Using%20Assistive%20Technology%20to%20Teach%20Students%20with%20Learning%20Disabilities

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Using Assistive Technology to Teach Students with
Learning Disabilities

• By Alexis Schoen
• Educ. 509 Computers in Elementary Education
• Lexiann7_at_aol.com
• Holy Family University
• Summer II 2003
• June 28th, 2003

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Contents

• Issues with Learning Disabilities
• Government Implications
• Overview
• Language Arts and Assistive Technology
• AlphaSmart
• Story on CD-ROMS
• Math and Assistive Technology
• Considerations
• Closing

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Issues with Learning Disabilities

• academic weaknesses in reading, the writing
  process, and mathematics
• difficulty with communication procedures, such
  as, handwriting, spelling, organizational skills,
  and quality of writing
• need clear, concise, and varied instruction

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Government Implications

• Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
• Federal Register Chapter 34 300-346 (a) (2) (v)
  states that, "The IEP Team also shall Consider
  whether the child requires assistive technology
  devices and services."
• P.L. 101-476, Section 1401 (a) (25), defines
  assistive technology devices as "any piece of
  equipment, or product system, whether acquired
  commercially off the shelf, modified, or
  customized, that is used to increase, maintain,
  or improve functional capabilities of children
  with disabilities."

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Overview

• provide students with diverse learning styles a
  chance to learn to their fullest potential
• Increase in inclusion classrooms, which equals
  various abilities
• accommodations to assist students to succeed in
  subject areas.

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Overview continued

• Rena (1998), offers two purposes to the use of
  assistive technology. First, it can augment an
  individuals strengths so that his or her
  abilities counterbalance the effects of any
  disabilities. Second, technology can provide an
  alternate mode of performing a task so that
  disabilities are compensated for or bypassed
  entirely.

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Language Arts Assistive Technology

• spell checkers
• speech synthesis (PowerSecretary)
• word banks (Kid Works 2, My Words )
• grammar checkers (Write This Way)
• prompting (Writers Helper )
• webbing (Inspiration , Kidspiration)

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AlphaSmarthttp//www.alphasmart.com/

• simple, portable (Weighing less than 2 lbs ), low
  cost (_at_ 200) computer companion with
  extraordinary battery life (700 hours on 3 AA
  alkaline batteries).
• allows you to enter and edit text, then send it
  to any computer for formatting or directly to a
  printer
• designed so that students don't get caught up in
  the complexities of a computer

Click for Demonstration
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Story on CD-ROM

• Living Books from Broderbund
• animated
• child directs the action with a mouse click
• younger children can choose the Read-to-Me mode
• Discis Books from Discis Knowledge Research Inc.
• lesson guide introduce a variety of vocabulary,
  word analysis, and comprehension skills

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Math Assistive Technology

• focus should be placed on programs, which provide
  auditory cues or sound, in addition to visual
  instructions
• textbooks are available on CD-ROMs
• textbook publishers sometimes offer video taped
  lessons

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Considerations

• interactive programs available can be more
  distracting than engaging, so monitor graphics
  and complexity
• typing instructions needed, which takes time
• Downfalls to spell and grammar checkers
  (Homonyms)
• symbols and graphs are not recognized by optical
  character recognition

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Closing

• For teachers of students with learning
  disabilities assistive technology can be a
  wonderful addition to everyday lessons.
  Unfortunately, "Among the more than 10,000
  instructional software programs now on the
  market, it is safe to say that not more than a
  handful are programs especially designed to meet
  the needs of individuals with learning
  disabilities.(Rena)"