During half term, I spent some time exploring Clicker with my twin boys, Harry and James, who are both eight and in Year 3. James lives with cerebral palsy, and small adjustments such as using technology can make a real difference to his comfort and independence when learning.
We went on an Autumn Walk Challenge, taking our Kindles to photograph signs of the season. Back at home, we used the pictures to inspire writing. Both boys have a good level of literacy for their age, but handwriting can be tiring for James, and technology helps reduce fatigue while improving presentation.
James used the iPad and Harry used the laptop. Both worked confidently on their devices, exploring how Clicker supports them differently. James preferred the spaced keyboard layout in Clicker Writer, which gave him the space he needed for accurate key presses.
Before writing, they created a spider diagram based on their photos, discussing what they had seen and recording key words. One of my favourite features in Clicker is being able to send these key words directly to a Word Bank across both the iPad and laptop versions.
With the recent addition of Widgit symbols in Clicker, it’s now possible to add symbols to those word banks. This makes vocabulary more visually engaging and can really help with understanding for some learners.
I’ve seen Clicker used in schools across the country in many different ways. Some use it as a targeted intervention, while others embed it as part of a whole-school literacy strategy. In my experience, it’s most powerful when used across a school, giving every child access to flexible tools that adapt to their individual needs.
Clicker is an excellent way to build writing confidence and reduce barriers for pupils who may find handwriting, organisation or spelling challenging. It works just as well for early writers as it does for those developing longer pieces of text.
Read more about the new Clicker and Widgit integration here:
👉 https://cricksoft.com/blog/clicker-and-widgit-symbols/
If your school or organisation would like support embedding Clicker, AAC or other assistive technology into everyday classroom practice, I offer hands-on training and implementation support, with a strong focus on schools across Yorkshire and surrounding areas.
