Assistive Technology In Special Education

This article focuses on the many forms of technology in relation to special education. The article discusses the “high” and “low” forms of technology that is available for students with special needs to help “bypass” or “compensate” for their disabilities. The article goes on to survey the current status of assistive technology for the special education population. In the end, the article uncovers that the use of assistive technology for the special education population is promising though uncertain. Assistive technology has proven to be beneficial for students with learning disabilities, as it would empower them to work beyond their normal capabilities (Lewis, 1998).

In the Overview of Assistive Technology and Implementation Video by Margina Busby, she gives a lecture on what assistive technology is and how it can be used in the classroom. I learned that assistive technology is “any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized that is used to increase, maintain, or improve capabilities of individuals with disabilities.” Some examples of assisted technology are calculators, pencil grips, pocket dictionaries, communication systems (with or without voice output), adapted textbooks, and modified utensils. It is interesting to see all of the different forms of assistive technology that can be used in the classroom. I am currently taking a class

We can utilize iPads or tablets and provide students with fun educational games. They can also utilize computers for several activities. Technology also offers exceptional methods to assess children. When we observe a child at the computer it provides us with a “window into a child’s thinking process” (Weir et al. 1982). Technology in some cases can mean that a child can talk through a special device that helps him/her communicate such as an Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device. A device as such is known as an Assistive Technology device. Assistive Technology devices are used to help individuals with special needs in life. “Integrated curriculum allows students to employ technology in ways that enhance learning” (Jackson, 2009). A SMART board can also be classified as an assistive technology device because it magnifies the information that teachers are showing to students. “As technology becomes increasingly infused in instruction for the general student population, the options for curriculum access, participation and progress increase for students with disabilities” (Jackson, 2009). When it comes to students who speak a different language, they can utilize a translator to help them translate from their language into English and vice versa. Technology can fit into a developmentally appropriate program because students can do age appropriate work such as educational games and assignments. Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is “a framework of principles and guidelines for best practice in the care and education of young children, birth through age 8” (Helm, 2008). Technology can fit into a DAP because students learn at their own level. Play is an important vehicle for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, as well as a reflection of their development. Understanding that children are active constructors of

This week we read about the history of assistive technology and assistive technology. In addition, we read about the reauthorization of IDEA 1997 and how it changed the individual educational plan (IEP) by requiring that IEP teams consider assistive technology for all students with IEPs. (Grand Canyon University, n.d. Lecture 1) Initially, I thought that I had limited experience with assistive technology. It became clear to me this week through the readings, that many accommodations and methods I have used in the classroom, are actually a form of assistive technology. I am speaking of the low- tech tools, for examples, pencil grips, paper holders, sticky notes and reading guide to name a few. (Dell, Newton, Petroff, 2012, p.6.) In addition,

Students with intellectual disabilities present a distinctive educational challenge and need assistance achieving their academic needs (Luckasson & Schalock, 2013). To support students to meet their academic needs, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires each student with an intellectual disability to have an individualized education program (Gartin & Murdick, 2005). During this development, the individualized education program (IEP) team must consider assistive technology (AT) during the drafting of each student’s IEP. Assistive technology in special education services is identified as a potential effective intervention strategy to aid students to achieve their educational goals and objectives (Bouck, Flanagan, Miller,

The use of technology in educating children with special needs has widely grown in the past few decades, and has since has changed the way people with disabilities live, work, and learn” (Winzer, 2002, p. 98). Individuals with special needs are unique and all have different areas in which they need assistance. Due to the advancements in assistive technology, computer programs, software, and other technology tools, have helped people to find useful and easier ways to become educated.

In 1984 five clinicians from North Shore Children’s Hospital in Salem, MA founded the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). They met in a local pizza parlor and conceived the idea to “explore ways of using new technologies to provide better educational experiences to students with disabilities.” They were given an anonymous grant of $15,000 to get started and CAST began to focus on how technology could enhance the learning experiences for students with disabilities (CAST Timeline 2015). Today UDL is being applied in classrooms other learning environments to better accommodate the learning styles of all students. UDL is a powerful and flexible form of curricula, which is designed to embrace and enhance the natural variability of learners (Glass, Meyer, Rose 2013).

