Autism/PDD
Software Opens Many Doors
“Our son’s language skills have
soared...”
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| TariqÍs parents say his language skills have
soared thanks to LaureateÍs Autism/PDD Package. |
Dear Laureate,
We would like to express our gratitude for the wonderful software
you have designed for children with Autism/Pervasive Developmental
Disorder (PDD). Your language software has opened many doors for our
son.
Tariq is five years old and has autism spectrum
disorder, severe oral motor apraxia, and sensory dysfunction. After
initially expanding his receptive language with flash cards, we tried
several different language development software packages and the experiences
were not very successful. It took a lot of positive reinforcement
to keep our son at the computer and engaged.
We noticed an immediate difference with Laureate’s
Autism/ PDD Package. The lively animation and various levels of support
helped him attend and be successful. The positive behavioral momentum
helped him rapidly master early vocabulary, syntax, and category concepts.
We also have seen his initiation of expressive language increase.
Before we started using your software, it was
difficult to confirm how much language he was understanding versus what
he had learned in the context of environmental cues. With the ability
to review our son’s progress at the end of each lesson and track
his progress over time, we were able to demonstrate that his understanding
of language was not just contextual. In
six months, Tariq has worked through Level 1 of the Autism Package
and is currently working on Level 2. His ability to follow along when
we read to him, read words to us, and work independently on the computer
has given him an enormous boost in confidence. He can do what his
older sisters can do and is very proud of his accomplishments!
Our speech therapists have been extremely impressed
with his progress. In the year between evaluations, our son has increased
his receptive language skills from 1.5-2 years to 4-6 years. Using
his augmentative communication device, his expressive language skills
have gone from 1-1.5 years to 2-5 years. Our son’s language
skills have soared thanks to your Autism/PDD package.
Best of all we have a little boy who understands
so much more of his world, loves to be read to, and is rapidly gaining
much more independence and control over his life. We can’t thank
you enough for the benefits your software has conferred on our family.
Best regards,
Lorie Thomas, Ph.D.
Riyad Karmy-Jones, M.D.
To learn more or to order, click
here.
Laureate Introduces New Sterling
Editions™
Over the past several years, Laureate has been working with child
language experts, speech-language pathologists, and special educators
to develop a new generation of language intervention software. Supported
by a Technology Transfer from NASA's Johnson Space Center and four
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards from the National
Institutes of Health, Laureate's new Sterling Editions set a new standard
for special needs software.
The first six Sterling Editions are all-new
versions of Creature Chorus, First Words, First Words II, First Verbs,
Simple Sentence Structure, and First Categories. These programs will
be followed by Sterling Editions that address early word combinations,
syntax mastery, and advanced language concepts. All Sterling Editions
incorporate the latest linguistic theory, utilize instructional techniques
based on current research, and offer exciting new features to motivate
performance.
Each Sterling Edition program features two
pioneering advancements: Optimized Intervention and the Sterling Administration
System.
Optimized Intervention®
Optimized Intervention is a powerful,
innovative system that tailors instructional delivery to best suit
each student's unique needs. Using sophisticated built-in strategies,
Optimized Intervention constantly monitors a student's performance
and automatically adjusts the lesson delivery to provide highly individualized
treatment. By continually making decisions about how to guide the
learning process, Optimized Intervention makes training faster and
more effective.
Optimized Intervention is a powerful, innovative
system that tailors instructional delivery to best suit each student's
unique needs.
Laureate's Optimized Intervention system was originally inspired by
methodology developed by the Software Technology Branch of National
Aeronautics and Space Administration at the Johnson Space Center.
This group had developed software to train space shuttle astronauts
that incorporated many useful features. In particular, the software
was able to codify the knowledge and skills of professionals in such
a way that these assets could be used to present customized lesson
content, evaluate progress during a lesson, and revise the curriculum
based on individual patterns of strengths and weaknesses.
In the early 1990's, representatives from NASA and a panel of special
educators from the Center for Special Education Technology and the
Council for Exceptional Children, identified the emerging language
problems of children with disabilities as a critical problem in special
education that might productively be addressed using NASA's methodology.
