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Many years ago I started adapting sound-producing books to increase an individual's active involvement in using them. These adaptations started for a practical reason. I had a student who loved books, including those in which she could push the buttons to make noises. Unfortunately, she also enjoyed ripping the pages of the books, with a smile, to hear the wonderful sound it produced! After repairing many of the rips with tape till almost the whole page was covered, it occurred to me that it would make more sense to cover the pages with contact paper so they couldn't be ripped. Another positive of this was that I could then allow students who produce a little excess moisture to use the books and I could just wipe the pages to sanitize them after use. As these books were quite expensive years ago, this helped me keep the books going for a longer period of time. Now, you can often find these books in bargain stores or on sale for only a few dollars.
After using the books this way for a while, I thought that by adding textures I might increase the individual's focus on what was on the pages. We have all worked with students who we know are interested in books. They gravitate to the books, but they enjoy turning or playing with the pages rather then looking at what is on the pages. By adding textures children could be assisted in looking at and interacting with the pages and by so doing, increase their attention to two-dimensional stimuli. After using many books adapted in this manner, I have had positive results with those using them and with the adults observing the interactions.
As I am a crafter, I had a multitude of textures and materials to choose from in adapting the books. Some of the materials I used included: fake roly eyes; textured paint you use to attach appliqués to fabric; shiny, textured or unusual materials; ribbons; tooth picks or craft sticks; sandpaper; raffia; silk flowers; pom poms; ric rac; fun or craft foam; craft fur and hair; fake jewels; pipe cleaners; feathers; yarn; miniature Christmas trees; and other miniature objects. As the items need to be permanently glued to the pages for safety reasons, strong glue that will adhere to smooth surfaces is needed. I have had the most success with "Goop" which can be found in most hardware or craft stores, though I am sure other glues would also work. Hot glue and white craft glue do not work well.
To start adapting the book, I use contact paper that can be purchased in the shelf liner section of stores. I lay the book open and cut a piece of contact paper which will cover two pages with a slight amount left over the edges of the pages. I lay the piece at one end (I start at the right hand side of the book) and slowly pull off the paper covering on the contact paper. I use a ruler to smooth the contact paper to the pages of the book, going slowly towards the left side of the book, smoothing out any wrinkles as I go. If there are a lot of wrinkles or you started the contact paper crooked, generally you can slowly pull off the contact paper and start again. Once the pages are covered, I use the ruler to really press down and adhere the contact paper. If there is an air bubble you can use a pin to prick a hole in the bubble and smooth down the spot. I then turn the page and do the next two pages in the same manner. Once I have done all the pages, I trim the edges. The advantage of covering two facing pages at a time is that the pages are strengthened at the spine, preventing them from being torn out.
In adding the textures, I generally work on several books at a time, because if you use the fabric paint you need to allow at least 24 hours for the paint to dry before working on the next page. You can buy this paint on sale at popular craft stores and it comes in a multitude of colors. As the fabric paint can stick to itself, even when dry, when the book is closed, it is helpful to brush some powder on the pages when they are done to prevent the sticking. I gather all my texturing materials together and start adding them as appropriate. Typically I keep all these materials in a bag which I can grab at any time, to work on a few pages. I use the same color fabric paint around the pictures on the pages which show what button to push as well as on the button, to help children match the two and make sure that each sound button on the panel is a different color.
The pictures on the page dictate what textures you add on the pages. I try to keep to the concept of the pictures. For wood floors, fences or other items I use tooth picks or craft sticks. For rough items I use sandpaper. On flowers and grass I add parts of silk flowers and their leaves, or pieces of raffia cut short on the grass. For snow, I use the fake snow used on the village scenes popular at Christmas. For stars I glue on individual stars from a tree garland. Shiny blue fabric is glued onto water pictures. On evergreen trees I glue on branches from small fake Christmas trees. On birds I glue on feathers. The possibilities are endless. Often I will come upon something in my home or at a store and think of how I could use it on certain pages in books. Sometimes I will mix in scents in the glue to go with the theme of the book. For the Gingerbread Man, I mixed cinnamon into the glue.
Adapting books in this manner is a time consuming process but there are some ways around that. As I enjoy crafts I would rather adapt books than do paperwork; however, this is not always practical. As such, there are a variety of ways that you can get others to help in adapting the books. Many high schools now require students to do service hours and often they would enjoy doing this type of activity. One mother, after seeing how her son focused on and enjoyed an adapted book for over ten minutes, called her local high school, and within a day had a group of students organized to adapt a variety of books for the town's preschool. She and the teachers gathered their many craft supplies, borrowed an already adapted book from me, and had a short sessions with the students showing them how to adapt the books and why they were being adapted. I have had Girl and Boy Scout troops adapt books as part of their diversity projects, explaining to them how my students will use the books and supplying the materials. Adapted books have been created as reverse mainstreaming activities with older students. Parents have also told me that they have adapted books at home with other family members, including grandparents. As one mother told me, "My son has all these beautiful books which they showed him, but wouldn't let him touch because he might drool on them and accidentally ripping them. By adapting them now he can really interact with them, and they last.
