Morse code is now being harnessed for use in rehabilitation applications of augmentative-alternative communication and assistive technology, including mobility, environmental control and adapted worksite access. In this paper, Morse code is selected as a communication adaptive device for disabled persons who suffer from muscle atrophy, cerebral palsy or other severe handicaps. A stable typing rate is strictly required for Morse code to be effective as a communication tool. This restriction is a major hindrance. Therefore, a switch adaptive automatic recognition method with a high recognition rate is needed. The proposed system combines counter-propagation networks with a variable degree variable step size LMS algorithm. It is divided into five stages: space recognition, tone recognition, learning process, adaptive processing, and character recognition. Statistical analyses demonstrated that the proposed method elicited a better recognition rate in comparison to alternative methods in the literature.