Computers and educational technology can be powerful tools for assisting children with special needs and disabilities. Computers can help children with attention deficit disorders focus more effectively on their learning tasks and can also assist autistic children by improving their communications and interactions with peers as they use computers together. This topic became very important to me when my cousin was born deaf. He is only three now but the assistive technology that awaits him during his educational career are very promising. Assistive technology includes adaptive tools that help students with disabilities to learn and perform tasks better in their daily life (Kauchak, Eggen, Carter, page 390). Adaptations to computers …show more content…
These speech recognition computers can be invaluable to students who have physical disabilities that affect their hand and finger movements. Special Braille printers can also be used to convert a text document into a understandable form of communication for a student so that they can understand the assignment or be able to take a test in their own classroom with out having to leave to take their test in the Special Education classroom. I feel these technological advances are very important to the future of education and to all the special needs children of today and tomorrow. With equipment such as these, special needs children can stay in their classrooms, all day with their classmates and take advantage of a normal childhood instead of being pulled out of class, segregated from the "normal" children and having to go to the "special" children's classroom where they miss out on valuable educational and social interaction with their peers.
The Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act, passed in 1988, (Henniger, Michael L., page 438) ensures that all children with special needs and their families have access to technological resources. Henniger identifies two important reasons for the importance of this law:
"Children with special needs spend more time on instructionaltasks and have improved self
One important benefit of implementing the use of technology in the classroom for students with
It is necessary for teachers and IEP committees to consider assistive technology for students with disabilities because AT offers many different benefits to students. AT can be used to assist students with communication deficits, assist students in completing assigned daily tasks, as well as assisting students in accessing materials and navigating the classroom. Assistive technology allows students to meet their goals academically and it allows students to access and
An assistive technology device can be an item, software system, or piece of equipment used to increase, improve, or maintain the functional capabilities of a student with disabilities. It can help a person with a disability complete tasks they need to perform on a daily basis. Assistive technology services serve to directly assist students with disabilities in the selection or use of an assistive technology device. For some students with disabilities, assistive technology is important because they would not be able to benefit form their educational program. Assistive technology is a part of the Individualized Education Plan for each student. The educational team for the student must ask if there is a device that will improve their functional capabilities. If the educational team discovers that the child could benefit from a device that fits that description, the school district is required to provide the service along with training to use the device (Lewis, 1998).
Illinois Legal Aid. (2002, November). Retrieved from Disabilities Guidebook: Technology-Related Assistance for People with Disabilities: http://www.illinoislegalaid.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.dsp_content&contentid=205
He focuses on how technology is supposed to significantly impact a student’s performance and completely forgets to mention how important technology may be for someone who cannot learn well without responsive instruction; for example, technology in the classroom can be beneficial to students that are physically or mentally impaired. On the contrary, the article ‘Technology and Literacy for Adolescents with disabilities’ describes how technology “can be universally beneficial for all students as a vehicle for learner engagement or conveyance of instructional content, and it can also promote participation, learning, and performance by students with disabilities”(King-Sears, Swanson, Mainzer, 569). The article then illustrates an example of how technology can specifically facilitate classroom learning by stating “For example, an electronic picture board with voice output might be considered assistive technology for a student whose disability included significant oral language deficits” (King-Sears, Swanson, Mainzer, 569). In this sense, technology does have a significant role in students’ life, not only making it important, but necessary. Also as mentioned above, the performance of these students have been affected in a significant way. Throughout the article, they describe how these new assistive technologies have changed the two specific students, Brian and Michelle. Brian has dysgraphia which prevents him from being able to transfer his thoughts onto paper and Michelle has Asperger’s Syndrome, which gives Michelle “genius-level intelligence” (King-Sears et al.). The technologically advanced tools that they have both been given are not only specialized to assist them, but also help them do tasks that
In this artifact, I researched for alternative technological tool(see Assistive technology.doc) for students with disabilities to represent how technology could be a great assistance for them. This assignment represents how technology could be used by all students no matter what they need. Therefore, in this assignment, I looked for tools and ways to implement access to technology resources for students who have neuromuscular difficulties, and/or difficulties of counting with her finger to show that there are varieties of technological tool for all the needs.
The world is constantly changing and evolving. Yet mankind does not like change. Many people resist it for as long as possible. One of the biggest changes in the past few decades has been the development of the Internet. With the Internet came a plethora of different advancements in how we communicate with each other. There have been so many recently with everything from e-mail to Facebook; it is difficult to keep up. Which is why some people don’t bother. Technology has endless possibilities especially when it comes to education. It can allow us to communicate in new and more effective ways to reach students who may have had trouble in the past due to disabilities. Technology should be integrated into the classroom to help students with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) because technology allows them to learn more.
Assistive Technology: using devises whether they are electronic or not, to aid a child with disabilities to learn more efficiently. Examples: hearing aids, recorders, computers, etc.
An assessment may be conducted by either the school, independent agency, or an individual consultant, and should include not only the person’s weaknesses, but also their strengths. Once a device is selected, then the user and people involved his or her life should receive training on how to use the device. Maintenance, repair, and replacement are other issues to keep in mind. Assistive technology is aimed at providing people with disabilities the devices they may need,
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,
Behaviorally, students have a strong need for routines, develop an obsessive attachment to unusual object, such as rubber bands, have repetitive body motions, such as hand flapping, and are constantly in motion (Hutman 4). Children with ASDs also display many sensory problems, emotional difficulties, and delayed cognitive abilities (Hutman 5). These symptoms and difficulties affect the child’s development and learning (Jurgens 1). Children who are nonverbal do not develop social skills, while others may be delayed cognitively, have physical impairments, or have specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia. Despite these issues, assistive technology (AT) is available to children to help them learn in the classroom. ATs are “defined as any device, piece of equipment or system that helps bypass, work around or compensate for an individual’s specific learning deficits (Stanberry 2). Ultimately, children diagnosed with ASDs have many technological resources to assist their learning in the classroom despite their listening and attention, mathematical, organization, reading, writing, and verbal communication
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.
Speech and language disorders, as with any learning disability, can cause embarrassment and social hindrance for students along with the educational setbacks. Unfortunately there is yet to be a cure discovered, but luckily there are many ways in which individuals with learning disabilities can seek treatment and aide. For example a child could receive therapy from a speech pathologist to help them articulate more clearly. There is also assistive technology available for all types of disorders. Assistive technology can help motivate students to overcome the barriers in learning that they face by compensating in the area that they lack. When choosing which type of device that a student should use, it is very important that it is one that will accommodate to the specific disability of the student (Fleming, 1999). For individuals with speech and language disorders, either an electronic communication device or a personal FM listening system would be appropriate. An electronic communication device allows one to type their ideas into a machine so they
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)