Class 10: Assistive Technlogy For: Autism

My group  (Donalda and Keisha) was assigned number 7 where we had to find technology for students with autism, the following is some of what we looked at.
au·tism
a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts.
AT for students with Autism

As we are well aware, AT users are as distinct and unique as the supports that they require.  Assistive Technology for students with Autism is a very broad term that requires planning teams to look at the individual and their specific needs.

There are three levels of technology:
Low tech: Any communication system that does not require a power source.
Mid tech: Any communication system that requires a source of power and is very easy to program.  Might require some level of training to adequately program and maintain the device.
High tech: Any communication system that requires a power source and extensive training to competently program and maintain the device. High tech devices incorporate sophisticated electronics or computers.

Low tech AT for students with Autism might include:

Activity Picture Schedules
Visual Rules
Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS)
First-Then Boards
Each of these forms of AT allow students to see visually the schedule or expectations of the day to encourage focused, and on-task behavior.  They are able to more visually interpret needs, wants and consequences of actions. Visual supports can also help improve behaviors, facilitate participation in activities, improve predictability of daily events, improve transitions, improve memory, and attract and focus attention. Because visual symbols are stable over time, they help make concepts more concrete for children with disabilities.

Mid tech AT for students with Autism might include:

When used as AAC:
StepbySteps
BigMack
GoTalk
CheapTalk
TechTalk
Yes/No Buttons
Talkpoints
Talking Brix
Sequencer
 Lingo

High tech AT for students with Autism might include:

A wide variety of apps that can be purchased for mobile devices.


For students requiring more support:
Speech to Text apps
Autismate
Pictello
Proloquo2Go
Visual Timer

For students requiring less support
iMovie
Book Creator
iReward


http://www.designtolearn.com/products/communication_matrix
http://www.ablenetinc.com/Assistive-Technology/Communication/BIG-Step-by-Step-LITTLE-Step-by-Step

http://www.wati.org/content/supports/free/pdf/ASDManual-1.pdf
Talking Brix™ Communicators
for building AAC and Literacy

Use one Brix for personal reminders, or attach as many as you like, creating simple, scalable communication grids. Talking Brix are thin, light communicators with built-in magnets, perfect for carrying in a pocket, or placing around the room! For table-top users, Talking Brix use an ingenious tab and slot connector to link to other Brix.
Create multi-message communicators in any arrangement you like. Straight-line layouts reinforce sequential communication or linear learning activities. L-shape and other layouts allow users to create communication grids that meet their unique physical needs. At a cost-conscious price, one, two, three or more messages are within your budget!

TalkTrac Wearable Communicator

TalkTrac is back! Communication on the go has never been easier with the TalkTrac wearable communicator. TalkTrac features four messages and two levels for a total of eight individual messages. It's perfect for breaking the ice, conversing with family and friends, interacting with classmates, and even recording personal information and to-do lists. TalkTrac is a perfect companion for children and adults on the autism spectrum, helping them feel more comfortable in social situations.

BIGmack® and LITTLEmack® Communicator

Communicator for disabled people

Record any single message directly into the BIGmack communicator and press its activation surface for playback up to two minutes in length. With its large, 5-inch activation surface, BIGmack is an excellent choice for persons with visual impairments or who require a larger target area. Powered by a replaceable 9 volt battery – BIGmack never needs charging and can last for weeks or even months on a single battery.

Switch tops included: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue

Easy single-message recording

Crystal-clear digital sound

Volume control and ON/OFF switch

External switch jack for specialty switch operation

Toy/Appliance jack with cable

Requires 9-volt battery (not included)

Description

Answers:YesNo Free allows you to have a fully functioning binary ACC communication device at no cost. It shares many of the same features of Answers:YesNo for the iPhone and Answers:YesNo HD for the ipad, which means in addition to being able to use the program as a simple yes-no board, you also have the ability to program and save text

Think of VideoBrix as the quick answer to rich communication messages and friendly reminders wherever they are needed. Whether it´s a reminder of the daily schedule or a video model of appropriate behavior, we are sure you can think of thousands of places to use VideoBrix, - especially for students and children on the autism spectrum.

VideoBrix is quick and easy to use. Within moments, record a single message with the device's onboard camera and microphone. The screen will help show which button to press to play (or record) a message.

