You
are invited to participate in a Grammar Trainer pilot software program
for high functioning children within the autism spectrum, ages 5 and
up. This software is appropriate for a high-functioning child who
can speak and read but needs help with grammatical ordering of words in
sentences, using correct verb tenses, pronouns, and related
issues. There is no charge to participate in this software trial.
If your child or client knows the words
for basic colors and shapes and recognizes these words in writing, the
GrammarTrainer software program can teach him or her how to put words
together into ever longer phrases and sentences.
To receive a free copy of this
software, you must submit your name and address to GrammarTrainer.
You will then receive a questionnaire to fill out, once it is completed
and you send it in, you will receive a free copy of the software to
trial. After using the software you will be asked to fill out
another questionnaire to determine the benefits of the software for your
child.
The GrammarTrainer
The GrammarTrainer teaches grammar
through text and pictures. It shows a picture, asks a question about the
picture, and prompts the child to type in an answer, first from a list
of possible choices, and later, as the lesson progresses, without the
help of explicit alternatives. After he finishes typing, the child
receives feedback about whether his answer is correct and how to fix it
if it isn’t. As he progresses he accumulates points that he can cash
in, in the real world, for treats.
The GrammarTrainer employs a level of
linguistic sophistication and elicits a degree of active learning
unmatched by any other language teaching software program. It covers a
much broader range of grammar topics than other programs do, from simple
phrases to complex sentences. Unlike other programs, which merely
require the child to click on the correct picture, it asks him to
respond actively by typing in his answer letter by letter, thereby
ensuring that he internalizes the correct word order, the correct word
endings, and the correct structures. Finally, where other programs
merely tell the child whether or not his response is right,
GrammarTrainer gives him detailed, incremental, carefully-worded
linguistic feedback, systematically guiding him towards the correct
answer.
The GrammarTrainer will help any child who
hasn’t mastered age-appropriate grammar skills but has at least the
vocabulary of a normal 2-to-3-year-old, recognizes these words in
writing, and is able to type them out. Its ultimate goal is to equip
these children with valuable skills which, in conjunction with parents
and therapists who help them generalize what they learn to the real
world, will allow them to express more complex thoughts, understand more
complex explanations, and, more generally, pick up much more of the
living language and social dynamics around them than they currently can.
