Incidence: High (5%)

Assistive Technology: Text-to-speech software programs to minimize the challenges of decoding text when reading. Talking Word Processors, graphic organizers, and speech recognition software to minimize challenges with handwriting, organization of materials, and assignment completion. Stop watches to focus energy on the assignment instead of time management. Calculators for math.

Accommodations: Allow extra time to complete assignments. Allow time for “brain breaks”. A quiet, calm, and distraction-free work place. Assistive Technology listed above. Consistent placement of materials. Teach and put in place self-monitoring and self-control techniques.

Teaching Strategies: Provide scaffolding to break down large assignments into simpler steps. Allow students to choose between classroom tasks. Give consistent and specific praise. Form relationships with students that are built on empathy, trust, and mutual respect, as this can often be the solution to many problem behaviors.

Incidence: High (6%)

Assistive Technology: This varies depending on the the student, but it may include manipulatives or custom learning software that shows the steps of an activity in a variety of ways. This method has also been tested with smart watches and mobile phones to allow a student to be reminded of the work they need accomplish, along with the steps needed to complete the task.

Accommodations: For a student with ID, teachers or specialists will often to need to provide instruction outside of the general class curriculum to help support the development of adaptive skills. For example a student with ID may need to spend time focusing on concepts like: counting money, telling time, personal hygiene, and interpersonal social skills. At older ages, this may include developing skills that will be needed in the workplace.

Teaching Strategies: When working with a student with ID, a teaching may need to break down large tasks into smaller, individual steps for the student to process one at time. A teacher may also need to teach a student with ID one-on-one or in a small group. The should be a focus on hands-on learning and repetition giving the student a chance to practice skill in a variety of settings.

Assistive Technology: The majority of students receiving Special Education services based on their OHI disability do not require any specific assistive technology to access the curriculum. Most students are able to access and benefit from the same technological supports as their peers without disabilities.

Accommodations: Extra transitional time during lessons, extra time to complete assignments and assessments, frequent movement/brain breaks throughout the day, and close proximity seating to the teacher or a peer buddy are some accommodations that students with OHI can benefit from in the Least Restrictive Environment.

Teaching Strategies: Strategies include simplifying directives and complex assignments, differentiating assignments based on student needs, allowing flexibility all while maintaining a structured schedule and an organized environment, creating and displaying visual schedules and visual supports, and teaching the student self-awareness by goal-setting and managing time.

Incidence: Low (1.1%)

Assistive Technology: Devices for accessing information include speech recognition software, screen reading software, augmentative and alternative communication devices (such as communication boards), and academic software packages. Devices for positioning and mobility include canes, walkers, crutches, wheelchairs, specialized exercise equipment, and specialized chairs, desks, and tables for proper posture development.

Accommodations: Special seating arrangements to develop useful posture and movements, instruction focused on development of gross and fine motor skills, securing suitable augmentative communication and other assistive devices, and awareness of the student’s medical condition and its effect on the student. Specialists may also be involved, such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, and specially-trained P.E. teachers.

Teaching Strategies: Many students with orthopedic impairments have no cognitive, learning, perceptual, language, or sensory issues. So, strategies for these students most often involve providing assistive technologies and making environmental modifications that allow the student to access academic instruction.

Incidence: High (19%)

Assistive Technology: Text to speech, reading pen, voice recognition, digital recorder, Ipads, tablets, electronic spell checkers, word prediction software, and visual search engines

Accommodations: There are three categories of accommodations for students with speech impairments.
For Articulation: do not penalize for speech errors, allow the student to write answers instead of answering, provide a private location for testing and substitute oral assignments.
For Language Accommodations: Modify length of assignment, provide a private location for testing, provide a copy of class notes allow extended time for assignments and tests and use visual cues.
For Social Accommodations: provide small group activities where possible, create visual schedules and support appropriate social interactions.
Other Accommodations: include preferential or optimal seating and making sure the instructor is specific when giving directions.

Teaching Strategies: Be patient when students with speech impairments are speaking, be a role model to other students about the importance of not interrupting and letting their peers finish their sentences. Ask questions in a way that lets the student give a brief answer, or consider substituting written work for oral presentations. Consult with your student's speech therapist, other special educators, or parents to learn about specific needs. You can also talk privately with the student to find out what's helpful and what's not.

Incidence: High (33%)

Assistive Technology: For reading, audio books, text to speech software, and screen reading software. For writing, portable word processors, voice recognition software, word prediction programs, and graphical word processors.

Accommodations: Break down tasks into smaller parts and allow frequent breaks. Present instructions orally and allow verbal responses. Provide preferential seating in a private room or small group setting.

Teaching Strategies: General and special educators collaborate to break down tasks and highlight important parts of new material, use prompts and cues to draw attention, teach memory techniques such as chunking, elaboration, rehearsal, and categorization, and use direct instruction for concise and clear understanding.

Incidence: Low (2.2%)

Assistive Technology: Given the wide range of disabilities this area covers, there are countless assistive technology solutions for students in order for the education to continue. Software such as Virtual Assistant, Ghotit (for students with Dyslexia), MathTalk (dyspraxia) will all help with learning difficulties. Jouse 3 is a system that allows children to control a device using any part of the mouth, cheek, chin or tongue. A variety of assistive listening systems, or hearing assistive technology, can help students who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as those with other auditory and learning problems.

Accommodations: Differentiated work, additional support, peer to peer assistance, a variety of learning styles to fit their specific needs and way(s) of learning, increased technological resources, extra time for work, freedom of movement (and increased time for movement) around the classroom, specific classroom support worker

Teaching Strategies: Before deciding on a strategy, parents, teachers, physical therapists, assistive technology teachers, and other additional support staff should be consulted. Specific steps to improve student achievement need to be identified, and timelines must be set for educational objectives. Peer assistance is one of the most successful strategies when it comes to teaching a student with multiple disabilities as it allows for reciprocal learning with their peers. Given the complex nature of teaching students with multiple disabilities, it is widely recommended that these students attend special schools.