During evaluations, an adapted book is often the first material I use with students, as it is enjoyable and nonthreatening and I can gain a great deal of information from the student's interaction with the book. Typically, the ones I use are not adapted on each page, so I can determine if the student needs textures and adaptations to attend. I can also judge if the person can identify pictures, match pictures in varying amount of arrays and their direct selection skills. For students who are physically disabled, the textures on the pages help separate them, making them easier to turn (though page fluffers can also be used). I have also removed the sound producing section, and reattached it to the same area with Velcro. This allows the sound panel to be removed and placed in front of a student who does not have the physical range to reach the panel on the side of the book. By removing it the students can interact with the sound panel and the book can remain in the appropriate position. Placing the books on easels makes it easier for many students to focus, while maintaining their body position. For students with visual involvement, using a bright flashlight to focus on specific items often increases their visual attention to the pages.
As I said at the beginning, I have been adapting books like this for many years, and they are still being used and generally still look like new. When I pull them out and use them with students, the adults in the room can't believe it when I say the book is 7 years old. So not only do people interact with the books more, they last longer also.
The biggest benefit in adapting the books is seeing how individuals interact with them. I have seen students going from stimming on books or just repetitively turning pages, to stopping, feeling, exploring and really looking at the pages in the books. One student who has autism, when he gets over stimulated, can calm himself by sitting in a rocking chair and interacting with a classroom adapted book. He is now starting to point to pictures on pages and attend to pictures on a communication system. The textures give him something to feel and the contact paper prevents him from crumpling up and ripping the pages, something he does with other pieces of paper. We have seen more appropriate interaction with adapted books carry over to books which haven't been adapted. I have seen similar attention to the books from adults. While the context of the book isn't age appropriate, focusing on the pictures is a step towards focusing on more age appropriate books created for them. (For this I often use multiple copies of calendars or pictures from magazines put together to create topic books on cars or makeup and nail polish, depending on the person's interests.)
Any increased attention to books, no matter what the person's age, will be of benefit. The increased attention to two-dimensional stimuli can be carried over to other books and materials, including pictures on communication devices as well as improving literacy skills. Once individuals start attending to two-dimensional stimuli there are a multitude of adaptations that can be made to books. Purchasing multiple copies of the same book and using one copy for creating book props, you can add textures to your stories you create based on individual interests. Program the stories on the computer, using software such as HyperStudio, Speaking Dynamically, IntelliPics, or PowerPoint so that students can have the books read to them as many times as they want. Program stories on communication devices. Place pages of the books into Talking Photo Albums with the text recorded for each page. Use software such as Picture It or Writing with Symbols 2000 to add icons to the text to assist individuals in reading the text. The possibilities and benefits are endless.
I hope this information helps you in adapting and using a variety of literacy materials with the people you work with. There are wonderful materials that can provide information on adapting books as well as information on the development of literacy skills for individuals with significant special needs. Some of them are listed below.
Pom poms on woman pig's shoes
Fabric paint on the pigs and gingerbread man
Small fake carrots in garden
Green batting for grass
Fabric paint on icon pictures on the page and on the sound panel
Sandpaper on the pig's snout
Page fluffer on the edge
of right page
Sandpaper on the pig's snout
Craft/fun foam on pig's dress
Silk cording outlining pig's hat
Fabric paint of different colors on the gingerbread man
Small glass jewels as gingerbread
man's buttons
Small mirrored pieces on eyeglasses
Fabric paint on the pig
Fabric on the pot holders
Cinnamon mixed in with the glue
Goossens, C., Crain, S. S., & Elder, P. Communication Displays for Engineered Preschool Environments Books I and II. Southeast Augmentative Communication Conference Publications also available through Mayer-Johnson Co. and Don Johnston, Inc.
Goossens, C., Crain, S. S., & Elder, P.. Engineering the Preschool Environment for Interactive, Symbolic Communication. Southeast Augmentative Communication Conference Publications also available through Mayer-Johnson Co. and Don Johnston, Inc.
Musslewhite, C., & Kind-DeBaun, P., (1997). Emergent Literacy Success: Merging Technology and Whole Language for Students with Disabilities. Creative Communicating & Southeast Augmentative Communication Conference Publications Clinician Series.
BoardMaker - Library of Picture Communication Symbols for Mac & PC, available from Mayer-Johnson.
Flash!, Flash Pro! - Windows 95 or higher, the CD's have 5400 and 8500 images in numerous categories. Available from Different Roads to Learning. http://www.difflearn.com
IntelliPics and IntelliPics Studio available from IntelliTools, Company. http://www.intellitools.com
Picture It, PixReader, PixWriter available from Slater Company http://www.slatersoftware.com
Picture This, Picture This Pro, Picture This BoardMaker Libraries - 2700 high resolution JPEG pictures (Mac &PC). Available from Mayer-Johnson. http://www.mayer-johnson.com
Speaking Dynamically Pro - scanning transient screen software for Mac & PC, available from Mayer-Johnson.
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Augmentative Alternative Communication: |
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| AAC Intervention | http://www.aacintervention.com/ |
| AAC Institute | http://www.aacinstitute.org |
| AAC & Reading | http://aacintervention.com/ |
| AAC-RERC | http://aac-rerc.com |
| Assistive Tech and AAC | http://www.lburkhart.com/links.htm |
| Florida AT Education Network | http://www.aten.ocps.k12.fl.us |
| Lynjan Solutions, Ltd. | http://www.lynjan.com |
| SoftTouch/kidTECH | http://www.funsoftware.com |
| Speaking of Speech Materials Exchange | http://www.speakingofspeech.com |
| The Topic Setter | http://www.creative-comm.com |
| YAACK: AAC Resource Guide | http://www.mrtc.org/~duffy/yaack/ |