The Egyptian Society for Developing Skills of Children with Special Needs - “ADVANCE”

1. The Egyptian Society for Developing Skills of Childrenwith Special Needs - “ADVANCE” ADVANCE Society License 4646/99 Ministry of Social Affairs

2. Presenter • Maha Helali graduated in 1982 from the Faculty of Economics & Political Sciences, Cairo University. • Maha left her post at UNESCO in 1996 to establish the Learning Resource Center in Cairo. • In 1997, the Egyptian Society for Developing Skills of Children with Special Needs (ADVANCE) was inaugurated and Maha was elected Chairman of the Board. • In December 2004, Maha was elected as the Coordinator for the UNESCO "Education for All" Consultancy Committee meeting for NGOs for the Theme of Special Needs Education for the Arab Region. • In 2006, Maha was recognized by the American University in Cairo for her efforts in advocating special needs persons. • In 2007, Maha was nominated as an Ashoka Fellow by the Ashoka Foundation to support her mission of including persons with Autism in the Egyptian Community.

3. ICT and People with Disabilities • Over 10% of the world's population suffer from a variety of disabilities. However, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have the potential for making significant improvements in the lives of these persons. • Disability and handicap do not refer to the same issue. The term disability summarizes a great number of different functional limitations occurring in any population in any country in the world. Sometimes these disabilities are due to reasons such as wars, earthquakes or other similar events. People may be disabled by physical, intellectual or sensory impairment, medical conditions or mental illness. Such impairments, conditions or illness may be permanent or transitory in nature.

4. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities • Convention 9 states: “Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies […] both in urban and in rural areas.”

5. Children with Communication & Interaction Difficulties • Children may have communication and interaction difficulties for a range of reasons. They may have autistic-spectrum disorders, sensory or physical impairment, or speech and language delay. Their difficulties may arise from general learning difficulties or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia. The communication difficulty may be in the area of writing or speech. • When we work with children with communication difficulties, the priority becomes to find a way for them to “speaks” with us. The term Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) describes different ways that people with disabilities communicate with each other. This system is a replacement of speech or man additional support to speed up the communication process or make parts clearer. Some use symbols or pictures or photos which can be presented on a chart, in a communication book, or on screen. However, as language becomes more complex, there is a need for a tool that can also describe more abstract ideas to better communicate. ICT becomes the perfect solution.

6. Communication Difficulty in Speaking • Seek advice on whether a VOCA (voice output communication aid) is needed. A VOCA is a device that stores speech that can then be used for communicating. There is a wide range of VOCAs. The simplest has just one recorded message that you activate by pressing it, while the most complicated have many areas, each with a different message, and several layers of messages. • Investigate the benefits of using a sound-activated switch. This can encourage children to vocalise. Using suitable software and blowing or speaking into the microphone, they can change a picture on the screen or create patterns in response to their voices.

7. Communication Difficulty in Writing • Some of the ICT devices that can help with written communication. • Portable dedicated word processor • Portable computer • Desktop computer • Hand-held spellchecker • Speech recognition system • Overlay keyboard

8. Communication Difficulty in Interaction • A computer can offer some learners with autism a successful channel of learning on which they can focus without distraction. It can also offer the means by which teachers and other learners can join them in their focus of interest. • Mind-mapping software has proved a useful tool for dyslexic learners and, now that it is becoming commonplace for deaf learners to take written examinations, they too have to plan and carry through larger-scale projects. Some packages take a different approach to thinking and planning techniques, with learners using visual organisers, webs and mind maps to help them to keep track of what they are doing.

9. Computer Software in Arabic to use with Children with Communication Problems • Project: "Speech Viewer III", Arabic Version IBM company designed this program to help people of all ages who have a variety of disabilities, such as speech or language impairments, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, traumatic brain injury, and speech disorders resulting from a stroke. • Super-Owl Eagle-Eye Kalkmonster Hunziker Multimedia in Switzerland has developed three important CD-ROM titles for children: Super-Owl, Eagle-Eye, and Kalkmonster. These titles work well for children who need help with listening and auditory training, Super-Owl provides a whopping 30 games with two difficulty levels. This software allows special needs teachers to diagnose and train children in various listening skills including important differences in pitch, rhythm, timbre, and sequence. • Al Nattiq Nattiq Technologies L.L.C. specializes in speech related products.

10. Babil 4.0 - Software Development Kit Babil is a high-quality speech synthesis engine that 'speaks' words smoothly, using a tailored time-domain diphone concatenation algorithm, allowing for a naturalness far exceeding previous methods, in terms of segmental quality and fluidity of speech. Babil has been released in Arabic. • PocketBabil 3.5 - SW library PocketBabil is the embedded text-to-speech version of Babil. It is a software only system that requires very few hardware resources in terms of memory and computational load. The PocketBabil is the ideal speech solution for portable devices and embedded equipment, and has been released in Arabic • Text To Speech (TTS) By Sakhr Co, this TTS engine converts any Arabic/English text into a human voice.

