1. Assistive Technology By Angela Thornton

2. OVERVIEW: Special Education Services Kids with delayed skills or other disabilities might be eligible for special services that provide individualized education programs in public schools, free of charge to families. - Taken from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/iep.html

3. IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Act The passage of the updated version of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) made parents of kids with special needs even more crucial members of their child's education team. Parents can now work with educators to develop a plan — the individualized education plan (IEP) — to help kids succeed in school. The IEP describes the goals the team sets for a child during the school year, as well as any special support needed to help achieve them. The goal of IDEA is to keep students in the least restrictive environment so an effort is made to keep students in the general classroom as much as possible. - Taken from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/iep.html

4. Who Needs an IEP? A child who has difficulty learning and functioning and has been identified as a special needs student is the perfect candidate for an IEP. Kids struggling in school may qualify for support services, allowing them to be taught in a special way, for reasons such as: learning disabilities attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) emotional disorders mental retardation autism hearing impairment visual impairment speech or language impairment developmental delay - Taken from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/iep.html

5. What is the referral and evaluation process? Initiated when a teacher, parent or doctor has a concern about a student having difficulty in the classroom The teacher notifies the school counselor or psychologist Information about the student’s progress is then gathered through Conferences with parents and/or student Observation of the students Analysis of the student’s performance This information is compiled in order to decide on the next step for the student.

6. What is the referral and evaluation process? Strategies become specific towards the student at this point. If these strategies do not work, the student will undergo further testing. REMEMBER: Just because a student has a disability does not mean that services are guaranteed. Students must display the disability at school. When determining eligibility, the multi-disciplinary team will review the following: Their observations of the student Standardized test performance Daily work such as homework, tests and class work

7. What is the referral and evaluation process? Who is on the team? Psychologist Physical Therapist Occupational Therapist Speech Therapist Special Educator A vision or hearing specialist Others - depending on the child’s needs

8. What is the referral and evaluation process? It is the parent’schoice as to whether to have the student further evaluated. The parent must sign off on further tests. After tests are completed and the information is compiled, the parents have the right to examine the findings of the comprehensive evaluation report (CER) prior to the Individual Education Plan or IEP being developed.

9. Developing an IEP 1st step is an IEP meeting with the team and the parentsdeciding what goes into the plan for the student. The team will discuss the findings of the CER as related to educational needs and come up with specific, measureable goals. Annual and short term goals will be determined. The cover page will outline student services including what services and how often.

10. Developing an IEP Support services might include special education, speech therapy, occupational or physical therapy, counseling, audiology, medical services, nursing, vision or hearing therapy, and many others.

11. Developing an IEP Examples of accommodations for writing: an occupational therapist may suggest accommodations for a child with fine-motor problems that affect handwriting, and the classroom teacher would incorporate these suggestions into the handwriting lessons taught to the entire class The child who has difficulty with handwriting might work one on one with an occupational therapist while everyone else practices their handwriting skills. When deciding how and where services are offered, the child's comfort and dignity should be a top priority.

12. Developing an IEP The IEP will be updated annually to update goals and ensure the levels of service meets the student’s needs. The IEP can be updated as needed REMEMBER: Parents have the last word!

13. Assistive Technology Wikipedia’s definition Assistive technology or adaptive technology (AT) is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them. AT promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to or changed methods of interacting with the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology

14. Assistive Technology Assistive – Technology :Enabling Dreams website Open hyperlink below: Assistive-Technology: Enabling Dreams | Edutopia

15. Assistive Technology Children with disabilities often require assistance to enhance social, emotional and cognitive growth. Many technologies are available from low to high tech, but they are often under utilized. Assistive technology or AT help students participate in daily actively and as independently as possible. Technology helps students move, communicate and participate. - Taken from http://www.ldonline.org/article/8088

