Signs Workshop: Promotion of Early Communication Skills of Children With Developmental Disabilities
By Almeida, Ana Margarida; Sousa, Alvaro; Ramos, Fernando; Condeco, Teresa; Cotrim, Luisa; Macedo, Sofia; Palha, Miguel; Technology and Disability, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 1-7Publication Date: 2008
Article presents the framework and development of the Signs Workshop CD-ROM, a multimedia application for the promotion of early communication skills in children with developmental disabilities, particularly those of children with Down Syndrome. Developed in partnership with the Communication and Arts Research Unit of the University of Aveiro and the Portuguese Association of Trisomy 21 Carriers (APPT21/Differencas), the Signs Workshop CD-ROM was developed from an initial inventory of existing national and international resources, such as Portuguese and American Sign Language, and sent to parents and educators of children with Down Syndrome, who identified signs they used in daily life and recommended additions. The functional and technical design process of the application is outlined, including the recording of its 184 signs by Down Syndrome children and the integration of descriptive audio cuts of the signs in a choice of English, Portuguese and Spanish. Also included are two case studies of children with Down Syndrome, a 21-month-old and a 3-year-old boy, who have built up a repertoire of 20 and 30 signs, respectively, with the use of the application.
Published by: IOS Press (Website:http://www.iospress.nl)
Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE) (Web Site: http://www.aaate.net )
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J55266
