Assistive technology

Assistive technology

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  How can wehelp? Each classroom is compiled of students that all learn differently and some may have learning disabilities. It is important for teachers to be aware of the resources out there to help them differentiate for these students.
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  Assistive Technology Assistive technologycan be defined as a device or a service. AT device: any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities (McSorley & Wilbur, 2000) AT service: any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device (McSorley & Wilbur, 2000)
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  Students with hearing problems: Alwaysallow the student to sit near the sound source. This could be you or the speakers used during the presentation of material using technology. Make sure to speak over any noise competition. Students may also be provided with a Hearing Assistive Technology System. This can be used with or with our hearing aids.
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  Reading… Audio books canbe very helpful for students with disabilities that have difficulty reading. Optical Character Recognition is a type of technology where a teacher or student can scan printed documents into a computer which can then be read to the student. This is available in many different forms, such as software or an individual unit.
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  Writing For students withdisabilities, writing can be very difficult. If students need to take notes, a Livescribe pen can be very helpful. The pen records the teacher talking and then it can be uploaded onto the computer for students to manipulate. Students can tap on parts of the notes and have them read to them.
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  Writing continued… WordQ isanother resource that is very beneficial for helping students with disabilities on their writing. The software is similar to a cell phone in that it has text prediction, but also has a highlighting feature and is able to provide auditory feedback.
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  Students with ADD/ADHD Weall know these students have a very difficult time focusing. The website www.helpguide.org provides many ideas to helping children in your classroom with ADD/ADHD. For example, develop a hand signal with the student so that when they are off task during a lesson you can use the hand signal without stopping instruction or distracting the rest of the class. You may also want to seat them away from windows and doors.
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  Students with ADD/ADHD Giveinstructions and directions one at a time and repeat when the student needs you to. During work time, make sure the student is in a quiet place in the room. Let students know the order of a lesson and what they are going to be doing. Students with ADD/ADHD should be given frequent, short assessments rather than lengthy assessments.
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  References Hearing Assistive Technology.(2015, January 1). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/treatment/assist_tech.htm McSorley, J., & Wilbur, J. (2000, March 23). Assistive Technology. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~wilbur/access/assistive.html The Write Tools for ADHD Students. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/9365.html Assistive technology tools: Reading. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.greatschools.org/special- education/assistive-technology/948-reading-tools.gs?content=948 Segal, J., & Smith, M. (2015, February 1). Teaching Students with ADD / ADHD. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.helpguide.org/articles/add-adhd/teaching-students-with-adhd-attention-deficit-disorder.htm