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• Vocabulary refers to the words that are used by people to successfully communicate and understand with one another.

• Vocabulary plays a major role in the reading process. Students have to utilize the words they hear in spoken language in order to understand the text they read. The bigger the vocabulary a student has, then the more progress they will likely experience when reading.

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Two common characteristics, challenges, or barriers of students with autism related to vocabulary

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Two common characteristics, challenges, or barriers of students with autism related to vocabulary

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1. Students struggle to link new words to concept.

2. Students experience challenges identifying the similarities and differences that exist between the meaning of vocabulary terms.

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• Comprehension is the ability to grasp and understand concepts.

• Comprehension in regard to literacy refers to a student’s understanding of what they have read. This also involves text that students are actively writing. A student’s success in grasping text that they are reading, and writing is critical to their success in the classroom.

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Two common characteristics, challenges, or barriers of students with autism related to text comprehension

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Two common characteristics, challenges, or barriers of students with autism related to text comprehension

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• These students struggle to process complex text.

• Students with autism experience challenges with their ability to make inferences based on context clues within a text.

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• Fluency is a student’s ability to read, write, and speak in a specific language easily and accurately. In reading, fluency should encompass the use of proper expression, steady speed, and correctness.

• This component is achieved when the student is able to read without intense concentration. Being able to read fluently is critical to engage in literacy effectively. Without having acquired fluency, a student will struggle to comprehend because they will be unable to focus on text meaning.

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Two common characteristics, challenges, or barriers of students with autism related to reading fluency

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Two common characteristics, challenges, or barriers of students with autism related to reading fluency

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• Reading at the accurate level of speed for the intended purpose and reading level of a text.

• Overcoming barriers for decoding words in context.

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• Phonemic awareness is the capacity to hear and understand the distinct sounds that oral language is comprised of.

• The relationship between phonemic awareness and reading/writing is that the ability to sound out words can assist students in working out the spelling of words based on their sounds.

• Phonics enables students to use the relationship between letters words and their sounds to correctly identify written language seamlessly.

• Phonics plays an integral role in literacy. This is because the objective of learning phonics is to enable students to use the alphabet to write, read, and understand language.

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Two common characteristics, challenges, or barriers of students with autism related to alphabetics

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Two common characteristics, challenges, or barriers of students with autism related to alphabetics

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1. Students struggle to single out patterns found among sound, letters, and letter-sound correspondence.

2. The ability to differentiate, create, recall, and manipulate sounds in spoke words.

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This is a web-based app that targets phonics and phonemic awareness by providing students with access to a variety of engaging activities that focus on this area. I think that this technology would be useful for students with ASD because the program teaches using a systematic approach that targets the necessary criteria for students with a variety of ability levels.

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This app is accessible on a smartphone or tablet. The tool teaches students how to conjoin letter sounds and how to isolate individual sounds using evidence-based strategies. This technology would be useful for students with ASD because it lets students section out words while engaging their senses as they use the app.

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Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Requires iOS 6.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5. This phonics based application combines letter sounds, letter writing, and 170 first words to help teach reading.

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This app practice building words phonetically and manipulate sounds. I think this technology would be useful for students with ASD because it uses games to engage them in forming new sounds and building words using visual cues.

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Kids can learn essential literacy skills like letter sounds (including diphthongs, digraphs, and r-controlled vowels), spelling, and word recognition on this well-crafted app for emerging readers and writers. The four activities build on one another, giving kids a chance to develop skills and then practice them. The storyboard is a particularly unique feature that allows kids to build words according to their own ideas and illustrate them with artist-created, sticker-like pictures. It doesn't include a spelling checker, so kids can spell phonetically without correction. There's also no letter or word spacing, so the storyboard can look somewhat disorganized -- but also very natural, the way kids often initially write on a page. Kids who haven't been introduced to more complex letter-sound combinations may initially find all the letter combination options listed on the app confusing, and more up-front instructions would be helpful.

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Montessorium: Intro to Words Review for Teachers | Common Sense Education

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Kids can learn essential literacy skills like letter sounds (including diphthongs, digraphs, and r-controlled vowels), spelling, and word recognition on this well-crafted app for emerging readers and writers. The four activities build on one another, giving kids a chance to develop skills and then practice them.

