Carly's Story: A Teenage Girl Trapped Inside Her Own Body

Carly, a 14-year-old non-verbal girl with autism, is a true testament to technology's ability to break down barriers. For the first 11 years of Carly's life, her family, her teachers, and her therapists had no idea what she was thinking or feeling, all they could see was her erratic behavior. Finally, Carly sat down at a computer and began to type-words her therapists say they never spent time teaching her! It was a breakthrough for Carly, her family, and her therapists. Her father says it was like meeting his daughter for the first time. Technology like the IPad and other portable devices such as voice output communication devices enables children like Carly to express themselves. Take a look into Carly's world by clicking here. 

References

"IREADWRITE Tutorial." Text Help, YouTube. Retrieved on 10/22/2014 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34xoYwLNpvw.

"Autism Angel-Carly Fleischmann." YouTube. Retrieved on 10/25/2014 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSloe7_-EtE.

"E-Special Needs." E Special Needs. Retrieved on 10/22/2014 from http://www.especialneeds.com/computer-aids-keyboards.html.

"Module for School Age Children." Tech Matrix. Retrieved on 10/21/2014 from http://techmatrix.org/.

Assistive Technology Devices for the Classroom

I spent some time researching common types of AT used in the classroom to assist students with various types of disabilities. Below is a list of what I found:

WORD PREDICTION SOFTWARE

IREADWRITE by Text Help is a word prediction software for the IPad. This stand alone app can help individuals who have disabilities related to spelling, reading, or typing. After completing the tutorial online, I understand the multitude of customizable options this program has to offer. Everything from the level of word prediction, to the page layout, to the colors used to present the documents is completely customizable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSloe7_-EtE 

TALKING WORD PROCESSOR SOFTWARE

Talking word processor software allows any individual with a disability that prevents them from being able to view read documents easily. Premier Talking Reader offers a variety of programs that can be purchased for as little as $14.99/

VOICE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE

Voice recognition software allows students or individuals who have disabilities such as cerebral palsy or visual impairments/blindness that make typing or hand writing challenging to speak into a device that will translate their speech into an electronic document. Dragon is a popular brand that is commonly found in schools.

SCAN AND READ SOFTWARE

Kurzweil 1000 is a popular scan and read software often used in schools for individuals who are unable to read documents due to blindness or visual impairment. The program enables typed and hand written documents to be scanned and read allowed to individuals who could otherwise not access information from written sources.

BOOKS ON CD

The Audible website is a part of Amazon’s website that provides books on tape for individuals who couldn’t otherwise access written literature. This type of technology cab be highly effective for readers with a variety of reading challenges. Books on tape are motivating for struggling readers and allow students with reading disabilities to access age appropriate stories.

MULTISENSORY EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE

Touch Math is a popular program for learners in PreK through upper elementary grades that enables students to interact with manipulatives and technology in a variety of ways in order to master mathematical concepts. This helps meet the needs of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.

ADAPTED KEYBOARDS

Adapted keyboards can help learners with either visual or physical disabilities learn to type. The link posted below is a website that helps educators and parents determine which adapted keyboard will best meet the needs of the children or students they are caring for.

http://www.especialneeds.com/computer-aids-keyboards.html

PORTABLE WORD PROCESSOR

AlphaSmart 3000 is a portable word processor that helps non-verbal students communicate through speech by typing into the device. The Alphasmart 3000 can be found used for under $20.00, making it easy for parents and teachers to acquire. The device is small and discrete, making it less of a distraction and more accessible for students moving around constantly.

ASSISTED LITERACY SOFTWARE

Assisted literacy programs help strengthen the reading skills of students who have reading challenges. Lexia is a brand of assisted literacy programs that is commonly found in schools. This program can be adjusted to help readers of all levels improve their skills and allows readers to focus in on a particular skill, such as comprehension, or spelling.

