SEMERC launches second in series of popular vocalisation tools for early years and SEN pupilsBETT 2005 (Granada Learning, stand E40 / F40) – Special needs software publisher SEMERC is launching the second in its series of highly interactive and motivational resources designed to develop communication and vocalisation skills in special needs, Foundation and Lower Key Stage 1 pupils. Building on the features of the original program, Sound Beginnings 2 encourages pupils to confidently develop an awareness of some of the dimensions of speech such as volume and breath control. The program also concentrates on text-free screens that respond to specific vocabulary such as numbers, colours and positional words. A simple microphone is all that is needed; voice input training or complicated configurations are not required.
Easy-to-use, Sound Beginnings 2 is highly configurable for the individual pupil. It is the ideal tool for teachers, carers or SENCOs to support the development of confident speech and clear communication. Teachers can also track progress of an individual through printable user records and there is even a gallery that can be viewed showing saved screenshots from specific activities that the pupil has accessed.
The activities featured in Sound Beginnings 2 include: Painting – the object of this activity is to paint a picture by using any noise or a specific word. Users can call out colours and parts of the picture will fill in accordingly;
Flying – this is designed to encourage users to sustain a sound for as long as possible in order to keep a creature floating in the sky with its balloon;
Counting – creatures are shown on screen and users can respond by making a noise or saying the correct number (up to 10);
Racing – the object of this activity is to use sustained sound to keep a car moving around a race track. This motivational activity allows exploration of volume - the louder the sound becomes, the faster the car will travel! The noise (and therefore the car) has to stop to avoid hitting obstacles along the track;
Placing – this activity reinforces the positional words in , on , under, in front and behind. Alternatively, users may simply make a noise and see where the character appears in the room.
Paul Nuttall, Director of SEMERC, said: “Sound Beginnings was the first vocalisation program of its kind and the second program in the series takes vocalisation skills to a new level. It encourages pupils with very little speech to use their voices more and to understand how different sounds and words can impact a situation. Children really enjoy using it and conversing with the characters, and it can be used with pupils from pre-school right up to years 5 and 6. It is a powerful tool for use with pupils who have a speech and language difficulty, but is equally useful when working with pupils experiencing emotional difficulties”.
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