Is sushi on the menu?

Posted by 14 on the 29th October, 2010

Kids with physical disabilities often need to use 'scanning'  (and switching) to access their communication and/or writing programs. Scanning is a widely misunderstood word.  A good definition was coined by David Colven and Simon Judge in  'Switch Access to Technology'. They say: "It's a bit like a 'Yo Sushi' bar. You can't reach all the dishes from where you sit, and so you have to wait until the one you want turns up in front of you."

I like that!  I'd like to bring in a 'restaurant metaphor' of my own. With  children who use low tech communication, I often get faced with frustrated staff who say  'he can't even answer Yes or No or make choices'. Then I watch, and see them say things like 'Freddy - do you want mince for lunch? Yes or no?' .    At that point I reflect on how I would feel if I went into a restaurant and the waiter said "Do you want chicken balmoral?"  I'd say "well maybe - I don't know - what else do you have on the menu, please tell me ALL the options and THEN I'll choose."  (And I might think 'what a useless waiter!')

So  - except with those few pupils who are known to cope with only one or two alternatives - I often suggest that staff should limit the use of yes/no questions and forced alternative questions (choice from 2)  and try using oral/auditory scanning instead. I have seen pupils learn to make successful choices from 3, 4 and even 6 or more items using this method.  It's especially powerful for children with visual impairment and really poor pointing ability - no pictures needed, just consistent oral presentation by staff and listening and simple signalling by the child.

Of course, things can get much more sophisticated by introducing symbols and even eye-coding systems to create a full 'partner assisted scanning system'.  A comprehensive handout by Linda Burkhart and Gayle Porter is available. And check out this video by Gail van Tatenhove to see how far this can go