16. Six steps to finding a solution Six steps to finding a solution Identifying AT solutions to support a child’s participation is best done as a team process. By first examining the interests, abilities and needs of a child and the specific components of the activity where support for participation is indicated, AT solutions can be planned and implemented and the impact can be observed immediately. A six-step process defined below is one example of a framework for AT decision making for young children. Taken from http://www.ldonline.org/article/8088

17. Six Steps to finding a Solution 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? Start with what is available in the environment (what other children use) and consider adaptations to those materials. A range of options that address specific support areas should be considered. *The TAM Technology Fan, a new resource focused on identifying AT items for young children with disabilities, helps to facilitate this step. See below for more information. 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. Only by trying the AT can certain factors such as technology placement, amount of force, mounting, number of choices, etc. be determined and adjusted. 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? 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 (e.g., number of initiations, expression attempts, responses, reactions, etc.) will you look for? - taken from http://www.ldonline.org/article/8088

18. ADHD Teaching Strategies Research Shows the following as Important to Student Progress: Predictability Structure Short working periods A small teacher-to-pupil ratio Individualized instruction Interesting Curriculum Lots of positive Reinforcement

19. ADHD Teaching Strategies Optimal Teacher Characteristics: Positive Academic Expectations Personal Warmth Patience Humor Consistency Firmness Frequent monitoring of student work Behavior management techniques

20. ADHD Teaching Strategies Classroom modifications: Assign student a seat with the least distractions while in close proximity to the teacher Eliminate excessive noise Eliminate excessive visual stimuli and classroom clutter Keep directions short and to the point Provide an individualized written schedule Allow student to chew gum to burn excess energy and keep their mouth engaged

21. ADHD Testing Accommodations Use alternative methods for assessing a student’s skills Use oral testing if it helps keep the student focuses and give a more accurate score Use performance testing – Have the student do something or make something Assign the test grade based on the mechanics of the assignment

22. Assistive Technology for Mild Disabilities Organization Note Taking Teaching students to organize their thoughts using: Flowcharts Task analysis Webbing Outlining Word processing software Teaching students to take effective notes using: Outlines with blanks for students to fill in Videotaping class sessions Using video technology so students can be in the classroom, like Skype Send class notes by e-mail Taken from http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/assistive.htm

23. Assistive Technology Low Tech Items High Tech Items Pillows Mirrors Electronic Voice Recording Device Talking Watch Augmentative communication devices Computer & Associated Software – Screen reader, Screen amplifier, Microphones Touch Window for computer interaction Computer keyboards – QWERTY, larger keys, toggle keys, contrast colors and more…. Hearing aides

24. Assistive Listening Devices Helps students function in day to day communication situations Examples: Personal frequency modulation systems Infrared Systems Induction loop systems One-to-One communicators Sound field systems Alerting devices Visual systems Such as text phones, closed captioning, computerized speech recognition

25. More Assistive Technology Devices Slant boards Page holders Clip boards Book stands Highlighters Color overlays Pen grips Dry Erase Boards Writing Guides Paper with bold or raised lines Speaking Dictionary and Thesaurus Graphic organizers – paper and computer Interactive White Board Graphic word processing software Text to talk software Electronic Worksheets Reading pen Handheld scanners Page turner, page fluffer Audio books Large type books, Braille books Computer Books

26. Even MORE Suggestions…. Sticky tack Contact paper Magnets Post It flags Indexing Taped Material Highlighter tape Post It Notes Raised Number Rulers Writing Desk Helpers Math Desk Helpers Highlighter transparency sheets White boards Magnetic letters Web Quests Talking Calculators Graph paper

27. Resources http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics/Populations/LowTech/index.php http://www.sc.edu/scatp/ld.htm#lowtech http://www.gpat.org/resources.aspx?PageReq=GPATImp http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/treatment/assist_tech.htm http://www.synapseadaptive.com/edmark/prod/tw/default.htm http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/assistive.htmhttp://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~wilbur/access/assistive.html http://www.ldonline.org/article/8088 http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technologyhttp://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/iep.html