Working with Students with Special Needs

Working with Students with Special Needs

Rationale

To assist teachers in working with students that have special needs and technological resources that can enhance students’

educational experiences

Specifically students with the following special needs:

ADHD – Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Auditory Disability

Mild Learning Disability.

Who are the Students?

Hear the voices of those that use technology

Assistive-Technology: Enabling Dreams

http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

As a part of the U. S. Individuals with Disability Education Act, by law schools are required to provide a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment that is appropriate to the individual student’s needs. This means that students who have a disability should have the opportunity for inclusion with non-disabled students to the greatest extent appropriate.

They should have access to the general curriculum, extracurricular activities and any other programs that non-disabled peers would be able to access. The student should be provided with supplementary aids and services necessary to achieve educational goals if placed in a setting with non-disabled peers. Academically, a special resource room may be available within the school for specialized instruction, usually with no more than two hours per day of services for a student with learning disabilities.

If the nature or severity of his or her disability prevent the student from achieving these goals in a regular education setting, then the student would be placed in a more restrictive environment; the less opportunity a student has to interact and learn with non-disabled peers, the more the placement is considered to be restricted.

http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cstatute%2CI%2CD%2C664%2C

ADHD (Attention-deficit/

Hyperactivity Disorder

Characteristics:Symptons of Inattention:• Fails to give close attention to details or make mistakes in schoolwork,

work, or other activities• Difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities• Does not seem to listen when spoken to directly• Does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork,

chores, or duties in workplace (Not due to failure to understand instructions)• Difficulty organizing tasks or activities (toys, school assignments, pencils, books,

or tools)• Loses things necessary for tasks or activities• Avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in task that require sustained mental

effort such as homework or school work

ADHD (Attention-deficit/

Hyperactivity Disorder

Characteristics:Symptons of Hyperactivity:• Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat• Leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated

is expected• Runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate • Often has difficulty playing of engaging in leisure activity quietly.• If often “on the go” or often acts as if “driven by a motor.”• Often talks excessively

ADHD (Attention-deficit/

Hyperactivity Disorder

Characteristics:Symptons of Impulsiveity:

• Blurts out answers before questions have been completed• Difficulty awaiting turns• Interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g. butts into conversations or games)

IDEA Category: OHI (Other Health Impairment)

Auditory Disability

A student may have an auditory disability that fall into the categories below when a special device is required in order to hear

Characteristics:

Moderate hearing loss: The inability to hear sounds below about 50 decibels. A hearing aid may be required.

Severe hearing loss: The inability to hear sounds below about 80 decibels. Hearing aids are useful in some cases, but are inadequate in others. Some individuals with severe hearing loss communicate principally through sign language; others rely on lip-reading techniques.

Mild Learning Disabilities

Students with a mild learning disabilities usually have average or above-average intelligence and almost always demonstrate low academic achievement in one or more areas. In this area specific to reading and writing:

Characteristics:Reading:• Lack skills in phonological awareness and cannot recognize

sound segments spoken• Word recognition errors- may omit, insert, substitute and/or reverse

words. • Difficulty comprehending what they read because of limited ability to

recall or discern basic facts, sequences, and/or themes.

Mild Learning Disabilities(cont’d)

Characteristics

Writing:• Feel overwhelmed by the idea of getting started• Struggle to organize and use the mechanics of writing• Struggle to develop their ideas fluently• Difficulty spelling and constructing written products in a legible fashion• Submit written work that is too brief.• Dysgraphia – Handwriting problems.

Assistive Technology for ADHD

• The Invisible Clock ---the teacher can set the invisible clock for each class period, then give the child breaks, which can help with both the behavioral and attention symptoms.

• PDAs (personal digital assistants) can be helpful. Some PDAs are equipped with voice recognition for recording notes and has an audio feature that can b used as a reminder to complete tasks and keep the student focused.

• Audio Books – can be helpful when the students has problems staying focus on the reading material.

• Computer-Writing Aided Instruction– Writing aids such as voice-recognition technology help turn dictation directly into notes. This assistive technology help students or employees who have difficulty sitting down for long periods of time typing papers or letters.

• http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/74108.aspx#ixzz1FB8aFGjp

Assistive Technology for

Auditory Learners• Personal frequency modulation (FM) systems - Like miniature radio

stations operating on special frequencies. The personal FM system consists of a transmitter microphone used by the speaker (such as the teacher in the classroom, or the speaker at a lecture) and a receiver used by you, the listener. The receiver transmits the sound to your ears or, if you wear a hearing aid, directly to the hearing aid.

• Computerized speech recognition- Allows a computer to change a spoken message into a readable text document such as Talking Word Processing Software- WriteOutLoud (Don Johnston), IntelliTalk (Intelli Tools), Tex-Edi Plus (Trans Tex Software), Read & Write (TextHelp)

• Note taking – Having a speaker in the room while the teachers speaks to take notes. This is for students who are hard of hearing as well as students who are unable to write.

American Speech—Language-Hearing Association – http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Other-Hearing-Assistive-Technology-Systems-Solutions/

Assistive Technology for

Mild Learning Disabilities

Reading and Writing

• Voice Recognition Program - Shows the child his words on the screen. Microsoft XP Speech Recognition (Microsoft), Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred (Nuance Communications , ViaVoice (Nuance Communications)

• Handheld spellcheckers & Dictionaries - Children's Talking Dictionary & Spell Corrector (Franklin), Merriam-Webster Speaking Dictionary & Thesaurus (Franklin), Speaking Language Master (Franklin)

• Electronic Word Identification Aids – WordWeb Dictionary Thesaurus (Word Web Software)

•

The Bright Hubhttp://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/71196.aspx#ixzz1FBHjss7b

Assistive Technologyfor Mild Learning

Disabilities (cont’d)Reading and Writing (cont’d)

• Shortened homework assignments -• One-on-one re-teaching of concepts -• Sitting in the front of the room to reduce distractions• Study guides for tests• Use of an agenda book to record homework assignments• Prompts to remain on task• Condensed vocabulary definitions

Summary

In order for students to receive the best educational opportunities available, teachers must be knowledgeable in comprehensive instructional modifications that can bee made in order to meet each student’s needs.

The resources provided in this presentation hopefully will provide a starting point for your teaching strategies.

References

• ADHD and Assistive Technology- http://www.ehow.com/facts_6320346_technology-adhd.html

• Assistive Listening Devices- http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Hearing-Assistive-Technology/ • Assistive-Technology: Enabling Dreams - http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video• • Background on evaluating students and Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) -

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/iep.html

• Examples of Products - http://www.synapseadaptive.com/edmark/prod/tw/default.htm

• Georgia Project for Assistive Technology - http://www.gpat.org/resources.aspx?PageReq=GPATImp

• Guidelines to choosing Assistive Technology -http://www.ldonline.org/article/8088

References (cont’d)

• Individual with Disability Act- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuals_with_Disabilities_Education_Act#Background

• Overview of Assistive Technology - http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~wilbur/access/assistive.html

• The Bright Hub, Accommodations and Instructional Techniques for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities - http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/71196.aspx#ixzz1FBIi8KFT

• Types of Technology, Assistive Technology for Mild Disabilities - http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/assistive.htm

U. S. Department of Education. (2004, April 23). http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cstatute%2CI%2CD%2C664%2C

• Wikipedia's Definition of Assistive Technology, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology