Assistive Technologies for Elementary School Students

1. Natalya Klimova Assistive Technologies for Elementary School Students

2. Important Terms • Individualized Education Plan- children with special education in public schools need an individualized education plan, in order to create this, parents, Special Ed. Teachers, and general teachers collaborate to make a learning plan and educational goals for the student. • Inclusion-students with disabilities (most of the time those who have Individualized Education Plans) are learn in classrooms with children without disabilities for part, or the whole school day. Sometimes a “push in” special education teacher may accompany these students into the regular classrooms. • Least Restrictive Environment- students with disabilities learn in special education classroom or other type of classroom which has least learning barriers for students with certain disabilities.

3. Dyslexia • People with Dyslexia have a hard time reading, because their brains take longer, or more steps to connect letters to words, which connect to sounds and ideas. These students have a lot of stress in reading out loud because oftentimes they must guess at how a word sounds (incorrectly most times) in order to stay at the same reading speed as other students. • Matthew Schneps, a Ph.D. in physics and dyslexic, found that among other known helpful ways to read such as: reading along with a recording; reading along with pictures/illustrations; and memorizing things, assistive technology can be used to help dyslexic students read(PBS). • Smartphones, or IPods are very helpful because they can have just a few words per page to read, which means less words for the brain to see all at once. Smartphones also have speech to text applications, which can greatly decrease the writing time for dyslexic students.

4. Wheelchair Bound Students • Students who are in wheelchairs have difficulty moving around, so they are usually not able to participate in active group activities, or come up to the board, they also are not able to reach anything high. • Teachers can make sure that there is enough space in the classroom for the student to maneuver around, and that there are no restrictions such as rugs or other items. • Classrooms with SmartBoards can be helpful for students in wheelchairs because there are tablets on which a student or teacher can write on, remotely writing or controlling the SmartBoard. This eliminates the need for the wheelchair bound student to get up or take time moving up to the board, or having to reach up to write on a the board. Through tablets, students can remain involved in classroom activities.

5. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder • Though not one specific test for diagnosis, there are two main types of symptoms: inattention, and hyperactivity. Inattention: student may get distracted by random things, may have trouble finishing tasks, or jumping from one task to another, may have difficulty concentrating. Hyperactivity: restlessness, walking around, climbing or running when inappropriate. • There are many ways to aid students with this disability, a teacher may work with a student to provide work spaces with less distractions for example, or a teacher may choose to use certain technologies to help an individual in their learning success. • A simple aid is noise-cancelling earphones, they would eliminate auditory distractions, helping a student focus more on their assigned work. Some children with ADHD may have difficulty remembering due dates, homework assignments, and time slots for schoolwork, a talking alarm watch can help remind students of these things.

6. Importance of Assistive Technologies for Elementary School Students • Students with disabilities are in need of more attention than others, in order to succeed, some may need a more individualized learning plan. Some students may need to have a quiet place to focus, others may need assistive technologies to help them focus, some may need a learning environment with as few learning restrictions as possible. • Assistive technologies supplied to students with disorders in the early grades will greatly prevent those children from falling behind in the upper grade levels. It is a great responsibility for teachers to help students find ways to work around their disabilities in order to succeed in their education.

7. Helpful Resources • http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/smart-phones-beat-paper-best-device-reading/ • http://dyslexia.yale.edu/whatisdyslexia.html • http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-symptoms • http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/iep-504-plan/what-is-iep

8. Works Cited • Tam, Ruth. "For Dyslexic Students, Are Smart Phones Easier to Read than Books?" PBS. PBS, 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. • "What Is Dyslexia? * The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity." What Is Dyslexia? * The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. • "Symptoms of ADHD/ADD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-symptoms>. • "What Is an IEP? | Individualized Education Program." National Center for Learning Disabilities. Ed. Editorial Team NCLD. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/iep-504-plan/what-is- iep>. • "IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004." IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cstatute%2CI%2CB%2 C612%2Ca%2C5>. • "Inclusion - - What Is Inclusion?" About. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://specialed.about.com/od/integration/a/Inclusion-What-Is- Inclusion.htm>.