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Using Assistive Technology in Teaching Children with Learning …
Using Assistive Technology in Teaching Children with Learning
Disabilities in the 21st Century
Keywords: Teaching, technology, children with learning disabilities, student needs, learning disabilities
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 8
ERIC Number: EJ1078825
Location
: Nigeria
Why Using Assistive Technology for Children with Learning Disabilities :question:
Assistive technology (AT) helps a learner with a disability completes an everyday task.
Quenneville (2002) maintained that the potential for assistive technology children with learning disabilities is great, and that its benefits include enhancing academic achievement in written expression, reading, mathematics, and spelling; improving organization; and fostering social acceptance.
Support (assistive) technology provides many benefits by facilitating writing for children with learning disabilities (LD) who often find the writing process frustrating.
Various Types of Assistive Technology for Children with Learning Disabilities
Written Language Assistive Technologies*
Spell Checkers: They are part of word processing programmes with vary sizes which could be portable or stationed.
Proofreading: otherwise called “grammar checkers”. They check for errors in grammar, capitalization and word usage.
Speech Synthesizers: These tools give the children the opportunity to hear spoken text on the computer monitor.
Speech Recognition: This system allows the child to speak to the computer through microphone, and the spoken words show as texts on the computer monitor.
Reading Assistive Technologies
Microsoft Word
Tape Recorders: These tools are used to play audio taped text by children with reading disabilities.
Speech Synthesis: This tool can serve the purpose of reading engine.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR):It enables the child to type printed text to the computer, while the speech synthesizer reads the text back and aloud for the child to hear and alongside see the text.
Variable Speech Control (VSC): This tool is in form of tape recorder, which enable the child to play the texts recorded in audio tape very fast than the originally recorded, with all the sounds of the words still intact.
Mathematics Assistive Technologies
Electronic Mathematics Worksheets: These worksheets could assist children with arithmetic problems to arrange, ally and route through the basic mathematical sums with the use of computer.
Talking Calculators: This tool is used to speak number, symbols and other operation keys, with the use of speech synthesizer, whenever a child presses the keys.
Listening Assistive Technologies
FM Listening Systems: These tools are used with the help of a small-sized transmitter unit, together with the microphone.
Tape Recorders: These tools are used by children with listening problems to capture spoke information of the speaker or teacher’s lesson.
Memory/ Organization Assistive Technologies
Prewriting organizers: The writing process involves a number of stages. Many children have difficulty with the preparation stage, which integrates brainstorming, clustering, and listing ideas, themes, or keywords.
Personal Data Managers: These data managers could be in form of software packages, which could be used for a computer or as electronic devices.
Free-form databases: These databases allow children with memory problems to type or enter notes or pieces of information into the computer, rather than or as written down in a piece of paper.
Choosing the Right Technology for Children with Learning Disabilities
Determine the Child’s Specific Problem.
Identify the Child’s Strengths.
Involve the child in the selection process.
Choose the types of technology that are helpful and based on the child’s strengths and weaknesses.
Determine the specific settings for the technology
Choose technologies that work together.
Choose technologies that are easy to learn and operate.
Instructional Guidelines for the Teachers
Teachers should know that every child’s assistive technology needs are distinctive. Children’s needs should be matched with necessary technology rather than matching available tools to student needs.
Teachers should teach needed technology skills before they are required.
Teachers should be up – to – date in the AT skills acquisition.
teachers should have access to technical supports that might help in case of any system’s crash or breakdown.
Challenges of Using Assistive Technology for Children with Learning Disabilities
Lack of specialized ICT teachers for the children with learning disabilities
Limited flexibility in training options for children with learning disabilities
Limited availability of specialized disabled friendly hardware and software resources in developing countries.
Lack of formal involvement of the government organizations and support structure for ICT for the persons with learning disabilities
Attitude barriers towards children with disabilities
Lack of appropriate disabled legislation and policies and their implementation
Limitation of finances
MAIN IDEA:
I think that the main idea of this article is the importance of using Assistive Technology in teaching children with learning disabilities.
MAIN FINDINGS
Children with learning disabilities are as smart or smarter than their peers, but they may have difficulty reading, spelling, writing, reasoning etc.
Assistive Technology(AT) is the use of technology to enhance learning in an effective approach for many children.
I believe that this technology helps not only children with learning disabilities but also the others. As teachers, we should know that every child is unique and we should create best learning environment for them.
Names of the Authors
Rufus Olanrewaju
Nalado Abubakar
Patricia Kwalzoom
Name of the Journal:
Journal of Education and Practice