Using Rosetta Stone for Speech Therapy
Imagine sitting in a classroom unable to understand the teacher. Imagine eating dinner with your family but unable to join the conversation. Imagine trying to tell a relative or a friend a story, but the words simply don’t come. That is the fate of autistics who are unable to master language skills. They are sentenced to a lifetime of loneliness, of alienation, of wallflower status.
In our increasingly global society, studies have been done, and advanced degrees achieved, on the best way to learn a new language. For years, language-learning software has been instrumental and available in helping English speakers of other languages (ESOL) and English language learners assimilate to English-speaking culture. It is a short leap to assume that language immersion software, such as Rosetta Stone, can also be used as speech therapy for autistics.
Visit: Rosetta Stone
Why Rosetta Stone?
Rosetta Stone is unique in language software. It implements a proven instructional learning strategy espoused by ESOL instructors and somewhat similar to the popular Direct Method of Linguistics developed in the 19th century. It was a naturalist approach, which immersed students in the target language. The objectives were speaking and listening comprehension, not translation. Vocabulary was introduced through pictures, which is ideal for people with autism. Emphasis was centered on usage and pronunciation. Students learned to write by transcribing in the target language. Rosetta Stone incorporates these and additional language learning methods.
How it Works
Rosetta Stone software enables autistics to strengthen the physical and physiological connections between the brain and oral speech. Rosetta Stone is ideally suited for this exercise, containing an audio component, which enables autistics to orally identify and correctly pronounce the words, phrases and sentences they are learning.
Although reading sentences is easier than constructing them, the repetition of language learning software offers the physical practice needed for autistics to correctly construct grammatical and complete conversational sentences.
Independent Speech is the Goal
If autistics have a tool they can use independently, to learn their target language, they may not have to live out their lives groping for words, gradually becoming painfully and ignobly isolated. We've been using it on our autistic son, and he enjoys the activities. As parents, we feel it is one of the most relevant programs available that directly helps his language deficiencies.
]]>
If you have a students (or a child) that loves to write, create, imagine then TikaTok is site you need to visit. Kick-start their imagination with their online story writing software, use their fun collection of interactive story templates, and inspire their creativity.
