Case Study: Simmons University enhances communication and written language learning with Crick Software Clicker

Simmons University - Customer Case Study

Simmons University’s Assistive Special Education Technology Program, led by Madalaine Pugliese, needed flexible tools to help teachers, specialists, and therapists support students with unique communication needs, especially learners who are deafblind. The challenge was to adapt curriculum materials to each student’s language abilities while making writing accessible and meaningful. Crick Software’s Clicker was used with symbol-based supports to meet that need.

Using Crick Software’s Clicker with the Mayer-Johnson Picture Communication Symbol library, educators created custom on-screen grids with pictures, words, and even photographs to help students form sentences, write experience stories, and journal about events like field trips. The solution helped students quickly compose complete sentences without struggling to find letters on a keyboard, and over time they progressed from symbol-supported writing to typing words and recalling spelling from memory, supporting clear gains in written language development.

Simmons University

Madalaine Pugliese

Director of the Assistive Special Education Technology Program