Subsequently, Laureate was invited to enter into a Technology Transfer
Agreement with NASA. Since that time, Laureate has developed and field
tested a long series of language intervention systems designed specifically
to guide students through language development curricula while adapting
the emphasis and timing of activities in relation to the changing
language capabilities of individual children.
The Optimized Intervention system in Laureate's Sterling Edition software
is the culmination of these development efforts. The system uses artificial
intelligence methodology to select appropriate training material and
to adjust instructional support in relation to emerging skills and
competencies, resulting in highly individualized and efficient language
instruction. The system also features extensive data collection and
reporting capabilities, thereby greatly simplifying the process of
tracking student progress and generating reports detailing areas of
strength and weakness.
STERLING ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM
 The
Sterling Administration System is a powerful set of tools that enables
educators to command all aspects of learning. By providing a single
interface for using multiple programs with many students, the Sterling
Administration System lets educators easily build and maintain student
files, individualize program settings, analyze performance data, and
write comprehensive reports. With consolidated student management,
extensive data collection, and powerful new report-writing options,
Sterling Editions make it easier than ever to document student progress
and ensure accountability.
THE SENTENCE MASTER
by Dr. Marion Blank
'A Tool to Make Miracles Happen'
Dear Laureate,
 I am sure that there are many people deserving of credit for the great work that Laureate Learning Systems does. I am particularly grateful to you all for The Sentence Master.
I am a teacher of multiply handicapped elementary students whose hearts have often been severely broken by the time they come to me. Discouraged and diagnosed with low potential ability, they are usually unwilling to risk any further failure or rejection.
With The Sentence Master as a tool for success, I watch as one student after another overcomes the fear of reading and discovers abilities no one knew existed.
I credit The Sentence Master's steady, cheerful, and consistent presentation with successfully bypassing these children's emotional and interpersonal fears and opening avenues of learning that were previously unavailable.
One of the students I have been working with came to our school just before Christmas in 1993 as a six and a half year old kindergartner. Shortly thereafter, her mother died of diabetes and the girl spent the remainder of the school year painfully disoriented, crying inconsolably, or staring blankly into space.
The following year her emotionalism was still high but she did attempt to learn. Rote math was possible but reading was not. After a year of almost constant one-on-one instruction, she still had practically no memory of simple sight words, knew only a few letter names, and even fewer sounds. I admitted to my supervisor that I did not know if I could help her.
When she showed an interest in computers, I began using The Sentence Master. For the entire 1995-96 school year, she plugged away at the first story, The Bus. Though her progress was discouraging to me, it was quite impressive to her!
She read and reread the words she finally knew. She read them to her classmates. She became "one of them" in a new way. Her social skills began to flourish. Becoming prouder and more confident daily, she would repeat the lessons again and again until she could remember them. I think what made her work so hard was that she was finally experiencing success.
This fall, she has truly broken through the fog. In four months, she has completed all eight of the stories in Level 1 with nearly 100% accuracy. Her verbal and written expression has gone from senseless arrangements of words to meaningful and intentional communication. Her EMR status has been changed to MH and her eyes are focused on the present... and on the future.
The stories of my other students are just as inspirational. Another girl has just had her EMR classification removed and is gaining more skills and confidence daily. Two others who were severely delayed with multiple learning and emotional difficulties are now fully main-streamed with resource center support.
I can't thank you enough for the tools to "make miracles happen."
Sincerely,
- Marianne Caulder
- Special Education Teacher
- Donini Elementary School
- Landisville, NJ
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Sentence Master CD Demo
To find out how The Sentence Master can help your students learn to read, order our Sentence Master CD Demo (Windows/Macintosh) today! You'll see:
- the theory behind The Sentence Master
- fully functional samples of word activities and stories that you can use with your students
- video footage of students using the program with dramatic results
- testimonials from parents, teachers, and magazines
Links to related websites
These websites provide helpful information for people with disabilities.
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