Special Students with Special Needs

By: Benard Goins

Objectives

• Define Assistive Technology• Assistive Technology And Its Benefits• Individualized Education Plan (IEPs)• Issues & Solutions

Assistive Technology ???

• Assistive Technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitates device for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using.

• AT prompts greater independence by enabling people to perform task that they were formally unable to accomplish, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such task.

• My definition: Any technology used to assist students with disabilities.

Assistive Technology And Its Benefits

• Assistive technologies help create solutions that enables students with disabilities to be more independent, productive and feel included in the classroom and community.

• Provides increased self-motivation• Accountability• Expanded learning and life experiences• New opportunities for interactions and

communication.• Relaxed atmosphere, conducive for learning

Individualized Education Plan (IEPs)

• The IEP provides specific goals the team sets for the student during the school year, as well as any special support to help achieve these goals.

• IEPs are free of charge• Allows parents to be involved in the adaptive learning

style.• A child having noticeable difficulty functioning and

has been diagnosed or identified as special needs is an ideal candidate for IEP.

Disability: ADHD

Issues• Inattentive• Hyper-activity• Are easily distracted

Solution• Noise cancelling head phones, during computer activities.• Timers (Alarms) in classroom to help students transition and

limit time on certain activities.• Setup IEP or Break down assignments

Disability: Auditory

Issues• Speech may sound distorted• Does not seem to respond to verbal communication especially

when not directly looking at a persons mouth• Inattentive during lectures.

Solutions• Hearing Aid• Good classroom acoustics are essential• FM Systems (Personal frequency modulation system)

Disability: Reading and Writing

Issues• Dexterity problems• Squinting and limited vision• Disabilities hindering being able to physically write• Limited to no participation in class activities due to disability

Solutions• Make sure books are provided with Large print.• Braille books and software• Talking software (handheld)• Auditory books• Magnifiers

References

Wikipedia: Assistive Technologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technologyKids Health: Individualized Education Planshttp://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/iep.htmlCSUN Edu: Benefits of Assistive Technologyhttp://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/2002/proceedings/16.htmAssistive Technology for ADHDhttp://googleusercontent.net-offer.net/ Hearing Assistive Technology (HATS) for childrenhttp://www.asha.org/public/hearing/hearing-assistive-technology-for-children/ Assistive Technology tool: Readershttp://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/948-reading-tools.gs