11. ADVANCE and Autism • ADVANCE program started in March 1997 as a diagnostic nursery offering an educational program for children 2 – 6 years old, in addition to specialized therapies according to each child's needs. • In 1998, and with the increase in demand, the parents united together and established the Egyptian Society for Developing Skills of Children with Special Needs, "ADVANCE", a non-for-profit social organization registered with the Egyptian Ministry of Social Affairs under number 4646/99. • Parents were joined and supported by a group of professionals, as founders, to help provide for those needs. • The program focuses on children with AUTISM as 80% of our enrolled students have autism and other related disorders.

12. Our Vision • As we become parents our children become our greatest hope and our most vital priority. We honor our commitment to their future by providing them with the best we can offer to help them reach their highest level of independence. • Parents of children with special needs face greater challenges in providing their children with the necessary services to help them confront their handicaps, reach their potential and enjoy a high quality of life. • They are still children, but with differences that might have a name. • We have therefore set our aim to provide special needs children and adults with a wide range of life span remedial, educational, vocational and rehabilitation services necessary for them to proceed towards independence and better integration within the community.

13. AUTISM • Autism is a serious developmental, life-long disorder affecting at least 1 in 800 children in the Egypt. It has no known cause or cure. • It affects a child's ability to learn so profoundly that in the absence of special education most will regress, remain unable to communicate, with no eye contact or speech; it can lead to severe behavioral problems including self-injury. • However, with intensive education these children will be enabled to participate more fully in society.

14. AUTISM • Communication and language problems are a major feature of autism; over 50% of autistic people do not develop meaningful communicative language and most autistic people have problems with other forms of communication. • Autistic people are often easily distracted and have poor organizational skills. They can also find it hard to deal with abstractions and are easily obsessed with details. • Abnormal motor patterns are often observed and some people can have extreme reactions to sensory input, reacting strongly to some stimuli, such as sound or light.

15. ICT can provide help in many different ways, among the obvious being with communication and motor difficulties. However it should always be born in mind that the computer may reinforce or provide a vehicle for some of the less desirable tendencies of autism. In fact one description of autism describes autistic people as having, among other problems, impaired reciprocal social interactions and restricted behaviors, a description that could be used for some computer enthusiasts! Given the range and degree of problems that can occur with autism it is difficult to describe some computer software and resources as being "for autism". It is better to know and understand a child's needs, consider the range of ICT resources that are available and match them, if possible. It can be helpful to consider the different ways that computers can be used and how they can be adapted to support special educational needs.

16. Our Experience of ADVANCE of using ICT with Children with Autism • Recording and writing Word processors are commonly used to record written work. Some children will find it is easier to record using a computer than by hand writing and will benefit from using a standard word processor. Others may need or gain additional benefit from extra support with recording. Programs such as Inclusive Writer, Clicker 5 and Writing with Symbols 2000 can provide additional support for writing with on-screen word/picture banks. • MotivationA neat printed copy can be more satisfying than poor handwriting. Mistakes can be more easily corrected. Speech feedback can help with motivation and checking work.

17. Cause and effect and early interaction Software can be used to help children develop a concept of cause and effect. Simple input devices such as switches and touch screens along with suitable software can encourage interaction. Children may then be able to progress to more complex tasks using a computer. Care needs to be taken as some of this software could encourage repetitive actions and interaction with a computer could be isolating. • Communication Computers and other ICT devices such as electronic communication aids can be used to support children who have communication difficulties. The computer is an ideal way to work with symbols and pictures. Sound, both "real" and synthetic can be easily used along with symbols and pictures to create communication tools.

18. Teaching computer skills at ADVANCE • There is a computer in each class that each child uses, either with their 1:1 support if necessary or alone, sometimes as reinforcement, and an ICT curriculum is currently being developed at ADVANCE. • The first level of the curriculum is Basic Skills. A majority of the children are able to access this level independently. These programs focus primarily on mouse skills - clicking, moving and dragging. A long time is often spent focusing on clicking and moving the mouse, so they understand the effect they and the mouse are having on the computer screen. • Once the above tasks are mastered, the children then move onto other tasks. These involve matching, speech recognition, memory, sorting and painting. After this the ICT curriculum divides into the following areas, language and literacy, mathematics, science and creative skills.

19. Using websites • As well as software programs within the school, many of the children enjoy websites. Some of their favorites include Cbeebies, Bear in the Big Blue House and Thomas the tank engine. • These are generally used within free time as a reinforcer for good work and behavior. Here they can try to generalize the skills they have already learnt. • Websites act as a great reinforcer as the children are learning with characters they know and love from television, comics, books and toys.

20. The benefits of computers • I. C. T. is an essential part of the a child’s day program. • As well as generalizing learnt skills, it is a great way for the children to be independent. • Many get a lot of enjoyment out of printing their work, going to the office to collect it from the printer, and then either putting it up in class or taking it home. • Once at home it is also an independent skill they can use, whilst freeing up their parents during busy times, for instance making dinner or looking after other children. It is work they enjoy, that brings its own rewards.

21. What we need? • More Arabic software • Research Funding • Subsidizing communication equipment to be more affordable • Awareness