Teaching · Special Education

Switch scanning, set
to the speed they can press

Choose the platform to see where its switch scanning lives. Record the number of switches, auto or step scanning, the scan time and the longest row, and the page works out how long the wait is for an item. Mark each step, then note how real tasks went.

Start a setupWhat you get

Setups

The worked example is made up: an iPad on a wheelchair mount with one head switch, auto scanning at 1.5 seconds per item, where typing is still too slow, and a tablet where one switch is set to step scanning. Use initials or a code, not names.

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What you get

Teaching · Special EducationFree

What you finish with
A setup record per person and device: switches, scanning mode, scan time, longest row and switch site; eight steps marked done, to try or not needed, from mounting to a way to turn scanning off; real tasks tried; and what to try next. The flags show where switch scanning lives on that platform, how to turn it on, a mismatch between one switch and step scanning, and how long the person waits for the middle and last items. A large-print setup card prints for the device.
Who it is for
Assistive technology specialists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, special education teachers and families of switch users.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per person and device. Prints a large-print setup card, the full record, every setup in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Special Education space in Caveat Teaching.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Choose the switch site with the therapist.
  2. Add the switches in the platform’s settings.
  3. Choose auto or step scanning.
  4. Set the scan time from a timing trial.
  5. Try real tasks and print the setup card.

Start a setup

Where switch scanning lives

Built-in switch scanning on five platformsiPhone or iPadSettings > Accessibility > SwitchControlAdd switches first under Switches; theAccessibility Shortcut (triple-click)can turn Switch Control on and offAndroidSettings > Accessibility > SwitchAccessSetup asks which switches to use; theaccessibility shortcut can turn it offMacSystem Settings > Accessibility >Switch ControlTurn on Switch Control; its Home panelopens the keyboard, pointer and appcontrolsChromebookSettings > Accessibility > Keyboardand text input > Switch AccessTurn on Switch Access and assign keysor switches to Select, Next andPreviousWindows 11Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard >On-screen keyboard, then Options >Scan through keysWindows has no full switch scanningbuilt in: the on-screen keyboard canscan its own keys, with a switch setto send Space or EnterBuilt-in switch scanning on five platformsiPhone or iPadSettings > Accessibility > Switch ControlAdd switches first under Switches; theAccessibility Shortcut (triple-click) canturn Switch Control on and offAndroidSettings > Accessibility > Switch AccessSetup asks which switches to use; theaccessibility shortcut can turn it offMacSystem Settings > Accessibility > SwitchControlTurn on Switch Control; its Home panelopens the keyboard, pointer and appcontrolsChromebookSettings > Accessibility > Keyboard andtext input > Switch AccessTurn on Switch Access and assign keys orswitches to Select, Next and PreviousWindows 11Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard >On-screen keyboard, then Options > Scanthrough keysWindows has no full switch scanning builtin: the on-screen keyboard can scan itsown keys, with a switch set to send Spaceor Enter
Scan time multiplied by position is the wait. Halving the items in a row often helps more than a faster scan.

Timing is the setting that matters

With auto scanning the highlight moves on by itself, so an item’s wait is the scan time multiplied by its place in the row. Start slow enough that the person rarely misses, then shorten the time as they get faster. Row-column and group scanning cut the wait on long rows such as a keyboard.

Site before software

Where the switch is placed (hand, head, foot or knee) and how it is mounted decide how reliably the person can press it. That choice belongs to the occupational or physical therapist and the assistive technology team; the settings here follow from it.

Sources

  1. Apple Support. Use Switch Control to navigate iPhone (support.apple.com/guide/iphone).
  2. Android Accessibility Help. Switch Access for Android (support.google.com/accessibility/android).
  3. Apple Support. Use Switch Control on Mac (support.apple.com/guide/mac-help).
  4. Chromebook Help. Use Switch Access (support.google.com/chromebook).
  5. Microsoft Support. Use the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) to type (support.microsoft.com).

The worked example is made up. Menu paths are from current versions of each platform in general terms and can change after an update. Wait times are scan time multiplied by position and ignore pauses and loops. This page is a setup record, not an assessment. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.