Autism Language Therapies

Helping visual learners put words together.

"By words we learn thoughts, and by thoughts we learn life." -Jean Baptiste Girard

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Your child

  1. Does he or she have trouble putting words together?
  2. Does he or she prefer visual modes of learning?
  3. Does he or she recognize words in writing?
  4. Can he or she operate a mouse?
  5. Has he or she received one or more of the following diagnoses:
    1. Autistic Spectrum Disorder or High Functioning Autism?
    2. Pervasive Developmental Disorder or P.D.D.?
    3. Hyperlexia?
    4. Semantic Pragmatic Disorder, apraxia, or other aphasia?
    5. Auditory Processing Disorder?
    6. Hearing Loss or Deafness?
If your child or client knows the words for basic colors and shapes and can read these words, the GrammarTrainer software program can teach him or her how to put words together into ever longer phrases and sentences.

The GrammarTrainer

GrammarTrainer News

  1. Drs. Katharine Beals and Felicia Hurewitz presented a poster of GrammarTrainer at the annual IMFAR (International Meeting for Autism Research) Conference in London (May 16th, 2008).
  2. A recently awarded Innovative Technology Grant from Cure Autism Now / Autism Speaks is funding a two-year efficacy study of GrammarTrainer in the schools.
  3. GrammarTrainer software has been donated to a family with five autistic children featured on ABC's Extreme Makeover in February, 2007.
  4. Drs. Katharine Beals and Felicia Hurewitz presented a poster of GrammarTrainer at the annual A.B.A. (Association for Behavioral Analysis) Conference in Boston (February 2nd, 2007).

The GrammarTrainer Method

The GrammarTrainer teaches grammar through text and pictures. Click below to view demos of each of the four levels of GrammarTrainer. If you're using a Macintosh, you may need to run it in Safari. Please allow a few minutes for the files to load.

  1. GrammarTrainerI Demo
  2. GrammarTrainerII Demo
  3. GrammarTrainerIII Demo
  4. GrammarTrainerIV Demo

Detailed feedback guides the child step by step through a series of corrections until his answer is correct.

  1. sample feedback: step 1 | step 2 | step 3 | step 4 | step 5 | step 6
As he progresses he accumulates points that he can cash in, in the real world, for treats.
  1. sample reward message

How GrammarTrainer surpasses other software

In comparison with all other language software, the GrammarTrainer:

  1. was designed by a professional linguist for her autistic son
  2. employs an unprecedented level of linguistic sophistication
  3. asks the child to respond actively by clicking out his answer word by word
  4. gives detailed, incremental, carefully-worded linguistic feedback
  5. interactively guides the child towards the correct answer
  6. covers the broadest range of grammar topics: from simple phrases through complex sentences
  7. ensures that the child internalizes what he learns

Which children it helps

The GrammarTrainer will help any child who:

  1. lacks age-appropriate grammar
  2. has at least the vocabulary of a normal 2-to-3-year-old
  3. recognizes these words in writing
  4. can operate a mouse or keyboard

The GrammarTrainer Goal:

The ultimate goal of GrammarTrainer is to help visual learners:

  1. express more complex thoughts
  2. understand more complex explanations
  3. pick up more of the language and social dynamics of daily life

What parents are saying

  1. Grammar Trainer is going so well I wish we had it for math, too. It is the PERFECT way to teach Nat. We are on Lesson 10, and he now picks up the way to respond very quickly, using captial letters, pronouns, the whole bit! I love it!!! I never thought we'd get this far. (Susan Senator in Massachusetts, author of Just a Family: Finding Happiness in the Shadow of Autism, Shambhala Publications, forthcoming in 2006)
  2. "The Grammar Trainer program has really benefited my son. I have noticed that he no longer has the occasional pronoun reversals and uses his words more appropriately." (Catherine Swanson in Clinton, Utah)
  3. "This program is much better than other software programs I have tried. My son is making a lot of progress." (Lan Gao in New Jersey)
  4. "Our son is making a few more complete verbal sentences rather than just phrases and has gotten more conversational." (Ron Wang in Washington State)
  5. "My son loves the GrammarTrainer! We have not had a single problem with motivation." (C. Clark in Kansas City)
  6. "I really like the program and look forward to the more advanced lessons." (E.M. in Richmond, Virginia)
  7. "A friend we haven't seen in a while came over and my son asked her lots of "where" and "what" questions! I think that this is a result of the question work he has done with GrammarTrainer." (Jill Harrison in Colorado)
  8. "Our son's school teacher noticed he is adding verbs into his daily talking. He is using longer sentences to express himself." (Dawn Huo in Washington State)
  9. "A really great program and definitely has improved my son's language and his written work." (Annette Vogt in Ontario)
  10. "My daughter continues to progress. Thank you so much for this program. It's exactly what she needed." (Mary Lou Zambrano in Florida)

Click below to:

  1. Learn more about or sign up for GrammarTrainer
  2. Learn about Dr. Katharine Beals, the designer
  3. Learn about the first client, Katharine Beals' son
  4. Learn about the theory and teaching strategy of GrammarTrainer