Assistive Technology for Kids with Learning Disabilities: An Overview Assistive technology (AT) is available to help individuals with many types of disabilities — from cognitive problems to physical impairment. This article will focus specifically on AT for individuals with learning disabilities (LD). The use of technology to enhance learning is an effective approach for many children. Additionally, students with LD often experience greater success when they are allowed to use their abilities (strengths) to work around their disabilities (challenges). AT tools combine the best of both of these practices. What is assistive technology for LD? AT for kids with LD is defined as any device, piece of equipment or system that helps bypass, work around or compensate for an individual's specific learning deficits. In general, AT compensates for a student's skills deficits or area(s) of disability. AT can increase a child's self-reliance and sense of independence. What types of learning problems does assistive technology address? Listening Math Organization and memory
5 Literacy Apps for Your Beginning Reader | Scholastic | Parents "Mom, can I use the tablet?" It's a request I get at least once a day in our house. My kids do love technology. As parents, we want to make sure that tablet time is spent mainly engaging with high-quality learning apps. Below are five apps that are worth putting on your tablet for your 4-7 year-old kids to use. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The next time your kids ask for tablet time, you can feel good knowing they are interacting with one of these enjoyable and educational apps developed to build their reading skills.
Assistive Technology for Writing | Understood - For learning and thinking differences Technology can be a huge boost for adults and kids who struggle with writing. A keyboard, for example, can help people who have trouble using a pen or pencil. (AT) tools like this can make the physical act of writing easier. AT can also help with spelling and grammar, and with organizing and expressing thoughts in writing. To understand the options, here’s a guide to AT tools for writing, and where to find them. Types of Assistive Technology Tools for Writing There’s a wide range of AT tools for writing. Handwriting tools can help people who have trouble with motor skills. Keyboards and touchscreens can also help people who struggle with handwriting. Dictation (speech-to-text) allows you to write by using your voice. Word prediction suggests correct spellings of words after only a few letters are typed. Spellcheck and grammar check are available on most word processors. Text-to-speech (TTS) is typically thought of as a reading tool. Where to Get Assistive Technology for Writing
Assistive Technology Technology can open doors and break down barriers for children, youth, and adults with disabilities. Whether in the classroom or workplace, assistive technology (including devices, software, recordings, and much more) can increase, maintain, or improve the capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Also, technology that is used by everyone, such as spell check, can be particularly helpful to people with learning disabilities. Here we explore new developments in technology that can accommodate people with learning disabilities. There are 67 articles in this section. Meet AT Expert Beth Poss A video interview with Beth Poss from the Center on Technology and Disability. AT in Action Teachers and students at Jemicy School share their experience with assistive technology (AT). Help Your Child with a Learning Disability Be More Independent with Assistive Technology Funding Assistive Technology for K-12 Supporting Students with Dyslexia: Standards, Accommodations, and Strategies
Apps and Websites to Build Literacy Skills: Top Picks from Common Sense Education Browse these Top Picks to discover the best in educational apps and websites that support core literacy skills — phonics, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, comprehension, and writing. You'll also find recommendations for quality assistive technology to support kids who are struggling with reading. All of the tools are expert-tested and teacher-approved, and regularly updated by the team at Common Sense Education. By Danny Wagner, Common Sense Education Are you overwhelmed by the number of edtech tools available? What’s it all about? Our unbiased editorial reviews are based on a research-backed rubric developed specifically to evaluate the learning potential of digital tools. The in-depth reviews focus on a number of factors that are important to teachers: price and platform, appropriate grade level, if the tools is good for learning, how teachers can use it in the classroom, and more. How can I use it? Search apps, games, and websites by grade, subject, price, and more. What’s it all about?
Assistive Technology for Auditory Processing Disorder | Understood - For learning and thinking differences Kids with auditory processing disorder (APD) can struggle to recognize subtle differences in the sounds of words. This can create challenges, like mishearing directions in class or being easily distracted by background noise. But assistive technology (AT) can be a big help. There are lots of AT tools that can help kids with APD deal with everyday challenges. Some tools can amplify important sounds, like the teacher’s voice. Others can minimize background noise to help kids follow what’s being said. If you’re looking for AT for your child, it can be hard to know where to start. Types of Assistive Technology Tools for Auditory Processing Disorder Here are some of the most helpful AT tools for auditory processing disorder. Personal listening devices (PLD) can help kids hear a teacher’s voice more clearly. Where to Get Assistive Technology for Auditory Processing Disorder Some of the AT tools mentioned above are individual items that are easy to find.
