2. ADHD
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a
chronic condition that affects millions of children and
often persists into adulthood. ADHD includes a
combination of problems, such as difficulty sustaining
attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.
Children with ADHD also may struggle with low self-
esteem, troubled relationships and poor performance
in school. Symptoms sometimes lessen with age.
However, some people never completely outgrow their
ADHD symptoms. But they can learn strategies to be
successful.
3. Symptoms and Signs of ADHD
has difficulty paying attention or staying focused on a task or activity
has problems finishing assignments at school or home and jumps from
one activity to another
has trouble focusing on instructions and difficulty following through
loses or forgets things such as homework
is easily distracted, even when doing something fun has problems
paying close attention to details or makes careless mistakes
has trouble organizing tasks and activities, has difficulty waiting one's
turn
interrupts or intrudes on other people
feels restless
talks excessively and has trouble engaging in activities quietly
4. Assistive Technology for ADHD
Electronic math worksheet software enables students
to organize and work through problems on a computer screen.
Numbers that appear onscreen can be read aloud by a speech
synthesizer.
Talking calculators have a built-in speech synthesizer that reads
aloud each number, symbol, or operation key a student presses, as
well as the answer. The aural feedback lets an attention deficit
student know whether he pressed the right keys and verifies the
answer before he transfers it to paper.
Optical character recognition (OCR) programs allow a student to
scan printed material into a computer or handheld unit. The
scanned text is then read aloud by a speech synthesis/screen
reading system. OCR is available in stand-alone units, as
software, and as portable, pocket-sized devices that display words
on an easy-to-read screen. Scanning pens are perfect for library
research and other reading that doesn’t involve a computer. This
device scans text as it’s dragged along the page. The pen displays
the words on an easy-to-read screen, speaks them aloud, and
provides definitions.
5. Assistive Technology for ADHD
Portable word processors are lightweight devices that look
like a computer keyboard with a screen. They can be helpful
to ADHD children who have trouble with handwriting. These
battery-powered machines can be brought to school for
note-taking and writing assignments. At home, files can be
transferred to a PC or Mac. Some portable word processors
come pre-loaded with word prediction and text-to-speech
software.
Audio books and reading software. Recorded books allow
users to listen to text, and they are available in a variety of
formats: audiocassette, CD, and MP3 download. Special
playback units allow users to search and bookmark pages
and chapters.
6. Assistive Technology for
speech synthesizers/screen reader systems can
display and read aloud text on a computer
screen, including text that has been typed by a
student, scanned in from printed pages
(books, letters), or material from the Internet.
Speech-recognition programs allow a student
to read aloud into a microphone and see his
words appear on a computer screen. The
software is especially helpful for students
whose oral language skills are superior to their
writing skills.
7. Auditory Disability
Auditory processing is the term used to describe
what happens when your brain recognizes and
interprets the sounds around you. Humans hear
when energy that we recognize as sound travels
through the ear and is changed into electrical
information that can be interpreted by the brain.
The “disorder” part of auditory processing disorder
(APD) means that something is adversely affecting
the processing or interpretation of information.
8. Symptoms and Signs of APD
Have trouble paying attention to and remembering
information presented orally
Have problems carrying out multistep directions
Have poor listening skills
Need more time to process information
Have low academic performance
Have behavior problems
Have language difficulty (e.g., they confuse syllable
sequences and have problems
developing vocabulary and understanding language)
Have difficulty with reading, comprehension, spelling, and
vocabulary
9. Assistive Technology for APD
Apple is aware of this accessibility issue and has
created Quick Time 4.0, which is software that
allows captions and descriptions to be incorporated
into a movie or audio clip using either a Macintosh
or PC. If captions are present, the viewer is still able
to follow the presentation without missing any
content. Additionally, captions can also be a
remarkable tool for increasing reading skills.
