ELR Software produces a range of computer programs designed by speech pathologists for speech, language & literacy intervention. Our programs may be used interactively within therapy sessions, to increase efficiency in service delivery, and to improve access to the Internet for people with special needs. We are also available as consultants to clinicians and research projects in the fields of literacy and accessibility issues associated with the Internet.
The aim of this newsletter is to inform you of developments and changes to our major products eLr (Extra Language Resources), Rude Readers, Word Meanings and EIA (Enhancing Internet Access). We welcome the opportunity for feedback and questions, and will be pleased to consider including reader contributions and announcements.
This Newsletter (and previous editions) is available online at www.elr.com.au/news and an email version is sent monthly to members of our mailing list (See Subscribing/Unsubscribing).
In this issue -
There have been a couple of subtle changes to the directory this month. The "Syntactic Processing" section is now called "Sentence Processing". As we have completed tasks for this section, we have realised that the tasks require both syntactic and semantic processing skills. So the new name more accurately describes the section. The organisation of this section has also been changed to enable you to more easily locate the new picture based materials. So far we have pictorial activities in "Subject Verb" and "Subject Verb Prepositional Phrase". By selecting either of these subsections, you are then presented with a choice of "Pictorial Activities", or a variety of "Word Based" activities.
We have added 147 new tasks to the Directory this month. 22 tasks are in "Sentence Processing" (Single clause active sentences - [Subject-verb] and [Subject-verb-prepositional-phrase]). The model is SceneSentence Matcher which presents the client with a picture under which are 2, 3, or 4 sentences. The client reads the sentences and selects the sentence which best matches the picture. The tasks are based on the cognitive neuropsychological approach to sentence processing. The task names highlight specific target areas so that you can select tasks according to the client's needs and capability. For example:
- use of pronouns and pronoun confusion
- choice of either two, three of four sentences
- regular or irregular verbs (some clients may be focusing on spelling)
- sentence choices contain errors which are close/distant semantic distractors, syntactic distractors, or errors which are related to either the subject, verb or object.
Many thanks to the clinicians who have provided feedback and suggestions about this section. After you have reviewed the sentences and tasks, we'd welcome further comments. The nature of this program means that we can continue to change and upgrade the activities.
125 tasks have been added to "Reading and Spelling" - [Most Frequent Words]. This subsection was new last month when we added the "First 100 Most Frequent Words". This month the "Second 100 Most Frequent Words" have been put into four models - LookThenCover, WordSearch, SmileyMan, and MemoryWords.
MemoryWords is a fairly new model, and we'd like to highlight a particularly useful feature. Some of the MemoryWords games contain small sets of words so that the client can master the words in a controlled manner. At the end of each subsection there is a MemoryWords game that allows for review of the entire Level. The task name for these review tasks is "Random selection of words from Level N". This task then allows you to select a varying number of words (eg either 6, 8, or 10), allowing the client to play a game which is a manageable size. The words are presented in a random order, so the game can be repeated a number of times, and each time the client is reviewing a different set of words within that level.
The Macquarie Dictionary calls it 'an emission of wind from the anus, especially an audible one'. Rude Readers interrogated friends for the synonyms they used at home and put the frequent names in The Sofa Did a Fart (Volume 2) poppy, fluff, bottom-burp, fluff, stink. We had lots more that we didn't use. The story comes from three sources - an actual event where kids stuffed their dinner into the sofa cushions, a container of take-away Indian food that got lost under a car seat for too long and the joke about blaming the dog for the stink. In this Rude Reader people sit on the sofa a week later and say "Some one did a ...." Finally the dog gets the blame, but it's left for the child to infer. The teaching points are that one thing may have several names - synonyms, and that the choice of the right word varies with the speaker's social role - pragmatics. Do aunts say "fart" or "poppies"! What will the teacher say?
ELR has a number of free or evaluation files available for downloading directly from our website. Please see www.elr.com.au/downloads.htm for specific details. For other supporting materials and documents available for free download, please see www.elr.com.au/support.htm.
We will have a stand/display at this conference
We will be presenting an eLr workshop for Speech Pathologists and a later one (4-6pm) for school staff
We will be presenting an overview of eLr for Speech Pathologists
We will have a stand/display at this conference
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