This is key information for us. What customers buy is a big factor in future development decisions. We are expanding our development team of graphic artists, teachers and software engineers, from seven to eleven so that we can produce more of what you ask for and fill in gaps in the range of special needs resources that teachers need.

Meanwhile Tom Caine, President of our American company, Inclusive TLC, Inc., is scouting around for the best resources from the US to add to the excellent range of material we find in Britain and Scandinavia.

Amazingly, the top seven software packages are the same packages in the same order as in my last top twenty report in December. In a world where teachers are desperately short of time it is interesting that the top six packages you are buying are authoring tools to make individual learning resources. This is a real credit to UK special educators. The top six are: SwitchIt! Maker, ChooseIt! Maker, BoardMaker, Inclusive Writer, Writing with Symbols and Clicker 4. This is a good omen for a new package, IntelliPics Studio, now rapidly moving up the charts - and my tip for the next top twenty in December.

Our seventh package, Lifeskills, is showing the continuing strength of the older learners' market. We should listen. And it is good to see Touch Balloons jump from twelve to eight: it is a simple, clear and attractive program that does just what it says on the tin!

Over the last year we supplied more than 200 different software programs. These are the twenty you liked best.

IntelliKeys is still strong and will forge ahead now the British IntelliKeys USB board is shipping, but AlphaSmart has stolen the top spot. My guess is that, with new software support, IntelliKeys will break back in December. However, the Don Johnston Co:Writer SmartApplet certainly adds inclusive features to AlphaSmart.

Touch monitors remain at number three. The pioneering BIGmack has dropped from number four to eight, but other simple speech output devices are very much in vogue. The AMDi Tech/Talk range has jumped from tenth place to fourth, while the Penny & Giles 4talk4 is right in behind at fifth place (from fourteenth).

We have more than a hundred different hardware products and their manufacturers are some of the keenest readers of our top twenty table. Just outside the top twenty is the Y-mouse from the wryly humorous PI Engineering, "the no slogan company" of Madison, Wisconsin. Next at twenty-two, a personal favourite, the Small Mice from Secret Seven. Mousemaster George Kessler, CEO of Secret Seven, is a fascinating character and doubles as the Duluth TV weatherman. Enjoy a meal at Fitger's on Lake Superior with George Kessler and the other diners and kitchen staff queue up (or stand on line) for an autograph!

Meanwhile, the head-to-head fight for the number twenty spot between AbleNet's Big Switch and P+G's Large Adjustable Pressure Switch is really hotting up. Here is the full story!

1. SwitchIt! Maker (1). Make your own switch powered stories, games and cause and effect learning activities.
2. ChooseIt! Maker (2). Extend your SwitchIt! Maker skills to choice making activities.
3. BoardMaker (3). Mayer-Johnson's communication display maker.
4. Inclusive Writer (4). Highly configurable but fully featured talking word-processor offering extra help in pictures and sound.
5. Writing with Symbols (5). Heavyweight symbol and word processor.

6. Clicker (6). Flexible, easy-to-use, on-screen grids and full word-processor with an increasing range of curriculum support material.
7. Lifeskills (7). Life skills for older students. A great collaboration between Knowsley Borough Council, ICDC at John Moores University and our own Roger Bates. (Roger is presenting "Using Computer Software to Develop Switch Skills" at the Closing the Gap conference in Minneapolis this October).
8. Touch Balloons (12). I love this. Great for touch screen or mouse training.
9. WordShark (9). Effective and popular with pupils. No change here.
10. Spider and Friends (8). Attractive early mathematics activities.
11. Teddy Games (10). Great value mouse and touch screen pack from LäraMera.
12. SwitchIt! at Home (13). Build your own domestic appliances.
13. SwitchIt! Patterns (11). Clear and exciting rewards from this very configurable cause and effect switch program.
14. Abrakadabra (15). Thirty attractive. switch or touchscreen operated, scene-building activities with amusing animated rewards.
15. Starspell (14). Popular with pupils. Effective "look - listen - cover - write - check" technique.

16. Touch (16). Simple, but extensive and configurable, visual discrimination activities.
17. Penfriend (new entry). Excellent talking predictive typing program. Hoping to introduce this in the US soon.
18. Spider in the Kitchen (20). Early language activities.
19. Bubble Reef (18). Early mathematics and lots of fun. Knowsley Borough collaboration with ICDC at John Moores again.
20. OverlayMaker (new entry). Teachers' toolkit for IntelliKeys overlays.

1. AlphaSmart (2). This durable note-taker is so popular. A growing range of mountings and keyguards is making it even more accessible while SmartApplets like Co:Writer help everyone, including those with learning disabilities.
2. IntelliKeys (1). Now you can choose the IntelliKeys USB or the IntelliKeys Classic.
3. Touch Monitors (3). The most direct access to simple learning activities.
4. AMDi Tech Communicators (10). Tech/Talk and Tech/Speak multiple message devices have set new standards for price and reliability in the Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) and Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA) markets.
5. P+G Inclusive 4talk4 (14). Four messages on each of four levels. All can be loud and clear enough to fill a school hall.
6. P+G Roller II (12). Extra features, switch access and a lower price!
7. P+G Roller Plus (5). Fully featured version for maximum inclusion.
8. BIGmack (4). The ever popular single message device from AbleNet.
9. Big Keys LX (8). Excellent, large, inch square, keys. Easy to see what you are typing.
10. VariTech Trolley computer table (15). The container loads we are sending to America are certainly boosting sales.

11. AbleNet Powerlink (6). Join in the activity by switching mains power devices on and off.
12. SwitchBoard (9). The simplest way to connect switches to a PC.
13. GoTalk (new entry). Low price but portable and durable speech output device.
14. PC Keyboards and Guard (18). Snap-on metal keyguards supplied with replacement keyboard.
15. AbleLink Communicators (13). A great range of versatile speech output message devices.
16. Inclusive KidTRAC (11). Study mouse alternative. Switch access made easy.
17. AbleNet Medium Switch (16). The original "JellyBean" and our top selling switch.
18. SwITchBox (17). Versatile and affordable way of connecting switch to the PS2 port. Watch out for the USB version.
19. Maxess Resources (20). Simple Velcro friendly switch mountings and trays.
20. Oh dear! AbleNet's Big Switch (joint 20) and P+G's Variable Pressure Switch (joint 20) in an almost dead heat again. Last time P+G had a slight edge: this time AbleNet are just in front.

Almost there!

21. Y-Mouse. Connect both a mouse and Penny & Giles Roller or a KidTRACK at the same time. What could be easier!
22. Small Mice. Mice for small and tiny hands. My favourite is a classy short tailed optical mouse for laptops. George gave it to me. I'm using it now.