Icon Teacher: Stimulus Control Shaping Technology

描述（由申请人提供）：该第二阶段项目将完成图标教师的开发，这是一种用于某些需要辅助/替代交流（AAC）干预的儿童的产品。在AAC系统中，没有学会说话的儿童可能会通过非语言的方式对代表所需物品或活动的符号做出反应（有时称为“基于选择的沟通”）。Icon Teacher旨在教授某些类型AAC通信的关键先决条件-用于表示此类项目或活动的图标的辨别。出于本发明的目的，图标可以被定义为物理上不相同的、功能上等同的刺激，其可以在AAC系统内提供代表性功能。图标教师将是一个计算机辅助教学程序，教图标和现实的彩色照片之间的等价关系。该程序有三个主要组成部分：（1）对儿童区分AAC图标的准备程度的初步评估;（2）针对不容易学习必要的等价关系的儿童的程序化教学序列;以及（3）针对教师选择的媒介的技能的概括组成部分（即，手持设备、便携式计算机屏幕或桌面印刷笔记本）。教学部分将实施新开发的刺激控制成形方法，已被证明有效地教等价关系。当孩子完成图标教师计划，他/她将准备下一阶段的AAC指令，其中响应图标建立作为一种有效的方法功能性沟通。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Phase II project will complete the development of Icon Teacher, a product intended for certain children who require augmentative/alternative communication (AAC) intervention. In AAC systems, children who have not learned to speak may indicate wants and needs by responding nonverbally to symbols that represent desired items or activities (sometimes called "selection-based communication"). Icon Teacher is intended to teach a critical prerequisite for some types of AAC communication - discrimination of icons that are used to represent such items or activities. For present purposes, icons may be defined as physically nonidentical, functionally equivalent stimuli that can serve a representational function within an AAC system. Icon Teacher will be a computer-assisted instructional program to teach equivalence relations between icons and realistic color photographs. The program has three major components: (1) an initial assessment of child readiness for discriminating AAC icons; (2) a programmed instructional sequence for children who do not readily learn the requisite equivalence relations; and (3) a generalization component for skills to a medium selected by the teacher (i.e., handheld device, portable computer screen, or tabletop printed notebook). The instructional component will implement newly developed stimulus control shaping methods that have been shown to teach equivalence relations effectively. When the child completes the Icon Teacher program, s/he will be prepared for the next stage of AAC instruction in which response to the icons is established as an effective method of functional communication.