ITEC Module 6: Assistive Technology WebQuest

1. Kori Moorer
http://justcallmekori.blogspot.com/

2.  Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) define
assistive technology as any service that directly
assists an individual with a disability in the
selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive
technology device.”
 Studies have shown that assistive technology can
significantly improve the
educational, vocational, and social performance
of individuals with disabilities.
 Federal law mandates that schools annually
consider assistive technology accommodations in
the Individual Education Program (IEP) of all
eligible students.

3.  Step 1: Collect child and family information.
Begin the discussion about the child’s
strengths, abilities, preferences and needs.
What strategies have been found to work
best?
 Step 2: Identify activities for participation.
Discuss the various activities within the
environments that a child encounters
throughout the day. What is preventing
him/her from participating more?

4.  Step 3: What can be observed that indicates the
intervention is successful? What is his/her
current level of participation and what
observable behaviors will reflect an increase in
independent interactions? What changes will you
look for?
 Step 4: Brainstorm AT solutions. With the
activity and desired outcomes established, you
are now ready to discuss possible solutions with
educators, family members, physical
therapist, and other people with whom the child
interacts on a weekly basis. Do the child’s needs
include supports for movement, communication
and/or use of materials?

5.  Step 5: Try it out. Determine when the AT
intervention will begin and create an
observation plan to record how the child
participates with the AT supports.
 Step 6: Identify what worked. Selecting AT
interventions is a continuous learning
opportunity. Reflect on your plan and discuss
what worked. What didn’t work? What should
be done differently? Make modifications as
needed and try again.

6.  Learning disabled students are those who
demonstrate a significant discrepancy, which is
not the result of some other handicap, between
academic achievement and intellectual abilities
in one or more areas:
 oral expression
 listening comprehension
 written expression
 basic reading skills
 reading comprehension
 mathematical calculation
 mathematics reasoning
 spelling.

7.  Has poor auditory memory—both short term and long term.
 Has a low tolerance level and a high frustration level.
 Has a weak or poor self-esteem.
 Is easily distractible.
 Finds it difficult, if not impossible, to stay on task for extended
periods of time.
 Is spontaneous in expression; often cannot control emotions.
 Is easily confused.
 Is verbally demanding.
 Has difficulty in following complicated directions or remembering
directions for extended periods of time.
 Has coordination problems with both large and small muscle
groups.
 Has inflexibility of thought; is difficult to persuade otherwise.
 Has poor handwriting skills.
 Has a poor concept of time

8.  Provide oral instruction for students with reading
disabilities. Present tests and reading materials in an
oral format so the assessment is not unduly
influenced by lack of reading ability.
 Provide learning disabled students with frequent
progress checks. Let them know how well they are
progressing toward an individual or class goal.
 Give immediate feedback to learning disabled
students. They need to see quickly the relationship
between what was taught and what was learned.
 Make activities concise and short, whenever possible.
Long, drawn-out projects are particularly frustrating
for a learning disabled child.

9.  Learning disabled youngsters have difficulty learning abstract
terms and concepts. Whenever possible, provide them with
concrete objects and events—items they can
touch, hear, smell, etc.
 Learning disabled students need and should get lots of specific
praise. Instead of just saying, “You did well,” or “I like your
work,” be sure you provide specific praising comments that link
the activity directly with the recognition; for example, “I was
particularly pleased by the way in which you organized the rock
collection for Karin and Miranda.”
 When necessary, plan to repeat instructions or offer information
in both written and verbal formats. Again, it is vitally necessary
that learning disabled children utilize as many of their sensory
modalities as possible.
 Encourage cooperative learning activities when possible. Invite
students of varying abilities to work together on a specific
project or toward a common goal. Create an atmosphere in
which a true “community of learners” is facilitated and
enhanced.

10.  ADHD students comprise approximately 3 to
5 percent of the school-age population. This
may be as many as 35 million children under
the age of 18. Significantly more boys than
girls are affected, although reasons for this
difference are not yet clear. Students with
ADHD generally have difficulties with
attention, hyperactivity, impulse
control, emotional stability, or a combination
of those factors.

11.  Make your instructions brief and clear, and teach
one step at a time.
 Be sure to make behavioral expectations clear.
 Carefully monitor work, especially when
students move from one activity to another.
 Make frequent eye contact.
Interestingly, students in the second row are
more focused then those in the first.
 Adjust work time so it matches attention spans.
Provide frequent breaks as necessary.
 Provide a quiet work area where students can
move for better concentration.

12.  Establish and use a secret signal to let students
know when they are off task or misbehaving.
 Use physical contact (a hand on the shoulder) to
focus attention.
 Combine both visual and auditory information
when giving directions.
 Ease transitions by providing cues and warnings.
 Teach relaxation techniques for longer work
periods or tests.
 Each day be sure students have one task they
can complete successfully.
 Limit the amount of homework.
 Whenever possible, break an assignment into
manageable segments.

13.  Assistive
technologies can be used to help
teach reading, writing and math. They can
also be used to help students learn ways to
change to their behavior. Students with
ADHD can use these tools to help them
succeed at school and home.
 Computers
 Electronic Calendars and Planners
 Ear fitted timers and alarms
 Ear Plugs

14.  Hearing impairment may range from mildly
impaired to total deafness. Although it is
unlikely that you will have any deaf students
in your classroom, it is quite possible that
you will have one or more who will need to
wear one or two hearing aids or other
devices.

15.  Provide written or pictorial directions.
 Physically act out the steps for an activity. You or one of
the other students in the class can do this.
 Seat a hearing impaired child in the front of the classroom
and in a place where he or she has a good field of vision of
both you and the chalkboard.
 Many hearing impaired youngsters have been taught to
read lips. When addressing the class, be sure to enunciate
your words and look directly at the hearing impaired
student or in his or her general direction.
 Provide a variety of multisensory experiences for students.
Allow students to capitalize on their other learning
modalities.
 It may be necessary to wait longer than usual for a
response from a hearing impaired student. Be patient
 .Whenever possible, use lots of concrete objects such as
models, diagrams, realia, samples, and the like. Try to
demonstrate what you are saying by using touchable items.

16.  Hearing assistive technology systems (HATS)
are devices that can help you function better
in your day-to-day communication situations.
HATS can be used with or without hearing
aids or cochlear implants to make hearing.
 FM Systems
 Infrared Systems
 Introduction Loop Systems
 One-to One Communicators

17.  http://www.teachervision.fen.com/special-
education/new-teacher/48460.html?page=2
 http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~wilbur/access/ass
istive.html
 http://www.ldonline.org/article/8088
 http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/treatm
ent/assist_tech.htm
 https://www.msu.edu/~kojiroja/pdfs/ADHD
%20and%20AT.pdf