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This digital software engages students with an onscreen talking artificial intelligence (AI) tutor that uses human-like facial expressions to assist students to learn new vocabulary in context. This would be useful for students with autism because the software offers students multiple opportunities to listen to and practice saying new words.

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Spectronics - Inclusive Learning Technologies

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Effective, face-to-face vocabulary practice with a 3D animated tutor giving both auditory and visual cues

This product is no longer available from Spectronics.

Research shows that speech is learned through both auditory and visual cues. Too often, the visual cues are omitted. Timo, the onscreen talking tutor, uses realistic facial movements to help children learn vocabulary. Timo will facilitate the lessons chosen by teachers, therapists and parents. Design content based on students' special interests, curriculum or events and Timo will guide the lesson.

An animated language tutor with extremely realistic speech articulation, Timo captures and engages students' attention in one-on-one practice sessions. Team Up with Timo: Vocabulary is a way for students to catch up on school and home vocabulary they have had difficulty learning.

"This is an exceptional program for students with hearing loss. At home or in the classroom, students
can increase their vocabulary by accessing the best practices of
master teachers through this tireless, consistent animated tutor." Pamela Connors, Director, Int'l Centre for Technology in Oral Education

"Kids depend on both auditory and visual cues to understand and learn best. The Timo software uniquely combines these tho cues of speech and hearing in a very human way so kids can learn new vocabulary faster. Timo can't replace a real teacher, but this software offers quite an effective substitute." Chris Soland, CCC-SP/A

Team Up with Timo: Vocabulary is designed for children in kindergarten through fourth grades with hearing impairments, apraxia, autism and other language learning delays. The realistic, visible speech of Timo provides an important and effective key to learning new vocabulary and language on the computer.

With closely directed and consistent auditory practice, students develop confidence in their ability to learn, say and use new words.

Whether you're a teacher, specialist, or a parent, Timo can help:

Support classroom work by pre-teaching and reinforcing K-4th grade vocabulary

Increase the number of words your students can hear, say, read, spell, and identify

Provide pronunciation practice in fun and effective ways

Build confidence and strategies for learning and using new words

Click here to read more about Timo and the Science of Visible Speech.

Timo has proven to be extremely effective in helping students increase their oral vocabulary because he:

Clearly presents accurate articulation and visual cues that accompany speech through face and mouth movements

Maximises the valuable time students spend on face-to-face language development work

Provides multiple opportunities for the child to hear and practise saying new words

Personalises the act of learning on the computer through a conversational model

Practise identifying, hearing and saying new words with Timo
Timo engages each student in conversation and addresses them by name as he takes them through personalised, interactive lessons that include:

127 vocabulary-building lessons covering more than 650 words and images drawn from K-4th grade curriculums

8 customisable levels of practice: pre-test, presentation, identification, reading, spelling, imitation, elicitation, and post-test

Dozens of subject areas and topics: animals and insects, space, the human body, weather, water cycles, and more

Complete captioning that can be turned on or off

Recordings of student's speech and articulation that can be heard later by speech pathologists/therapists, teachers, or parents

Customisable and colourful reward animations given for correct answers

Cheerful, personalised My Work reports that visually present progress by affixing virtual stickers next to each lesson completed

Lessons cover a range of vocabulary in the classroom and at home

Tools for teachers, specialists and parents
Team Up With Timo: Vocabulary includes a password-protected Administration area where you can:

Create and edit student profiles

Customise the program to meet individual students' unique needs

Generate detailed reports of students' progress, on a lesson-by-lesson basis, for inclusion in IEPs

Play back student recordings to monitor vocabulary and articulation progress

Minimum System Requirements

Windows

Operating System: Windows Vista, XP, 2000, 98SE, ME

System RAM: 128 MB

Hard Drive Space: 200 MB

Processor: 600 MHz or equivalent

Display: 16 bit hi colours

CD-ROM: Required

Sound Card: Sound Blaster or Windows compatible 16-bit, speaker or headphones

Microphone (for Imitation and Elicitation sections only)

Macintosh

Operating System: OS 9.2 or higher, including OS X

System RAM: 128 MB

Hard Drive Space: 200 MB

Processor: 400 MHz

Display: thousands colours

CD-ROM: Required

Microphone (for Imitation and Elicitation sections only)

Team Up with Timo: Vocabulary is targeted at the following age ranges: Team Up with Timo: Vocabulary is designed to foster development in the areas of: Users can access Team Up with Timo: Vocabulary in the following ways:

Mouse/ Trackball/ Joystick

Keyboard

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Effective, face-to-face vocabulary practice with a 3D animated tutor giving both auditory and visual cues This product is no longer available from Spectronics. Research shows that speech is learned through both auditory and visual cues. Too often, the visual cues are omitted. Timo, the onscreen talking tutor, uses realistic facial movements to help children learn vocabulary.

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This vocabulary program is accessible on Windows and Mac computers and is designed for individuals with special needs in order to assist them to acquire initial vocabulary and improve word recognition. This technology would be useful for students with autism because it uses a highly-structures visual format to connect new words with students.

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These early vocabulary programs help children and adults with special needs
master 100 nouns and 50 verbs to build vocabulary and improve language. The structured computer learning activities help individuals acquire an initial vocabulary and improve word acquisition and language literacy.

These programs are suggested for individuals (pre-K through 12) with:

autism spectrum disorders ASD

developmental disabilities

language-learning disabilities

physical disabilities

low vision

hearing impairments

English language learners ELL (pre-K through 6)

English as a second language ESL (pre-K through 6)

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early vocabulary software programs train developing nouns verbs build vocabulary improve language structured computer learning activities special needs acquire  initial vocabulary expand single word acquisition acquire language literacy essential core pre-k preschool children adults students intellectual developmental disabilities knowledge communication alternating gaze attention birth to three cause and effect comprehend object names student performance enriched identify improve intentional assessment signal intentionally social interaction symbolic comprehension understand identification first verbs first words first words ii exploring nouns exploring verbs

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Laureate's early vocabulary software includes programs to train early developing nouns and verbs to build vocabulary and improve language. These structured computer learning activities help individuals with special needs acquire an initial vocabulary and expand and promote word acquisition and language literacy.

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This app aims to teach students words that they will encounter frequently when reading. This technology would be useful for students with autism because it engages students with visual cues and sounds to keep them engaged as they learn.

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One in every 54 children in the United States has autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Autistic children and adults, as well as their families, teachers, and loved ones, come from all walks of life.

Though symptoms vary widely from one person to the next, they may include speech delays or complete absence of speech, lack of interest in friendships or relationships, difficulty with social cues, fixation, repetitive behaviors, avoiding eye contact, and poor motor skills.

For autistic people and parents of autistic children, help may come in the form of technology. We've rounded up the best apps for autism in hopes they'll reach and impact more people.

iPhone rating: 4.7 stars

Price: $249.99

Proloquo2Go is an app specifically designed for people who are nonverbal. It promotes language development and allows people to communicate through the use of pictures. It's designed not only for autistic children, but their families, therapists, and educators. It presents users with images they're most likely to use and has a level-based system for basic to advanced vocabularies.

iPhone rating: 4.4 stars

Android rating: 4.3 stars

Price: Free with in-app purchases

One of the first steps in learning to read is recognizing sight words, which are some of the most commonly used words in children's books. Endless Reader begins here, teaching children the words most important in learning to develop reading skills. The app and first package of words are free! The app uses colorful monsters and fun sounds to keep users entertained and engaged.

iPhone rating: 4.4 stars

Android rating: 4.6 stars

Price: Free with in-app purchases

This app for language and cognitive abilities has gone through clinical studies and helped over 8,000 children learn how to speak confidently and achieve language development milestones. It's also available in numerous languages, including English, Spanish, German, Arabic, and more.

iPhone rating: 4.5 stars

Android rating: 3.2 stars

Price: Free with in-app purchases

The Otsimo app uses techniques designed around applied behavior analysis (ABA) and alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) to help children reach speech development milestones as well as achieve desired lifestyle skills, behaviors, and much more. It has over 50 games that can be personalized to a child's specific needs, and it provides progress reports along the way that show how far they've come since using the app.

Android rating: 4.1 stars

Price: Free with in-app purchases

Using the AAC method, this app provides a communication assistance method that lets users tap on images, hear sounds and words pronounced aloud, and develop personalized communication boards that can help them verbally communicate their needs and thoughts. It acts as a virtual tool belt of common words and can help users learn to verbalize their thoughts with practice over time.

Android rating: 4.4 stars

Price: Free with in-app purchases

This app provides a number of fun, educational activities in English, Spanish, and Portuguese based on the TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communications Handicapped Children) methodology that acknowledges the biological basis of autism and other spectrum conditions that result in specific communication strengths and weaknesses. This app helps people of any level of verbal communication develop their skills, build their confidence, and have fun learning.

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One in every 54 children in the United States has autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Autistic children and adults, as well as their families, teachers, and loved ones, come from all walks of life.

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This is a Chrome extension that students can use to mark-up text they encounter on webpages. Students can highlight, add sticky notes, change test, draw, and more. This would be useful for students with autism because it allows students to make notes on any context clues or evidence they encounter as they read.

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Smarter Web reading & research. Annotate, bookmark, save, cite, manage & share online articles. Use with your Scrible.com account.

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This program scans any text on screen and creates an interactive display with it. For example, when students click on a word, they can hear it read aloud and then access a picture of what the word means. This would be useful to students with autism because it would provide them with a deeper understanding of the words in the text using visual context clues.

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Digital Learning Tools | Microsoft Education

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Empower every student with digital learning tools from Microsoft Education. Microsoft learning tools include math and writing apps, Immersive Reader, and more.

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This software can be used as students access digital documents to help them organize their thoughts and collect notes as they read. This would be useful for students with autism because it will provide students with a non-cluttered way to visually organize their notes in a diagram which will help with better understanding of the text.

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"Kurzweil 3000 was life changing for those in my English class. My students were transformed from struggling or failing to academic success-and once they experienced success, there was no turning back. They became fully engaged learners."
- Mary Hinson

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Kurzweil 3000 Assistive Learning Technology and Literacy Tools from Kurzweil Education

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"Kurzweil 3000 was life changing for those in my English class. My students were transformed from struggling or failing to academic success-and once they experienced success, there was no turning back. They became fully engaged learners." - Mary Hinson

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Little Bee Speech has a variety of applications that are available for download on any Apple device. The application offers error tracking, which provides the option of recording the students as they read and marks the errors made. The students can then go back and review the mistakes in order to learn from them. This application has many interactive activities and provides auditory feedback, which can help students with autism to sound out words.

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This program uses eye-guiding color transitions to help the reader transition between long blocks of text. This can help to keep students with Autism on task and make text less visually overwhelming as they read more effectively.

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Teachers can add BeeLine Reader to student devices to allow them a different view of text while reading. Once it's installed (either by students, teachers, parents, or system administrators), it's important to give students some time to get used to the way BeeLine Reader displays text. BeeLine offers a quick reading challenge to get a sense of the impact it might have on reading. After a couple days of reading with it enabled and adjusting settings (students can click on the cog and choose their color scheme), most students will likely be completely used to it. At that point, it would be a good idea to give students some timed reading passages with comprehension questions or ask them to summarize each passage. This way students can self-assess whether BeeLine is useful and if they want to keep using it.

Teachers should take note: There's also an education version of BeeLine Reader called BeeLine Reader Edu that allows teachers to control the sites that students can access. For classrooms that use a lot of PDFs, there's also a BeeLine Reader PDF viewer.

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BeeLine Reader Review for Teachers | Common Sense Education

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Teachers can add BeeLine Reader to student devices to allow them a different view of text while reading. Once it's installed (either by students, teachers, parents, or system administrators), it's important to give students some time to get used to the way BeeLine Reader displays text.

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Using the program students can scan printed or handwritten work and have the program read it back to them. This can be useful to students with autism because it can help to guide them as they read along with a text, increasing their sight word recognition and decoding abilities.

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It's best to use the program as a way to build students' confidence and independence by supporting them in their own reading, writing, and studying. Teachers should help students customize the toolbars to suit their specific needs.

Use the tracking technology to highlight certain ideas or concepts, and export the selections to another document for your students' studying purposes. In preparation for whole-class instruction, you can also create MP3 or WAV files for whole classes to listen to. On an individual basis, you can set up a reflective activity where students scan their own tests, then use the software to read back their work. When introducing the program, it's probably best to use a favorite or familiar text to help students connect with the program's potential.

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Scan and Read Pro Review for Teachers | Common Sense Education

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It's best to use the program as a way to build students' confidence and independence by supporting them in their own reading, writing, and studying. Teachers should help students customize the toolbars to suit their specific needs. Use the tracking technology to highlight certain ideas or concepts, and export the selections to another document for your students' studying purposes.