Penn State professors presented research last week that explored new methods of helping young children with communication disabilities to develop their language skills, including the use of special laptops.

"We are trying to develop computer systems that are appealing to kids and easy for them to learn," said Kathy Drager, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders.

Janice Light, professor of communication sciences and disorders, presented the language development research for young children with communication disabilities to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Between 10 and 15 children, 4 years old and younger, with various communications disorders are involved in the research. Some of the children are able to comprehend language but lack the motor skills to speak.

In this case, the computers allow the children to communicate by embedding language in visual computer programs. They are using laptops that feature touch screens, picture symbols and voice output, Drager said.

Also, some autistic children have trouble comprehending language, and the visual nature of the laptops allows them to more easily understand language concepts.

"All kids have had some type of disability that makes it difficult to learn to talk and learn language," Light said.

The laptops feature standard PC and Mac operating systems but are built especially ruggedly to withstand child use, Light said.

The computers use photographs of familiar situations, different colors and sounds to appeal to the children, Light said.

"You and I do things because we have to ... young kids do things because they want to," she said.

For example, one little girl who had a tracheotomy liked to play in the park.

"The whole screen is a picture of her playing in the park," Light said.

The little girl can touch things on her computers' screen to retrieve names and sounds, or touch the image of herself to prompt the laptop to produce laughter, as she cannot laugh otherwise, Light added.

"The world they are seeing is very much the world they experience," Light said.

Laptops were already used to help the two million older Americans that are unable to speak; however, the programs featured were too complicated for small children. When researchers tested how well young children without disabilities were able to use the adult-oriented laptops, they found that they "didn't make sense to kids," Drager said.

Unable to use a laptop for years, young children who cannot use speech fall further behind their classmates in terms of language development. Literacy is delayed, as are a child's socialization skills, Drager said.

The children would not start using the adult-oriented computers until at least age 4, which was a huge setback, Light said.

"We need another way to provide [the children] with access to words," she said.

Researchers are in contact with three communications technology manufacturers, all of which design communications technology for young children with communication disabilities, which seems to have had a positive effect, Light said.

"Across the board we've seen huge increases in the communication," Light said. "Some of the kids at age three have thousands of words they can use."

Light also said in some cases, with the aid of the computer, children were able to surpass the average language levels of their age groups.

While it may be difficult for students without disabilities to associate with and care about children who need a special computer as a means of communication, it is important to know what the children are capable of.

"If we can help them tap their potential and become the people that they have the potential to become, then they could impact your world," Drager said.