VOICE OUTPUT COMMUNICATION DEVICE

Voice output communication devices help students with cerebral palsy, autism, or any other type of disability that makes verbal communication challenging able to communicate through speech. A popular 

TYPE TO LEARN SOFTWARE

Type to learn software is used in a variety of school settings to help children learn to type. The Type to Learn software programs offer a number of packages that schools can purchase in order to help students learn to type efficiently. Typing skills can open up a number of opportunities for communication and completing classwork for students with disabilities.

ELECTRONIC TABLETS

Electronic tablets offer apps that can be used to meet any of the afore mentioned disabilities or special needs in and out of the classroom. Possibly the greatest thing about tablets is that they are not viewed as strange, thus they do not draw additional attention to students with special needs. There are many brands available to schools and students that range in price. Apple's IPad offers the greatest access to the Apple Store, which houses the widest variety of apps for students with special needs. 

I’ve recently transitioned into the reading resource room at my school and have started working with children who have special needs. Many of my students face tremendous challenges in their daily lives and have grown discouraged in school. Lauren Meatty, a consultant at the Schwartz Center for Children in Dartmouth, MA provides a variety of IPad apps that can effectively motivate children with special needs to learn and gives them more independence than thought possible.

Lauren discusses over 20 of her favorite apps for working with children of any age who have special needs in her presentation found at the link posted below.

Many of the students I am working with have difficulty writing clearly. Some of the apps that Lauren mentioned that I plan to use in my classroom are:

Little Sky Writers,...

Doodle Buddy, and...

                                                                                                                 Connect the Dots. 

Assistive Technology in the IEP Process

Assistive Technology (AT) is a large component of UDL because it helps reduce barriers and support individuals with disabilities in achieving the 4 major outcomes of IDEA: equal opportunities, full participation, economic self-sufficiency, and independent living.

AT consideration can result in three decisions:
1. AT is not needed
2. AT is needed, and the team knows how, when, and where the AT will be provided
3. AT is needed, but the team needs more information before making a decision

The AT Assessment Team can include: IEP Team, AT Team, a Consultant, or a Coaching Team.

Student + Environment + Tasks + Tools = SETT

This framework helps teams gather information about a student's strengths, skills, and challenges in order to determine what type of AT will work best for them.

TechMatrix allows users to conduct customized searches in order to identify potential AT solutions based on selected features.

AT implementation plan includes:
• Training
• Environmental considerations
• Ongoing evaluation
• Roles and responsibilities of team members.

Assistive Technology Continuum & Computer Access for Students with Visual Impairments and Blindness

In my readings, I have come across “the assistive technology continuum.” The continuum is the progression of increasingly high-tech assistive technology to meet a student’s needs. For example, if a student were struggling with writing in the classroom, a low-tech device would be introduced to meet the student’s needs, like a special pencil grip. If the student continued to have difficulty, the instructor may move to a form of mid-tech assistive technology, and if the student’s needs continued to be unmet, a high-tech device, like a speech recognition device would be used. It is incredibly important for educators to follow the assistive technology continuum in order to encourage students to be as independent as possible. The continuum also helps conserve resources, as high-tech assistive technology can be incredibly expensive.

Some examples of high-tech devices include voice recognition programs, screen magnification systems, and screen readers. These types of alternative input and output devices are especially helpful for students with visual impairments and blindness because they allow the student to communicate with the computer through sound rather than visually reading or navigating the screen.

Computer Accessibility

Microsoft and Macintosh computers offer a wide variety of features that can be modified to best meet user needs. Computers offer excellent flexibility for users with disabilities by allowing different options for mouse use, keyboard repeat rates, and voice recognition options. Students with disabilities that affect fine motor skills such as cerebral palsy can benefit from customizable options to the keyboard and mouse. Accommodations on computers also enable students who have cognitive disabilities that make it difficult to express their thoughts in writing capable of speaking to the computer in order to complete assignments. This technology can be highly motivating for students because it allows them to experience the positive feelings of accomplishment and success that come with completing work.