no problem with student usage. It is just a matter of fitting it into the curriculum"

"When was the last time you saw groups of students excited about math?" I would make the recommendation if there are other large school districts who are interesting in coming on board and providing a 21st century environment for 21st century students, they should do this..."

DimensionM Multi-player Algebra GameTournament in NYC

I first set my eyes on Tabula Digita's previous math game, Dimenxian, at the 2005 Serious Games Summit. It is exciting to see how the game has evolved, and how research shows that it is an effective teaching and learning tool.

DimensionM Website

Information about DimensionM and math curriculum standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics:
http://www.dimensionm.com/alignments/Mission%20Standards%20Alignments_NCTM_V3.0.pdf

Related Research
The Effects of Modern Math Computer Games on Learner's Math Achievement and Math Course Motivation in a Public High School Setting:
http://www.dimensionm.com/docs/UCFResearch_Brief_June_202008.pdf

"The results also support findings from two meta-analysis, including: (a) Vogel et al. (2006) who concluded that interactive simulations and games were more effective than traditional classroom instruction on learners' cognitive gains based on a review of 32 empirical studies, and (b) Dempsey et al. (1994) who concluded that students who played math video games and attended the traditional classroom instruction achieved higher mathematics score than students who only attended traditional classrooms based on 94 empirical studies."

The use of computer and videogames for learning: A review of the literature
http://www.dimensionm.com/docs/VideoGamesforLearning.pdf

Link from link a NC State wiki with inforation about DimensionM:

http://wikis.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php/Dimenxian

"DimensionM is a video game that immerses students into a virtual world with the intention of teaching them mathematics concepts using familiar game constructs. This video game targets middle and high school students and covers pre-Algebra and Algebra objectives through a series of missions. In each mission the students enter a reality-based environment where they are introduced to new math concepts. Throughout the missions students challenge themselves to understand and master the math concepts to improve their performance in the game. Students cannot move from one phase to another until they have completed the math problems or tasks with 100% accuracy."

RELATED

Drexel's Math Forum/Basic Algebra

http://mathforum.org/library/topics/basic_algebra/

Albert Ritzhaupt, Ph.D. UNC-Wilmington Class:

MIT 595: Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds (pdf flyer of Spring 2009 course)

Watson School of Education

International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations

Children with Down Syndrome: Research about early literacy intervention approaches from the University of Denver

Via Science Daily Science News:

"Researchers at the University of Denver (DU) Morgridge College of Education are conducting a new study that will compare two early literacy intervention approaches to educating young children with Down syndrome."


"There has been little to no research on how our children with Down syndrome learn, especially regarding reading and language," says Michelle Sie Whitten, executive director of the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation and Advisory Committee Chair of The Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Educational Fund. "There have been significant breakthroughs in terms of how children with other developmental disabilities learn, and I strongly believe that our kids deserve the same attention."

Utilizing Interactive Whiteboards with Students with Autism Webinar

ISTE is sponsoring a must-see webinar, "Revolutionizing Instruction for Autistic Students Utilizing Interactive Whiteboards"

The webinar will be held on Wednesday, September 17, 2008, at the following time:

4 PM Eastern
3 PM Central
2 PM Mountain
1 PM Pacific

Here is the blurb from the ISTE website:

"As the field of education experiences an exponential increase in students diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, a new and effective model for instructing students is called for. Interactive whiteboards have revolutionized how teachers engage and teach autistic students in group instruction at a residential special education school in New Hampshire. This technology has offered new opportunities for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other neurological impairments to demonstrate spontaneous social learning and increased on-task classroom behaviors. Video vignettes will illustrate how instructional practices have changed the paradigm of a classroom for students with autism and the resulting student outcomes that occurred, both expected and unanticipated."

The presenters are Kathleen H. McClaskey, and educational and assistive technology consultant, and Randy Welch, a school psychologist who is currently a chief program officer at a residential treatment center.

The webinar fee is $50.00 for ISTE members and $125.00 for non-members.

Cognitive Bursts, Autism, & "Sense of Self": Digital media for intervention across all stages of development.

Reflections:
Over the past several years, I have worked closely with young people who have severe autism. At the same time, I have taken a variety of computer science, software information systems, and educational technology courses. Over time, I've integrated the use of technology, including digital photography and videography into my work. In some ways, it is still a much-unchartered territory.

Part of the reason that the use of technology for prevention and intervention has not been at the forefront of special education is that our current practices were informed by research that took place years before the Internet was a household world, before interactive white-boards, and before concepts such as "Universal Design for Learning" were taught in special education teacher preparation courses. 


 Those our 40's (or older) who did not take courses in MIS or computer science most likely were taught by professors who minimal exposure to technology. Some of us might have had a "tech-savvy" professor who was familiar with the ins and outs of SPSS on a mainframe computer.   


Teachers with 20+ years of seasoning were lucky to have witnessed a a demonstration the latest in educational software when they were university students - the Electronic Workbook!     If you studied psychology, most likely your professors were probably up-to-date about the ins and outs of the brain, but think about all that has been discovered since then!

Here are some of my observations:
I've noticed that many young people who are "on-the-spectrum" experience what I call "cognitive bursts", often around puberty, but also during the late teen and early 20's. 

To an untrained eye, these bursts might go unnoticed, or even minimized. Part of the reason is that the "bursts" are not demonstrated in ways that can be easily captured through traditional psychological or educational assessments. For example, one student might not be able to make a choice in response to a test item by pointing. Another student might not be able to respond to a test item because they do not speak. If the student has spent numerous years in their "own little world", they might not be accustomed to showing what they know, even if they have made significant cognitive gains, including gains in receptive language.

As a professional, I know that it is not appropriate to provide parents with false hope. I know that the tools we have for assessing cognitive growth among students with autism spectrum disorders are not adequate. For example, two students can have the same "IQ" at age 3, 5, 8- or any age, but function much differently at age 18 or 25.  This is especially true for young people who have attention problems, working memory deficits, and/or delays in language development relative to their non-verbal abilities.


My point is that we must take early cognitive assessment  scores with a grain of salt, and   ensure that there are multiple opportunities for meaningful assessment and significant intervention during other points of a young person's development.
 
In my opinion, the more severe the situation, the more intensive the intervention! 

My mantra earlier in my career was "early intervention, early intervention- the earlier, the better!". It has changed.

Over the past few years, I have come to the realization that the focus on early intervention is only a small part of the bigger picture, and for some. The focus on the delivery of services, including technology-supported interventions for a student during their early years might minimize the opportunities- and funding- for significant intervention during other points of a young person's development.

By focusing primarily on early intervention, might be missing the boat. We must do more across the young person's development through young adulthood (and of course, beyond.) Each child is different, and each brain's course of development is different. One child may be ripe for growth at 30 months of age, or at age 3 or 4. Another might start talking and initiating interactions at age 14, or begin to make sense of print at age 16! I know one severely autistic youth who was reading at an 8th grade level at age 22, something that probably would not have been predicted by those who worked with him during his early years.

From what I've observed in special education, cognitive bursts are often harnessed by a team of perceptive teachers, therapists, and support workers, to facilitate academic, communication, and at times, social interaction skills development. While this may not be the case for each student and in each school, it really does happen.

When a student experiences a "burst", no matter how insignificant it might look on the surface, we are given a golden opportunity to fashion an integrated approach to moving the young person forward. At the same time, we are provided the opportunity to  help the student develop a more solid sense of self. For students with severe autism, this might be a key to opening up their world.

Technology can help.
Because each young person develops differently, it is important that interventions designed to facilitate this sort of growth be available at all points of development, not limited to the intensive support that is recommended for the youngest of this group.

My mantra now is intervention, intervention, intervention, and INTENSIVE technology-supported intervention during periods of cognitive growth, across the developmental stages, as appropriate.

Here is what I've been doing:

I'm spending a higher percentage of my time observing students in a variety of settings, and using video and digital photography to capture my observations. I am using digital content during my assessment process, and I'm using digital content for creating intervention activities that assist in measuring a student's progress over time.

Most importantly, I think, is that I'm exploring ways that teens with autism can develop a sense of self, to help them build a sort of "anchor" within themselves.

One technique I'm exploring is the use video cameras to record familiar activities and settings, from the first-person point of view. To do this, I follow the student around in school, home, and/or community setting, and then tape the various scenes as if I was in the young person's shoes. My camera is a window to the student's world, as they see it. I supplement the video with digital photography of the same content, which then can be incorporated into an interactive PowerPoint or slide-show.

I also spend some time taking video-clips and pictures of familiar items and objects the student encounters throughout the day, such as teaching materials that the teachers put up on the walls, computer screen shots, video clips of favorite songs and scenes from the television that the student watches, screen shots of educational software that the student uses, and so forth.

I use Kidspiration and Inspiration for some of this work. These applications are user-friendly, designed for student use, and provide multi-modal output. There is a text-to-speech component that is great for pairing words with visual representations. At the end of the school year, I came across a great application, called UMAJIN Creative, that I found to be quite useful. (I also use some of my own prototype applications, which are in various stages of development.)

How does this work? I usually sit beside a student in a comfortable, familiar spot, with my laptop placed where it can be accessed by both the student and myself. We look at the content together. For students who are used to using a switch, I have one available.

What I'm finding is that using strategies that incorporate digital media provides a means for the student to generate more language and communication.  This is often initiated by the student!

With students who have autism spectrum disorders, establishing a connection, through digital photography and videography, focusing on familiar things is especially important. Taking the time to capture the student's world, from their perspective, is mandatory, in my opinion. By doing this, we are providing specific information that might help to answer unspoken questions that the young person has, but lacks the skills to formulate or articulate - for example: 


"Who am I, and what is my relationship to this physical world?"

By taking this approach, the adults - teachers, parents, assistants - who are involved with the student, can work to build a solid scaffold for further learning and interaction. Bit-by-bit, digital content - pictures, video clips, can be built into the process to facilitate social awareness and social-emotional interaction skills. By learning about familiar people, how they "tick", and how one should go about interacting with these people, the student might gain a sense of self within a social context. We can help them answer the question we all have, at one time or another:

"Who am I, and what is my relationship to this social world?"

Note: I am actively searching for articles related to my topics. Please leave a comment, along with links and names of researchers if you have any information about this ! Personal observations are also welcome.)

Update:
See "

Cognitive  "bursts", technology-supported interventions, interactive whiteboards, digital storytelling, social skills, and reflections about a new SMARTTable"

Minna, from SymTrend, left a comment on this post: "SymTrend is PDA and web-based software for recording behavioral observations about children with lower functioning autism. Those who are higher functioning or Aspergers can use our system for self-monitoring and to get guidance when they are in situations that challenge them."
http://www.bricklin.com/log/symtrend.htm

Here is my previous comment about SymTrend:

"The beauty of SymTrend, in my opinion, is that it helps people develop self-monitoring skills through providing a means of analyzing data that is gathered frequently. From what I understand, through interaction with the software, the student/client establishes a better understanding of themselves, and also and understanding of feelings, triggers, reactions, and coping strategies. A rich amount of data is collected that can be helpful to treatment providers, or special educators."

For more information, see Minna's comment to this post. My previous post about SymTrend includes a video about SymTrend. Also, visit the SymTrend website.