Abstract
Teaching Communication Skills using GIS
Track: User Presentations - Teaching
Authors: John Garner
GIS is so much more than a map or route. Using an analysis of the known world around a student we are able to teach them in a very concrete way. Teaching abstract reasoning skills to individuals with disabilities can be challenging. Using ARCGIS Desktop Basic we began creating individualized maps to use with severely autistic (and nonverbal) students pairing known dangerous locations with identified dislikes. Parents reported a decrease in running behaviors in the dangerous areas. Years later, we used GIS to create placemats for students having difficulty with prepositions and sequencing. Each student made measurable progress which was generalized into real world knowledge. Using GIS we can more easily teach abstract concepts and stimulate language development. We can see the progress is generalized into the real world. GIS is only limited by our own creativity.