Assistive technologies
Cue cards (two different types)
1. Cue cards that students who have anxiety, speech impediments, or ADHD can use to organize their ideas in oral presentations
2. Cue cards that students who are on the Autism Spectrum, have developmental delays, or have ADHD can use to follow sequences and build routines
Students who suffer from anxiety and have trouble with public speaking may find comfort in having a tool to aid them in their presentations, rather than relying exclusively on memory.
For students with speech impediments, they could use cue cards to remind them how to pronounce specific words that they know they have difficulties with.
For students with ADHD who have trouble organizing their ideas, it might be helpful to map out the main points that they want to cover and sticking to them. This could prevent them from going on tangents or forgetting important information that they wanted to present.
Students on the autism spectrum or who have developmental delays might find it hard to understand the reasoning behind certain sequences (the steps they should follow to go to the restroom alone, wash their hands, brush their teeth, etc.). It might not be enough to know that they should sit on the toilet, for example – they often need more guidance than that! They might find it easier to follow these sequences if they see them repeatedly in visual cue cards that instruct and remind them how to follow these steps.
Example:
Young students (i.e. 5-10 years old) who have ADHD can also benefit from having cue cards with more complex sequences than the aforementioned. For example, having cue cards that remind them of important sequences that help them stay focused at times of the day in which they or their parents are pressed for time – for example: bedtime routines, morning routines, meal routines.
References:
Assistive technology for students with learning disabilities. LD@school. (2018, May 4). Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.ldatschool.ca/assistive-technology/
Toileting cue cards to help children with special needs. MyCareSpace. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://mycarespace.com.au/resources/toileting-cue-cards-to-help-children-with-autism
Predictive Text ❗
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click to edit
Graphic Organizer (Erin)
Text to Speech (Susan)
different kinds of text to speech technology
Text to Speech Reader for PDF or other sources of instructional content
Text to Speech for Email or other correspondence
Good for students with visual disability where seeing the text is challenging
Audio Books
Useful for students with below grade reading difficulty due to decoding and/or comprehension
Helps with a students that have difficulty with attention- they can listen while looking at the materials or while doing something else like walking or drawing
Definition
A way of breaking down information to see the relationship between ideas. It can make information easier to remember, understand and apply later.
Examples
- Concept maps
- Main idea diagrams
- Timelines
- Story maps
- Cause and effect charts
- Venn diagrams
- Sequence, process and flow charts.
References
"Using Graphic Organizers to Support Students with Disabilities." YouTube, uploaded by Tools for Life Georgia AT Program, 20 August 2020, .
“Which Study Skills Strategies Can Improve Students' Academic Performance?” IRIS Center, https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ss2/cresource/q1/p02/.
ADHD
Students with ADHD can use graphic organizers, such as a story map, to write down their ideas before constructing a story. They can also use main idea diagrams and concept maps to sort and prioritize information.
James
Predictive text is an assistive technology software that helps students with certain disabilities access written communication more easily. The software provides the students with possible choices for words based on initial the spelling, syntax and/or frequency of use, which supports spelling and grammar difficulties with fewer keystrokes.
How to use this software
As the student begins to type a word frequently used words with a similar beginning and word usage (noun, verb) pop up for the user to select. With frequent use, the program becomes trained to produce word choices often used by the user.
Students who may benefit from this software
I have seen students with physical disabilities using this software to help them communicate with others and also students with dyslexia and/or dysgraphia. A previous student of mine who has cerebral palsy used a predictive text software to ease communication as he not could speak verbally. The software gives him the opportunity to express his thoughts and feelings and to interact with others. Not only can this student now complete academic work, he has built a friendship group which without the assistive technology, would have been incredibly difficult.
Word Prediction Programs | Teach Special Education. Teachspeced.ca. (2022). Retrieved 12 October 2022, from https://www.teachspeced.ca/word-prediction-programs.
Valentina
arun@speechify.com. (2022, October 11). Best Free Text To Speech Voice Reader. Speechify. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://speechify.com/?utm_source=google
Who Uses Text to Speech (TTS) Anyway? ReadSpeaker. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.readspeaker.com/blog/uses-text-speech-tts-anyway/
Livescribe :: Never Miss A Word - Livescribe. (n.d.). Livescribe Inc. (US). Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://us.livescribe.com/
Program, G. L. F. T. A. T. (2020, August 20). Using Text-to-Speech Assistive Technologies to Support Students [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from
YouTube Video: Text to Speech Technology Program, G. L. F. T. A. T. (2020, August 20). Using Text-to-Speech Assistive Technologies to Support Students [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from
Technologies that support this tool:
Quizlet: free, accessible software that offers an easy way of creating cue cards and sharing them with peers and/or teachers
Canva: free, accessible software that offers a way of creating customized, creative, and visually appealing cue cards.
Anki: an open-sourced digital software that allows you to access your cue cards from any of your devices, through their app.
"Students with learning disabilities and ADHD who used graphic organizers outperformed those who did not use graphic organizers on a test of conceptual understanding of linear equations. This suggests that graphic organizers are effective tools for learning higher-level mathematics".
(Ives, 2007)
Ives, B. (2007). Graphic organizers applied to secondary algebra instruction for students with learning disorders. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 22(2), 110–118.
Autism
Graphic organizers can aid students with autism by supporting communication, filtering information, taking notes, identifying concepts, patterns and relationships between ideas, and classifying or categorizing information. They can use an outline to take notes which helps them process and organize the information.
A graphic organizer can break down a word math problem and help the student decipher what type of problem it is by identifying key words, such as more than, difference, percent and rate.
Dyslexia
When writing, students with dyslexia can use diction or word prediction technology to brainstorm ideas, then drag and drop the ideas to visually organize them.
“Graphic Organizers for Students with Autism.” LeafWing Center, 8 Mar. 2022, https://leafwingcenter.org/graphic-organizers-for-students-autism/.
A graphic organizer can help students retain focus in class by completing an outline that highlights the main points of the information.
Martin , Jamie. “Electronic Graphic Organizers Benefit Students with Dyslexia.” Noodle, 18 Feb. 2015, https://www.noodle.com/articles/graphic-organizers-for-students-with-dyslexia.
To help with reading comprehension, a student can use an electronic graphic organizer to separate and categorize vocabulary, main ideas, supporting details, and comprehension questions. They can then use text-to-speech software or attach an image to each piece of information to help them process and retain the information.