The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge and awareness about school age students with learning disorders and autism; and to provide classroom teachers with ideas for modifications and accommodations in order to optimize daily writing requirements. Assistive technology allows for greater independence by allowing people to perform tasks they were once able to do, or have great difficulty accomplishing. IDEA 2004 defines assistive technology as any item, piece of equipment, or specific product that can be obtained commercially, modified, or customized, in order to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability. This paper will focus on assistive technology tools to enable students to overcome specific …show more content…
The following are examples of low, mid, and high tech assistive technology devices that can help this student to complete this reading/writing assignment. Low-Tech Supports Low-tech adaptations use no electronic components and are relatively low-cost items that don’t require much training since they do not have complex or mechanical features. She will be given pictures (six for this assignment) with corresponding words on velcro to attach to worksheet (with assistance from teacher or teaching assistant). Then using magnetic letters, she will form the word, and finally using a fat pencil, or pencil grip, trace over the pre-written, dotted line word. This systematic instruction in phonemic awareness will be beneficial to her, since she lacks this understanding. The handwriting problems can also be addressed by developing her fine motor skills with pre-writing stroke worksheets, and use of an alternative pencil. (She will also be seeing the occupational therapist.) Mid-Tech …show more content…
As we enter the field of special education, we have recognized the importance of assistive technology for students. It is up to the educational team to inquire if there is a device that will “increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities” of that child. For children with disabilities in the classroom, assistive technologies are their tools to extend their physical, social, and communication abilities. The majority of students with disabilities are capable of participating in the general education to varying degrees with some adaptations and modifications. More importantly, AT provides the means for academic inclusion. Technology innovations will be constantly changing the ways teachers teach and children learn. We, as teachers, must act as the liaison to link the student with the proper assistive technology device(s) to enable the students to succeed in the academic
In this paper I will discuss two different case studies. The first case study involves a 35-month old girl named Kim who struggles with meal time, potty training, and play time with others. I will discuss four assistive technology devices, that would work for Kim. These devices will assist Kim with balance, mobility and undressing. The second case study involves a school age child name Billy, who struggles with benchmark objectives. Billy is in the fourth grade and use Assistive technology devices reading and math. I will discuss different AT devices that can be used to assist Billy with reading and math.
With over 25 years in the field of special education Dr. Friedlander brings a unique perspective to the field of assistive technology. Through the lens of a Licensed and Certified School Psychologist, Dr. Friedlander has worked with many children who present with learning differences who have benefited from the use of assistive technology. Dr. Friedlander is presently an Associate Professor of Education at the College of St. Elizabeth where he teaches graduate level courses in assistive technology and coordinates the Graduate Programs in Special Education. Dr. Friedlander has authored numerous books, videos and informational material pertaining to the use of assistive technology in the classroom. Dr. Friedlander is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences on the topic of assistive technology and eLearning.
Student, environment, task, and assistive technology tools (SETT) consist of several questions that serve as a guide for collecting data and making important assistive technology decisions” (Barbara, n.d.). The purpose of these questions is for the IEP team to “consider the student’s needs and abilities, develop a system of tools that address the student’s needs, and connect the AT assessment with the proposed intervention.” (Marino, 2006, p. 21). When asking these questions it’s important to focus on all aspects of “SETT”: the student, the environment, the task, and the devices being used. The ultimate goal is to have a balance between all four areas (Marino, 2006).
Van Hees, V., Moyson, T., & Roeyers, H. (n.d). Higher Education Experiences of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Challenges, Benefits and Support Needs. Journal Of Autism And Developmental Disorders, 45(6), 1673-1688.
Choosing an assistive technology can be prove to be an expensive and time consuming task for all parties, therefore it is important that the technology will be provided to those students that will require them and to those that will actually use them. (Hemmingsson, Lidstrom & Nygard, 2009). Therefore teachers must be provided with support for factors such as evaluations, selecting and purchasing and designing and customising the technology. (Sharpe, 2010). Schools can fund the assistive technologies but they must consider funding the human factor by providing ongoing training and technical assistance to the teacher, staff, student and their families. (Lahm, Bausch, Sarpe & Hasselbring as cited in Sharpe 2010). According to Sharpe (2010), deciding on an assistive technology should be based on data collection of students abilities, breakdown of learning activities, learning style, the environment in which the assistive technology will be used, Individualised Education Plan (IEP) goals and objectives and the level of technology acceptance. This involves having the support and consultation with not only the school, staff and parents but also outside agencies like occupational therapists, who need to co-operate with schools to ensure that the choice of assistive technology is integrated into the classroom to increase
... read aloud, dictation to scribe, assistive devices, marks in book, braille/braille writer, magnification device, computer/word processor, testing in separate room, and large print.
There are many “tools” that could be considered for a student who has trouble listening and understanding instructions. Sometimes, just an adjustment of where the child sits fixes the problem or eliminates the barrier. Other times, assistive technology is needed. Today, the options for assistive technology are endless. In Samanthas case there were many options of assistive technology I could provide her with to help her be successful in the classroom.
Beginners who could not decode new words but would invent partial sound spellings were assigned randomly to three groups. A mouth treatment group was trained to position pictures to depict the order of articulatory gestures in words. An ear treatment group was taught to position blocks to represent the order of sounds in words. No special instructions were given to a no-treatment control group. The results demonstrated that the two techniques of phonemic awareness instruction were valuable in teaching phonemic segmentation and in improving participant’s ability to spell the sounds in words despite the fact that letters were not used during the activity. On the other hand, only articulatory instruction improved processes improved participants reading ability. The findings show that that awareness of articulatory gestures enhances the activation of graphophonemic connections that aid children to identify written words. Instructors can begin with Elkonin boxes lesson and have children to stretch a few words out into their different sounds. Elkonin boxes have a positive effect on early elementary grades as they aid children in building their phonological awareness by subdividing words into separate sounds or syllables. They help students know how to count the number of phonemes in a
Learning disabilities are very common among students in today’s society. Some students have specific needs that must be met in order for them to learn, while other students are not getting the help that they need to succeed in the classroom. Reading disabilities, related to the disability of dyslexia (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2014), can be met with certain assistive technology that can make learning to read easier for the students. A type of assistive technology that helps reading disabilities is an audio book that allows students to hear the book read to them with the option of following along (Raskind & Stanberry, 2010). Audio books allow the students to focus on the purpose of the book; rather than struggling to read the book and focus on what the book is trying to explain. Since this type of assistive technology reads out loud to the students, it can guide them to learn how to read certain words correctly and how to grasp the concepts of the book easier. A specific type of an audio book source is Audible (Raskind & Stanberry, 2010), which allows the user to download and auto book on to a “smartphone, tablet, or desktop” (Audible Inc., 2014, p. 1). This source benefits students because they can listen to book in a classroom setting or they can listen to the book at home, especially when writing a book report.
The student must also focus on self- monitoring their reading. The student often substitutes words that look like each other and have the same beginning sound, but the word usually does not fit the sentence. The student’s errors are mostly visual and some syntax. It seems like the student has a problem with nouns, often getting names of people and things wrong. The strategies I will provide for this student is teaching the student how to make sense of what he has read. Providing phonetic exercises will help the student decode, pronounce, and even be able to spell new words. The student needs to ask himself and check to see if the sentence sounds and looks right. I will also teach the student to slow down and use pictures to guide his reading. Using pictures will allow him to make sense of words that are nouns. As he reads me a story and substitutes a word, I will stop him and ask him does the sentence make any sense. Then, I will advise him to use the picture, try to make sense of it and reread the sentence. Overall, the student struggles mostly with visual in reading. If the student practices the processes of decoding and blending words routinely his brain will form subconscious letter patterns and sounds in each word. Although, practice will allow him to subconsciously develop the skills necessary to solve his reading struggle, I will encourage self-monitoring, therefore, he is still aware of his mistakes that way he makes it a habit while reading to constantly ask himself does this make
Pennington, Robert C., Melinda Jones Ault, John W. Schuster, Ann Sanders. “Using Simultaneous Prompting and Computer-Assisted Instruction to Teach Story Writing to Students with Autism.” Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits 7.1 (2010):24-38. ProQuest. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
Assistive technology is often used by individuals with a learning disability. A learning disability “describes a neurobiological disorder in which a person’s brain works or is structured differently” (Lee1). A person’s abilities can be severely affected from a learning disability. They may listen differently, talk differently, write, spell, organize, and work with school subjects in a different way. Learning disabilities also affect people’s individual and personal lives to a great extent. According to the National Institutes of Health, one in seven children has a learning disability. The disability manifests itself when the child shows difficulty in reading, writing, spelling, and conversing with others. The added time they need to process information may make them seem less intelligent then others around them, but this is not the case. Individuals with learning disabilities are just as smart as anyone else; they just need to learn in a different way. The earlier a learning disability is noticed and detected, the earlier a child may be able to learn how to deal with or compensate for it (Lee 1). This is where assistive technology comes into play.
Assistive Technology or “AT” is a term used in this context to describe an item or technique used to make the navigation of a home, school or play environment more accessible for a child with special needs (Lowenthal & Egan, 2003). This paper is written to explore some of the assistive technology (AT) options available to serve two children with special needs in separate circumstances. Low, mid and high tech options will be addressed with regards to the specific needs and intentions of the parents and teachers in each child’s life. Attached is a table offering options for assistive technology in the classroom to support the educational goals of each child.The first case study addressed in this paper is Savannah, a three-year old student who is wheelchair bound. She has a seizure disorder and has been diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy. She has limited vision but seems to be able to recognize items presented to her such as shapes and colors. Savannah participates in “social” language. She loves music and cause/effect activities. She knows all of her colors and shapes, is able to recite the alphabet by rote. In written word, Savannah recognizes both her name and those of her classmates. Savannah’s parents have expressed a desire to have her placed in a more restrictive classroom, and her teacher is interested in working more to support Savannah in the areas of writing and organizational skills. Some assistive technology suggestions for use in supporting Savannah are discussed below. Because Savannah’s teacher is working on encouraging Savannah in the area of writing, assistive technology options to support this area of development will be discussed herein. A low-tech ...
... CLD info sheets: assistive technology. Council for Learning Disabilities. Retrieved on April 24, 2005, from http://www.cldinternational.org/c/@CS_yKIo7l8ozY/Pages/assistive.html
Bowser and Reed [1995] as cited by Bryant et al [1998] argue that as a child progresses through the Education System, their requirements change and this may necessitate a need for different devices. This is not limited to those children with a physical disability but is relevant to all children with SEN as they progress and the Education System places additional burdens upon them. For children with a visual impairment ICT can provide support in various ways; tools to support communication, to improve access to information and as a means of producing learning materials in alternative. There is a wide range of devices and software, which can