CAPTAIN X Newsletter
Winter 2025
✅ Keep a Predictable Routine
- Maintain regular wake-up, meal, and bedtime schedules.
- Use a visual calendar for holiday events.
✅ Prepare for Changes
- Explain upcoming activities with social stories or pictures.
- Introduce decorations and new foods gradually.
✅ Create a Calm Space
- Set up a quiet zone for sensory breaks.
- Pack comfort items (headphones, weighted blanket, fidgets) for outings.
✅ Plan Sensory-Friendly Activities
- Indoor crafts (ornaments, snowman art).
- Sensory play (fake snow, holiday-themed bins).
- Movement breaks (short walks, indoor obstacle course).
✅ Support Communication
- Practice turn-taking and requesting during play.
- Use visual supports for choices and emotions.
✅ Respect Boundaries
- Offer familiar foods alongside holiday dishes.
- Allow breaks from social gatherings if needed.
✅ Gift-Giving Tips
- Avoid surprises—ask for preferences.
- Choose sensory-friendly or interest-based gifts.
✅ Have an Exit Plan
- Communicate with hosts about leaving early if needed.
- Bring essentials for a quick transition home.
Types of Technology-Aided Instruction and Intervention (TAII)
- Apps & Software/Gamified Learning Platforms - these are
programs and platforms, computer and/or mobile based,
designed to teach various skills, including academic,
communication, social, adaptive, and life skills, often using
game-like features to enhance learning. - Augmented Reality (AR) - overlays digital
elements, such as images, sounds, or other data, onto the user's
view of the physical world. This technology enhances the real-
world experience with interactive, 3D elements that are visually
integrated into the environment. - Electronic Devices -are internet-capable devices such as
smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops, typically featuring
touchscreen interfaces, enabling easy access to digital tools and
online resources. - Interactive Whiteboards - are large interactive displays
that serve as a touchscreen computer or a touchpad that
interacts with a connected computer, often used for
collaborative learning and interactive lessons. - Robots - are used in education to assist with teaching
communication, social-emotional learning, and even job skills.
They help learners practice social skills, respond to cues, and
understand non-verbal communication - Speech-Generating Devices (SGDs) - are portable tablets
or specialized voice output devices that use augmentative and
alternative communication (AAC) systems to assist learners who
struggle with speech, enabling them to communicate effectively. - Virtual Reality (VR) Simulations - immerse the
learner in virtual environments that provide experiential learning
opportunities, such as social skills training, job preparation, or
safety instruction.
Why Use TAII in the Home?
Technology can increase independence because it
enables learners to work at their own pace, work at their
own level of understanding, repeat lessons until mastery
is achieved, reduce social demands, and provide a
communication system.
• TAII can be used to effectively address the following
outcomes for a target goal/behavior/skill: academic/pre-
academic, adaptive/self-help, behavior, cognitive,
communication, joint attention, mental health, motor,
enables learners to work at their own pace, work at their
own level of understanding, repeat lessons until mastery
is achieved, reduce social demands, and provide a
communication system.
• TAII can be used to effectively address the following
outcomes for a target goal/behavior/skill: academic/pre-
academic, adaptive/self-help, behavior, cognitive,
communication, joint attention, mental health, motor,
play, school readiness, and social.
