SENSwitcher

Using Contrasting Colour Combinations

One innovative feature of SENSwitcher is the ability of the user to select contrasting foreground and background colours for the various animations. This powerful tool is especially useful when working with people with some form of visual or perceptual difficulty.

Using the program's experiential levels it is possible to identify colour combinations, which are visually stimulating to individual children. The following case study describes this process.

CASE STUDY TWO - Using Colour Combinations Simon (9) has an Autistic spectrum disorder and an associated severe learning difficulty. He has poor vision and some documented perceptual disturbance. Simon cannot use a mouse but will use the buttons as switches to activate cause and effect software. He becomes extremely excited whenever using the computer, which is expressed in self-injurious behaviour (head slapping and arm biting etc.) The program was tried with various colour combinations with markedly different results. Any colour on a white background saw no change in his behaviour pattern. Yellow and black triggered a dramatic escalation in the self-injurious behaviour, while red and black had a calming effect, lessening the self-injurious behaviour and generating an increase in spontaneous vocalisation.

Cause and Effect - A Cautionary Note

It can often be quite difficult to ascertain if a child has fully grasped the concept of cause and effect when using switches to operate software such as SENSwitcher. For example, a child may press the switch and then look at the on-screen animation or listen to the sound effects. This may not always mean that they have established in their mind that the activation of the switch is causing the reward. Some children enjoy pressing the switch as an activity, especially if the switch has any form of auditory or tactile feedback, pausing only when something nice happens on the computer screen or they hear a new sound, which diverts their attention.

Careful observation and a sound knowledge of the child and how they function in other circumstances may be necessary in order to determine if they have developed an understanding of cause and effect. When working with children such as these, it may prove useful to use the cause and effect levels of SENSwitcher together with other switching activities such as battery toys and cassette players. Only when the child has demonstrated an understanding of cause and effect in a range of different contexts is it safe to move the child on to the switch building or timed activation levels of the program.

You can find further information about using switches both on and off the computer in the Priory Woods Assistive Technology Skills Progression document, which can be downloaded from the Northern Grid web site.

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