Webinar Recording: Math and LDs - Using Assistive Technology and Project-Based Learning to Support All Students - LD@school Add to favorites Click here to access the transcript of this webinar. Click here to access Richard Parker's slides. About the webinar: Math has become a hot topic in Ontario and yet, despite our best efforts, students with LDs can still be left behind. Some students struggle with numerical skills and computation. This webinar will show you how assistive technology, like Google Tools and other web-based tools, can help your students express what they have learned. By the end of this webinar, participants will: Have an understanding of the different assistive technologies available for students to use in mathLearn how to foster math communication using voice and screen recordingUnderstand how to implement a project-based learning task to help reach multiple curriculum subjects, as well as multiple needs in your classroom About the presenter: Richard Parker is a teacher from the Halton District School Board and a strong advocate for students with exceptionalities.
The Best Reading Apps for 4- to 8-Year-Olds No, they’re not a waste of time. Not the good ones, anyway. Used judiciously, and as a complement to physical books, good reading apps can help kids learn to read and practice reading. “The advantage of using a device for reading is that it easily fits into modern families’ busy schedules so kids can read anywhere,” explains Beth Chang of iGameMom. There are many reading apps out there, though, and they’re not all created equal. Learning to Read Apps Learning to read apps should include phonics, sight words, as well as reading words and sentences. 1. Practice Reading Apps There are a lot of individual story apps, but economically it’s to your advantage to use an app with storybooks within it. Reading on a device is so much better than playing mindless games.
Chrome & Assistive Technology (AT) - Chrome Toolbox Why Google Chrome? There are several reasons why Chrome is regarded as the most popular browser in the world: It is considered the more secure than the competition, is one the speediest, and benefits from cloud based profiles. This last feature is particularly useful for those interested in assistive technology because it allows the user to become untethered from the device. Your user profile is in the cloud When using Chrome, your profile is stored on the Internet and your extensions and apps follow you from browser to browser. The extensions and apps that you find on this site can extend the Chrome browser in powerful ways. Chrome for Inclusive Education As educators we believe that students with vision, hearing, physical, communication, and learning challenges have the same potential to learn as anyone else if the "mechanical" impediments to participation in the classroom are removed or lessened. A "portable" least restrictive environment Google's Own Accessibility Efforts
IEP Development for a Student with a Learning Disability: The Power of Accommodations - LD@school Add to favorites The team has made the decision; an IEP will be developed to further support the student. The process begins and sometimes those collaborating in the development of the IEP can end up feeling quite overwhelmed. The timelines, the decisions that need to be made, familiarity with the software and the conscientious desire to develop a good program all add to a teacher’s capacity in September or anytime of the year. The following are recommendations to accomplish all of the above and help mitigate the stress of feeling a need to produce a complicated document. Begin with Who (the student and the student profile) Seek to understand the whole child, their strengths as well as their needs. The Strengths and Needs are Key! Seek to understand the diagnosis or exceptionality. Start with Why (strengths and needs) in choosing the What (accommodations) Being mindful of the shared beliefs in Learning for All, 2013 (e.g. Examples: Important points to note: Bibliography
Early Literacy - Apps on Google Play "Early Literacy" provides different levels of literacy activities to help young children learn Chinese effectively, and master the literacy-related cognitive and perceptual skills, including oculomotor control & visual perception, phonological awareness, morphological awareness, orthographic awareness, pre-writing & writing skills. "Early Literacy" is developed by SAHK professional team. The content is evidence-based and context-based. The characters are chosen from the local curriculum. There are videos and interesting games to enhance children’s learning motivation. This upgraded app provides new functions including Augmented Reality (AR) game, dashboard for viewing learning progress, upload & download game data backup. "Early Literacy" can be used together with “The Early Literacy Learning Package 2” published by SAHK to make learning more comprehensive. Target population:1. Content and characteristics:There are 6 themes in the app, each theme contains 4 parts: 1. 2. ii. iii. iv. v.