Tips for Implementing tech support for students with special needs

1. ASSISITVE TECHNOLOGY
FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION
STUDENTS
CHASON FULFORD
ITEC 7530

2. HOW THIS IS USEFUL
• A student that merits special needs should be taught in a
different manner so that they are able to perform in the
same manner as their classmates but with the hellp of
the instructor.
• Assistive Technology exists to help teachers in the
classroom handle and treat students with special needs
so that they are able to reach their full potential in the
classroom.
• An Assistive Technology Device is defined as "any item,
piece of equipment or product system, whether
acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or
customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve
the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities"
(IDEA 300.5).

3. STUDENTS WITH THESE DISABILITIRS
MIGHT MERIT ASSISTIVE TECH
ADHD
Emotional disorders
cognitive challenges
Autism
Hearing impairment
Visual impairment
Speech or language impairment
Developmental delay

4. 6 STEPS FOR CHOOSING AT
ADAPTED FROM LD ONLINE

5. STEPS FOR CHOOSING AT
• 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?

6. STEPS FOR CHOOSING AT
• 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?

7. STEPS FOR CHOOSING AT
• 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?

8. STEPS FOR CHOOSING AT
• 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.

9. STEPS FOR CHOOSING AT
• 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.

10. STEPS FOR CHOOSING AT
• 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.

11. WAYS TO IMPLEMENT THE
TECHNOLOGY IN THE
CLASSROOM
ADAPTED FROM MANY PAGES

12. INTUITIVE METHOD 1
• Sometimes, technology is not always needed as we perceive
it.
• Take, for example, notetaking abilities.
• * Videotaping class sessions for visual learners or those who are
unable to attend class for extended periods of time.
• * Sending web-cam photography across the Internet to allow
students to see and hear what is happening in class (for
students who are unable to attend class).
• * Sending class notes or presentations to students via e-mail.
• * Translating print-based notes to voice by using optical
character recognition (OCR) software with a voice synthesizer.
• * Using notebook computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs),
or portable word processing keyboards to help students with
the mechanics of note taking.

13. INTUITIVE METHOD 2
• Students with hearing disabilities often have trouble
with distance listening, competing noises, and poor
room acoustics.
• An effective improvement: a hat
• 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 easier—
and thereby reduce stress and fatigue. Hearing aids + HATS
= better listening and better communication!

14. INTUITIVE METHOD 3
• We are continuously evolving into a world full of Apps.
This can also mean that there are actually several apps
that could improve the performance of students.
• E-Books and Apps - There are Apps for accessing digital books
such as VoiceDream and iBooks, as well as many free e-book
and audiobook options. Read textbooks for school or books for
pleasure. Apps can be utilized with accessibility features such
as Voice-Over, text to speech, Zoom/ Magnification,
Highlighting, Definitions, Annotations, Font style and color
selection, large text, etc. There are iPad and iPhone Apps for
all Abilities and Disabilities, and all Subjects of Learning (Math,
Reading, Social Studies, Science), as well as Literacy, AAC
(communication), mobility (GPS), Studying, Organization and
Time Management, Reminders, Scheduling, etc.

15. INTUITIVE METHOD 4
• For the many students with vision impairments:
• Refreshable Braille Displays – utilized by individuals who are
Blind and Read Braille. Access all information on the
computer, iPad, or iphone by connecting to a refreshable
Braille display, and having instant, real-time, refreshing
Braille to access the information that is presented.
Refreshable Braille displays offer access to the computer,
research, email, texting, textbooks, ebooks, iphones, iPads,
and more.

16. OTHER EXAMPLES
ADAPTED FROM MANY SITES

17. MATH SUPPORT
• Electronic math worksheets are software programs
that can help students organize, align, and work
through math problems on a computer screen.
Numbers that appear onscreen can also be read
aloud via a speech synthesizer. This may be helpful
to people who have trouble aligning math
problems with pencil and paper. (Kristin Stanberry ,
Marshall Raskind, Ph.D.)
• MathTalk: Allows the student to dictate formulas and
equations with writing them

18. READING AND WRITING SUPPORT
• Students who struggle with writing (e.g., spelling,
grammar, punctuation, word usage, and sentence
structure) may benefit from software programs
(included in many word processing systems) that
scan word processing documents and alert the user
to possible errors. (Kristin Stanberry/Marshall Raskind,
Ph.D.)
• Ginger: Online proofreading resource

19. GEORGIA ON YOUR SIDE!
• The Georgia Project for Assistive Technology (GPAT), a
unit of the Georgia Department of Education, supports
local school systems in their efforts to provide assistive
technology devices and services to students with
disabilities. Funded since 1991, GPAT has focused on
building local assistive technology resources by
providing quality professional learning and technical
support services.
• The mission of GPAT is to improve student achievement,
productivity, independence and inclusion by enhancing
educator knowledge of assistive technology and
increasing student access to appropriate assistive
technology devices and services.

20. SOURCES
• Help for Young Learners: How To Choose AT?" LD OnLine: The World's
Leading Website on Learning Disabilities and ADHD. N.p., n.d. Web. 02
Mar. 2014.
• "Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)." KidsHealth - the Web's Most
Visited Site about Children's Health. Ed. Steven J. Bachrach. The Nemours
Foundation, 01 May 2011. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
• "Examples of Assistive Technology." Assistive Technology For Education
LLC. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
• "Hearing Assistive Technology." Hearing Assistive Technology. N.p., n.d.
Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
• "Georgia Project for Assistive Technology." Georgia Project for Assistive
Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
• "Ericdigests.org." Assistive Technology for Students with Mild Disabilities:
Update 2002. ERIC Digest. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
• "Assistive Technology Tools: Math." GreatSchools. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar.
2014.
• "Proofreading Software Programs." GreatSchools. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar.
2014.