Signs Workshop: Promotion of early communication skills of children with developmental disabilities

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Almeida, Ana Margarida^{a; *} | Sousa, Álvaro^a | Ramos, Fernando^a | Condeço, Teresa^b | Cotrim, Luísa^b | Macedo, Sofia^b | Palha, Miguel^b

Affiliations: [a] Departament de Communication e Arts, University of Aveiro, Portugal | [b] APPT21/Diferenças: Portuguese Association of Trisomy 21 Carriers, Portugal

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Ana Margarida Almeida, Departamento de Comunicação e Arte, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. Tel.: +351 234 370389; Fax: +351 234 370868; E-mail: marga@ca.ua.pt.

Abstract: This article presents and describes the framework and the development process of the “Signs Workshop” CD-ROM, which is a multimedia application for the promotion of early communication skills of children with developmental disabilities. Signs Workshop CD-ROM was created in the scope of Down's Comm Project, which was financed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and is the result of a partnership between UNICA (Communication and Arts Research Unit of the University of Aveiro) and the Portuguese Association of Trisomy 21 Carriers (APPT21/Differenças).

Keywords: Language and communication skills, augmented communication systems, total communication, multimedia production

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-2008-20101

Journal: Technology and Disability, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 1-7, 2008