10. Assistive Technology for APD
Speech recognition software allows a hearing disabled
student to understand most of what a teacher is saying
because the micro-computer can print what is being
spoken. An FM auditory training system is one more
piece of equipment that may be a wonderful asset to a
hearing impaired student in a regular classroom. The FM
system directly links the student's hearing aid to a
microphone worn by the classroom teacher. The sound is
transmitted into a student's hearing aid. The system
allows the student to hear an auditory presentation at a
consistent loudness level from wherever the speaker is
located in the classroom.
11. Assistive Technology for APD
Other devices, such as, flashing lights or vibrators
are of great importance to hearing impaired people.
These types of devices flash or vibrate when a
telephone, doorbell, alarm clock, fire alarm, tornado
alarm sound. Lights have also been manufactured to
flash to alert a hearing impaired student when the
class period is over.
12. Mild learning disability
The World Health Organization classifies general learning
disabilities into mild, moderate, severe and profound. The
definitions of the degrees of disability are usually expressed
in terms of IQ, behavioral competence and/or the need for
special service. Children with mild general learning
disabilities (MLD) typically have verbal and performance IQ
scores in the 50-70 range, i.e., two to three standard
deviations below the population mean. They often have
significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in
adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social and
practical adaptive skills. Specific cognitive deficits often exist
in such areas as memory, attention or language.
13. Symptoms and Signs for mild
learning disability
Delayed conceptual development
Limited ability to abstract and generalize
Difficulties with memory
Slow speech and language development
Limited social skills
Inappropriate or immature personal behavior
Limited attention span and poor retention ability
Decreased motivation, Low self-esteem
Poor self-concept
General clumsiness
Lack of coordination and of gross and fine motor skills
Emotional disturbance
A minority may also have varying degrees of hearing or visual impairment
14. Writing barriers for students with
mild disabilities include
Mechanics: spelling, grammar, and punctuation
errors.
Process: generating
ideas, organizing, drafting, editing, revising, and
producing a neat, clear final copy.
Motivation: interest in writing.
15. Assistive Technology for
Mild learning disability
READING: Poor decoding/fluency
ReadPlease http://www.readplease.com
interferes with comprehension (Free software; teach students to copy
and paste text so they can listen)
Key to Access http://www.premier-programming.com
(Accessibility software on a pocket-size USB drive goes everywhere)
Kurzweil 3000 http://www.kurzweiledu.com
(A scan and read system that converts printed text into digital text)
Read and Write Gold http://www.texthelp.com
(A software suite designed to support the struggling reader/writer)
Solo http://www.donjohnston.com
(A software suite designed to support the struggling reader/writer)
16. Assistive Technology for
Mild learning disability
WRITING :
Difficulty planning/organizing the tasks associated with a research project
Assignment Calculator
http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/
(An innovative tool to break a large project into manageable daily tasks)
So You Have to...
http://www.ri.net/schools/East_Greenwich/research.html (A teacher
created web site with step by step guidance and resources)
Difficulty getting ideas on paper to get started
Inspiration, Kidspiration http://www.inspiration.com
(Graphic organizers provide a great way to brainstorm and organize)
Graphic organizers http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/
(Ready to reproduce graphic organizers)
17. References
An Educator's Guide to Hearing Disability Issues.
Retrieved 9-10-2013 from
http://education.illinois.edu/wp/original/access/hearing.
html
Kristin Stanberry and Marshall H. Raskind, Ph.D .
(2009) The Best Software and Gadgets for ADHD
Students. ADDitude. Retrieved 9-10-2013 from
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/6585-4.html
American Speech-language- Hearing Association
Retrieved 9-10-2013 from
http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Types-of-Hearing-
Aid-Technology/
18. References
ScoilNET : portal for Irish education
Retrieved 9-10-2013 from
http://www.scoilnet.ie/info_mildlearning.shtm
Edyburn, D.L. (2006). Assistive technology and mild
disabilities. Special Education Technology
Practice, 8(4), 18-28. Retrieved 9-10-2013 from
https://googledrive.com/host/0BxFAYVOZ453RTEQyX1
hqX2xmV1k/Day%2006%20(weekend%20reading!)/AT
MildDisabilities.pdf