In early education schools did not acquire assistive technology and special training for teachers. Education systems are affected because they do not acquire enough training to help disabled children to learn. Assistive technology has helped children to build up social skills by allowing them to learn by using assistive devices. Assistive technology has become a great resource in schools because students were allowed to engage in activities .The author explains the use of physical and cognitive increases the development of social skills and knowledge. Physical access helps children by using devices in order to communicate with others and hard time writing. Cognitive access helps students visualize when they do not understand

Assistive technology (AT) have become a vital component of the educational programs of students with disabilities. In which, is widely accepted that adopted toys, switches, computers, amplification systems, wheel chairs, memory aids,

Assistive Technology is a term used to describe any method or methods that facilitates communication that can help people who are unable to communicate using any one or more modalities. These devices include both unaided and aided systems like signing and gestures do not require special material or equipment. Aided systems on the other hand employ such items such as special computers, use picture charts, books, and other materials AAC methods may vary and may be personalized to meet the needs of these individuals many forms of AC including assistive technology component that range from high to low tech strategies we also referred items systems and equipments which have been customized in keeping or improving

Assistive technology (AT) can help bridge the gap between children with disabilities and an inclusive education classroom experience. AT can make a lot of tasks that are deemed impossible for a child with a disability possible. Overall, this article assesses the different needs and concepts within AT. The article looks at very valid and crucial considerations, which must be considered when identifying the appropriate AT for a child with a disability. Some of these considerations include the child’s strengths and weaknesses, the different types of ATs that are available, the ease of use of the AT device, whether the type of AT matches the child’s needs and preference, and training and maintenance cost of the AT. In order to be able to competently make these considerations, the teachers and professionals around the child must be

Though students will be able to communicate using their devices, they must still be able to physically be present to participate and contribute to classroom activities as well. The use of wheelchairs and walkers are already sound Assistive Technology devices that would allow students with disabilities mobility. However, devices in this case are not enough to support a student with disabilities inside of a classroom. The classroom itself must also be structured in a way that supports an Assistive Technological driven class.

To support receptive language development, AT often takes the form of picture schedules to assist children with a variety of daily routines and activities (Cardon, Wilcox, & Campbell, 2011). In addition to the low-tech picture systems, research also indicates that high-tech voice output devices have been used to help children with autism between the ages of three and five years request food, help, and gain access to preferred activities (Cardon, Wilcox, & Campbell, 2011). Assistive Technology (AT) can address the specific needs of ASD children with speech difficulties, little social interaction, and poor motor skills. AT can enable them to experience more independent living. AT can be defined as specialized tools that allow those with a disability to independently and fully participate in schools (Ennis-Cole et al., 2011). Assistive Technology includes, but is not limited, to both “non-technical auxiliary aids, mechanical and electrical devices, computer software, simulations, virtual reality, and augmentative and alternative communication devices. These technologies can help a child with a disorder, such as ASD, accomplish a task that is otherwise extremely difficult or impossible without these tools (Ennis-Cole et al.,

The use of technology in educating children with special needs has widely grown in the past few decades. Individuals with special needs are unique and all have different areas in which they need assistance. Due to the advancements in assistive technology, computer programs, software, and other technology tools, it has become much easier for people to find useful and easier ways to become educated. Because of this, “technology has changed the way people with disabilities live, work, and learn.” (Winzer,98)

Technology has always influenced education, even when the most advanced technology available was a chalkboard. “In the early 1800s, a technological invention was introduced to classrooms that would prove to have a profound impact on teaching….What was this technological wonder? The chalkboard![1]” Now, more than 200 years later, technology is still finding it’s way into the classroom, but in more modern ways. Some of ways that technology enhances today’s classrooms are through the appropriation of grant money to fund further research on technology in the classroom, the use of technology to increase civic awareness and through the use of Assistive Technology in helping the disabled.