ICT and a Person with Special Needs Because of the flexibility and the complexity of modern computer systems, the technology lends itself well to adapt to people with special needs. All of the benefits that most people without special needs gain, can also be made available to those people with special needs. For instance, voice recognition systems built into the Microsoft software allow people with vision impairment to dictate emails and letters via a microphone to applications such as Word. This in turn means that they can keep in close communication with friends and family. This is of obvious benefit to them as their mobility is likely to be more restricted that a normally sighted person. On the internet there are programs that will read articles and news items via the speakers to the user. This gives huge access to people with visual impairment to information that they otherwise would not have had. We, as a class, compiled a bundle of questions and gave them to our teacher to ask Mrs. X (a young blind lady who does not want to be named because she is embarrassed). This lady lives alone in a small village outside Uckfield and depends on friends, family, social services and the goodwill of others around her to help her with her daily routine. She does not want to rely on the goodwill of charities. Some friends, that are able, and social workers, visit Mrs. X in her home to do things that she cannot do, such as the shopping. They also give her lifts to wherever she may need to go. Her friends, family and social workers visit her at home regularly to give her company and read for her and help her with any household chores. Without this support she would struggle to live independently. She receives good benefits, such as, free internet access, some of the latest technologies, all free from the Government, a sheltered home with CCTV cameras to ensure her safety.
Susie works as an 8th grade science teacher in a title one school in San Antonio. She teaches co-teach classes which means she works with the students who are intellectually below average and need the extra assistance and extra push. With her, she has another certified teacher, Jenny, who aids her in the classroom. My mom, aside from her co-teacher, has a teaching partner that works in the same department as her, and they coordinate lesson plans and teaching principles. Dennis, her teaching partner, is a diligent worker and helps with preparing power points for him and my mom to utilize. My mom however, has struggled with the lack of assistance in her classroom ever since Jenny became her co-teacher in 2013. Jenny is Dennis’ wife. The ethical
Child A is a 12 year old boy in Grade 7 with a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, which is an autistic spectrum disorder, according to the criteria given in DSM IV (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). These criteria include impairment in social interaction; repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour; significant impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning; no clinically significant delay in language of cognitive development. It should be noted that DSM IV has now been superseded by DSM V which has removed Asperger’s as a specific diagnosis and incorporated it into autistic spectrum disorders (APA, 2013); however, many professionals disagree with this and continue to make use of DSM IV when diagnosing autistic spectrum disorders (Wing, Gould, & Gillberg, 2011).
My purpose for this paper is to find and list web sites that will assist teachers who are teaching "special needs" students. As more "special needs" students are entering the classroom, teachers need more and better information on teaching them. The purpose of this paper will be to enable teachers access to information about teaching these students in the field of Geography. It is my endeavor to create a list that will span most grades that will be helpful to both new and experienced teachers.
Adults with Learning Disabilities The field has not quite reached consensus on definitions of LD, and there are professionals as well as members of the public who do not understand them or believe they exist. For example, in a Roper (1995) survey of 1,200 adults, 85% associated LD with mental retardation, 66% with deafness, and 60% with blindness. In Rocco's (1997) research, faculty "questioned the existence of certain conditions or if they existed, the appropriateness of classifying the condition as a disability" (p. 158). However, most definitions describe learning disabilities as a group of disorders that affect the ability to acquire and use listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or math skills (Gerber and Reiff 1994; National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center 1995a; National Center for Learning Disabilities 1997).
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.
The number of children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) in England is over 1.2 million with over 230,000 having statements or education, health and care plans, a number which has continued to rise over the years (Department for education, 2016). Described by the department for education (2014, p.7) as “Children and young people with SEN all have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn…”. Within this assignment I intend to outline the provision made for a SEN child in my attachment, which will be referred to as Child A.
By law, public school systems are responsible for providing each and every student with a disability with a free and appropriate public education. When IDEA was passed, increased emphasis was placed on where and when students with disabilities were educated. Because of this, the focus became access to classrooms and assistive technology was emphasized. AT has a very important role in the educational world. It is used constantly in special education and throughout the IEP process to assist and benefit students with disabilities
In a society where it is increasingly common for the perpetrators of violent crimes to cite their favorite movie or song lyrics as the inspiration behind their actions, one has to wonder - are pop culture audiences so mindlessly impressionable that they become victim to any or all media suggestion? Does pop culture have as large an affect on morality as the critics claim, and are current attempts to police pop culture necessary? Not really, says Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason magazine and author of the article "View Masters": "What is on the screen or on the stereo is not irrelevant, of course. But it matters far less than one might suppose."
With the internet being a vast source of information, it’s really easy to think that you can find everything you need all at one place. We have search engines on the web like “Google” and “Bing” that are filled with links that can take you to any website that have the information you’re looking for. Without knowing how to properly research on the internet, kids might mistake articles on the internet to be factual when it might not be fully relatable to what they are looking for. They might even stumble upon articles that don’t even apply to what they are actually looking for. There’s a lot of websites on the internet that may seem to have accurate information, their credibility doesn’t shine through so brightly. Wikipedia is a good example of an unaccredited website. Despite the fact that it is an encyclopedia with immense amount of information, all of it might not be at utmost true. Wikipedia is a website that is open for everyone to alter information and could risk of using any sort of information as factual. Kids might mistake it for a good resource, but might not know it so. Children should learn to not only use the internet as a source but use other sources such as an encyclopedia or a newspaper. If a child is working on a research paper, what if they didn’t have access to a computer? How would they continue to find information along the way? Learning how to research before turning to the internet for help is the best option and later they can learn to use the internet accurately.
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 ...
Born in the eighties, I entered a world of big hair and bad style. In the technological realm there were tape players, VCR’s, and fresh on the market: personal computers. Apple was domination the computer scene with their introduction of the Lisa computer. But not for long, soon computer technology would jump to unimaginable heights. As I grew up the technology around me would continue to grow and advance – quite rapidly I might add.
Almost every child between the ages of eight and twelve are getting cell phones. The average home in America has as many televisions as they do people. Only 20% of American homes do not have a computer. Technology is quickly becoming a new way of life. The amount of time people are on their devices is growing rapidly. According to The Huffington Post, people are on their devices for on average about eleven hours and fifty-two minutes a day. That is almost half a day and a lot longer than most people sleep or work. People have not realized yet how they or their families are being affected by this constant use of technology. As a result of technology increasing, children are experiencing health problems, school issues, and social problems.
How can ICT support the learning of children with special educational needs? ICT can support the learning of children with special educational needs [SEN]. It enables children with SEN to overcome barriers to learning by providing alternative or additional methods of communicating within the learning process. Moreover, it also helps teachers to create a supportive framework, which can enable autonomous learning. When used creatively, ICT can enrich and enhance teaching, motivating pupils and engaging them in active learning.
U.S. Department of Education, (2014). Welcome to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP’s) IDEA website. Retrieved on January 12, 2014, from U.S. Department of Education: http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home
Education is a profession which requires a teacher to be able to communicate with a multitude of students on a variety of levels. There is not a class, or student for that matter, that is identical. Therefore, teachers must be able to identify and help educate students from all different types of backgrounds and at different levels. Teaching a singular subject presents difficulties, but teaching students with disabilities should not be one. There are three main teaching areas that need to be focused on when teaching a student with a learning disability. Teachers need to focus on the strategies that will assist students with reading comprehension skills, writing skills, and maintaining appropriate behaviors in a classroom setting.