Touch Screen Vs Mouse and Access

[Gfox]

I am a sped teacher in a middle school self contained room with a students with a wide range of physical and mental ability.  I recently purchased a HP touch Smart 600 PC touch screen.  It is working great and the kids are so engaged. I have uploaded Show me the math, Number station, TimeScales, and Dollars & Cents as Math Guides and for Reading I am using Read to learn, Self-Determination Readers, and do the right Thing all from the Attainment company. I also have other software choices on the other computers in my room to supplement my curriculum.  Now for my question, I have a student who is struggling to make the connection between the mouse and the cursur on the screen. We have worked for two years on mouse skills with track balls, joy sticks, enlarging the mouse, slowing it down and she still struggles.  She can directly touch the screen to select because she has been doing this on her communication device.  Should I continue having her struggle with the mouse...because a mouse is what will be more available to her in all settings or is it OK just to go what is easy and familiar the touch screen, eventhough she may not have one available in a few years?
For me the point is getting to access the programs and the mouse seems to be a hinderance to that goal.

[Jerry]

Gfox - If there is an objective for her to interact with specific software then I would agree with your conclusion that access is the primary goal and thus allow her to use the touchscreen.  You can always have a second objective of learning to use the mouse if it looks promising. She could practice with the mouse occasionally (on some very easy mousing tasks) while using the touchscreen to interact with more challenging software activities.

[Julie]

I also would stick with the touch screen for academics for now, but wanted to give you another option that might help your student learn to use a mouse in the future. The program by Softtouch 'Teaching Access Ability' (http://www.softtouch.com/teachingaccessability.aspx ) is really great for helping a student make the connection between the mouse and the screen movement. It's very sequential, teaches the student to move a large picture (vs. a small cursor) left then right, then to computer vs. trash can (one plays an animation, the other does nothing), then up and down, etc. It's very simple but engaging. If you go to the website above, click on 'more images' under the picture, the second page shows you the sequence. I think it's $130.00. I used it with a student who has autism and a very low IQ, with a BigTrac Roller Ball. It took a couple months (at 1/2 hr. 1x week), but when she finally 'got it', the jump to using a regular mouse was really fast.

[Gfox]

Jerry & Julie thank you for your comments and input. Just an up date on the student’s progress, she is getting more confident in her ability to manipulate items on the screen. She still reaches for the mouse but since it is wireless, I have the ability to turn it off. I have not totally abandoned the use of a mouse, just given her more options. That program Julie you talked about is a good program I had seen it earlier and have put in a request for purchase. Like all purchases these days it is scrutinized and then twenty questions later it is ordered. Now I am just waiting for it. I have some students that will be moving up from elementary that will benefit from this program as well. Again thank you for your responses and I am sure I will post more as the occasion presents its self.