Assistive technology helping students achieve independence at home, work, and in community settings

How can assistive technology help students who have autism, cognitive disabilities, or multiple disabilities achieve independence in home, work, and community settings?

     These students often have difficulty with self-management and personal organization. Their lack of these skills has been successfully addressed through the use of visual supports such as picture schedules and activity sequences. When students know what is coming next they tend to have less acting out behaviors and reduce confusion. It can also reduce anxiety the student is feeling. 

     Sometimes these students will have these schedules attached to the top of their desk and they can cross each item off as it is accomplished. In my recent student teaching experience in a 1st grade classroom, the schedule for the day was displayed on the front board on colored construction paper hand made by the teacher for a student with autism. Each card had the subject or activity as well as a picture. The “specials” classes for example, gym, had a picture of the gym teacher so the student knew who and where they would be going. The schedule did not only benefit the student who needed it but the whole class as well. I think it is really important to have in the classroom and that is definitely something I will incorporate into my own room in the future. Each card was laminated and had a magnet on the back. 

It would also be nice to have that on an iPad or computer device for the student to look at. They could also have his home routine on the device to keep them on track and cut down on the anxiety. 

Boardmaker is a site in which you can make your own schedule picture cards to meet the needs of the students in your own classroom. It is a really neat site to check out!  http://www.mayer-johnson.com/boardmaker-software

Assistive technology used in college

In all of my other blogs I talked mostly about students in elementary school through high school. Now I want to focus on college students.

Assistive Technology (AT) can be used to help college students during classes and testing situations and completing assignments. I blogged about AT helping with writing, organizing, reading, and communication. All of these ways could be helpful to a college student.

 The tools need to meet the following criteria:

Easy to use and easy to customize
age appropriate
student’s own choice
match the specific task and the environment it is used
Installed in a place it can be access easily
Training and technical support must be provided to students and staff

Although there are NO IEP’s in COLLEGE, the tools used for AT in P-12 environment can be also used in college. Colleges have no legal responsibility to identify students with disabilities or involve parents in decision making. 

Students can still use the tools I have blogged about in earlier posts such as: screen reader, braille, digital books, communication boards, iPads, Write:Outload, Read:Outloud etc. 

Dell, A. G., Newton, D. A., & Petroff, J. G. (2012).Assistive technology in the classroom: Enhancing the school experiences of students with disabilities. (2nd ed. ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Assistive Technology Implementation

Assistive Technology Implementation: Working Together to Make a Measurable Difference

http://www.texasat.net/default.aspx?name=trainmod.implem

This site has presentation slides that show you how to implement AT. I will go over some of the important pieces I pulled from the presentation but if you click on the link you are free to explore on your own!

Decision-making sequence: Develop shared understanding of the student, learning environments, and expected tasks BEFORE tools are considered or selected

 Implementation Sequence: the Student in Typical Environments uses Tools to accomplish Tasks

Ways to Use Assistive Technology:
Support achievement of goals
Expand educational/vocational options
Increase participation in educational settings and activities
Increase productivity
Increase independence 
Improve quality of life

The purpose and expected results of AT implementation:
purpose: for students to use AT to actively participate in curricular and extra curricular activities
results: increased academic achievement and functional performance

This quote was taken from the presentation slides: 

“First , have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective... Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends... Third, adjust all your means to that end.” Aristotle

Augmentative Communication systems designed to meet the demands of home and the community

How can a student’s augmentative communication system be designed to meet the communication demands of home and community?

    This requires family involvement, issues related to culture, and identification of places or activities in which the student is active. Teachers must be actively involved in ensuring that there is appropriate carryover and use within the home, among the family members, and across community sites. Training of augmentative communication systems should be provided to families. It would be helpful to have the system set up to have their children involved in birthday celebrations, religious activities, or a community group such a scouting. 
    It is important that the family is comfortable with the system and can easily operate it. It is important to consider where the family members are currently on level to find the best match for them to use. Then teachers can decide what would be the best fit to use at home and in the community. 
     The downside is that the community is less familiar with augmentative communication and may be less willing to accept an unfamiliar approach to communication. This is challenging for most users. Unfamiliar partners are people who have no shared knowledge with the user , no understanding of the system, and no understanding of the rules of communicating with an augmentative communication user. Teachers should facilitate positive interactions with students. 
    The devices can be programmed to ask specific questions and guests can be directed toward the augmentative communication user to answer a question. 

Importance of support to use of augmentative communication systems at home and in the community

Why is it so important to support the use of augmentative communication systems at home and in the community?

In school, students receive direct instruction and guidance in developing augmentative communication skills in school, they must practice and use their system at home and within the communities. It makes sense the more you use something the better you become at it. That is true for all people with all different things. If you practice basketball each day you will eventually become better and better at the sport. Same goes for the communication systems. The more you use it the better you’ll be. If you only use it in school you will not get as much practice from it then if you were to use it around the clock. 

Tips for Guiding Parents to Promote the Use of Augmentative Communication
Provide Direct Instruction on the Use of the System
Identify Vocabulary That is Relevant to the House
Teach Family Members to Provide Opportunities for Communication and to Wait
Provide Simple Data and Evaluation Sheets for Home and Community Use
Give Parents Permission to Expand the Child’s Communicaiton
Keep it Simple

Dell, A. G., Newton, D. A., & Petroff, J. G. (2012).Assistive technology in the classroom: Enhancing the school experiences of students with disabilities. (2nd ed. ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Augmented Communication integrated into the IEP

How can augmented communication be integrated into the IEP?

      In other blogs talking about IEP’s we have know that in order for something to be used by a student in special ed, it must be stated in the child’s IEP. By law, if it is in the IEP it must be used when and where it is supposed to be used. This goes the same with augmented communication. 
    Teaching of communication skills is guided by the IEP. Augmentative communication evaluations should be a component of the program development process and must be carefully considered for all nonspeaking students. All of the components of the system should be listed in the students’ IEP. When the teacher or IEP team is writing the goals and objectives for the student, it should be assumed that their participation will be through the communication system. Each student should also have goals and objectives that reflect the use and continued development of the system. 

Here is a few samples of IEP goals for communication:

• The student will increase his or her spontaneous use of appropriate communication with familiar partners for at least three communicative purposes (e.g., initiating, rejecting, and commenting)
• The student will increase his or her use of appropriate communication with unfamiliar partners within the community. 
• The student will independently navigate the augmentative communication device without assistance or prompts. 

Here are a few IEP goals to Support Instruction and Academics:

• Parker will use his augmentative communication device to make brief presentation to the class about the history of the global race to space. 
• Barbara will participate in social studies class through a specifically designed overlay that is developed for her augmentative communication device for each unit. She is expected to volunteer answers to at least two questions per lesson. 

Strategies teachers can use to overcome "learned helplessness"

What are some strategies teachers can use to overcome learned helplessness?

It is important for teachers to give their students a voice but teachers need to recognize that that some students may have gained a learned helplessness. If teachers notice this developing they need to use the strategies below to overcome learned helplessness:

• Build a daily expectation of communication through specific activities such as choosing the activity during recess, picking a book to read, or identifying where to eat lunch
• Construct a brief daily report to parents that is communicated by the student
• Allow natural consequences to occur and provide avenues for repair. This includes setups that alter the environment to provide less support or sabotage.
• Provide for choice making whenever possible that requires the student to use his or her augmentative communication system
• Provide powerful phrases on the device for students to reject or protest something