Academics: Low Tech Tools and Strategies 

File Folder Activities/Structured Teaching Format: The student can independently focus on 

many academic tasks through the use of file folder activities. Long strips of Velcro can be placed 

on the inside pages of a laminated file folder. The student can then be given picture/symbol/word 

cards with Velcro on the back. Matching tasks, sorting tasks, and sequencing tasks focusing on 

appropriate content (e.g., colors, shapes, alphabet letters, common nouns, familiar people, 

categories, relationships, concepts from a science unit, etc.) are all appropriate. File folders can 

also be used for many other activities that focus on reading comprehension skills, math skills, File folder activities can be part of a broad approach called Structured Teaching. The 

key is to provide a structure for the presentation and independent completion of activities or 

tasks. See www.teacch.com or www.specialed.us/autism/structure/str10.htm for information 

about structured teaching. 

Magnetic letters, words, and numbers: There are hundreds of magnetic words, letters, and 

numerals in various sizes of print that can be used to complete assignments and answer 

questions. This is especially critical if the student is not yet ready to write or keyboard, but can 

read whole words and create sentences if not hampered by the need to “write.” Beacon Ridge 

and Magnetic Poetry are two common sources.

Acrylic Easel: If the student is struggling with tracing or writing, a clear acrylic easel can be 

used to allow the student to follow the movements made by a teacher or therapist, who works 

from the inside of the easel. This is a precursor to being able to trace already completed shapes 

or lines. 

Interactive Books: Any book can become "interactive” in a variety of ways: by creating 

vocabulary cards with matching pictures; by adding Velcro strips with picture, letter or word 

choices to match to appropriate spots on the pages; or by adding sound, texture, or moving parts. 

Academics: High Tech Tools and Strategies 

Video Taping: The use of video can provide students with visual images of many academic 

processes from writing to creating projects to working in a team. A wide assortment of cameras 

and editing programs are available to make creating videos easy. 

Computers: Computers are often highly motivating and engaging for students with ASD. 

Learning on the computer lacks the ambiguities and distractions of other teaching methods in the 

classroom. Research has shown that using computers can increase attention and decrease 

anxiety-related behaviors in students with ASD. They provide a predictable, concrete learning 

environment that is often self-directed and self-paced. Computer use can provide students with a 

sense of control and consistency in a world that generally affords them little of either. Using the 

computer (and Internet and software programs) can be incorporated into home and classroom 

learning in more ways than we can enumerate: as a reward, as a means for more in depth 

learning, as an activity in independence, as a curriculum option, or as a social setting (online or 

games). 

Interactive Storybooks (software or online) or e-books: These tools use the computer to make 

reading activities even MORE engaging!  

 Students with Autism Josh's story

Assignment 2 : Research Papers

Assistive Technology is by far the best tool being used in aiding people with disabilities in the field of education. This knowledge has been further strengthened by the findings in the articles I have read.

Integrating the iPad into Language Arts Instruction for 
Students with Disabilities: Engagement and Perspectives
Therese M. Cumming
University of New South Wales
Cathi Draper Rodriguez
California State University–Monterey Bay
This paper showed that the inception of mobile technologies, most notably the iPad touch, the iPad and other tablet computers,has rendered educational computing more portable and accessible. Education which has been slow to adopt the technologies has integrated these at great speed though slow to take up the opportunity to begin with.
Rothchild (2011) is quoted as proposing that "the iPad is somewhat of a digital education prescription iPad". The article states that little support exists in the professional research literature for the use of the iPad to support students with disabilities, which is attributed to the novelty of the technology. The use of the iPad and iPod are widely discussed and supported in this article, it is encouraged to replace the television and computer use to make it easier for the students to receive intervention at an early age in all settings. The iPad is credited with helping elementary students with autism transition independently in inclusive settings.

The article credits the iPad with supporting language skills, developmental skills, communication, social interaction, it is accredited by teachers as easy to use, requiring little preparation time, fewer materials and increased communication speed. The article includes student studies with the aim being the use of the iPad to help  in building language based abilities, teacher satisfaction and level of student satisfaction. The conclusion drawn from the assessment was that the teacher was pleased to see how quickly the students learned how to function and use the programs and their independence while working, the students on the other hand liked playing games on the device but were excited about using the device.
The basis of the paper was to determine the effect the iPad integration would have on the academic engagement of students with language based disabilities during language arts lessons.

The accomplishments of the iPad are well stated in this study and its use and effectiveness with children with special needs is quite effective, it gives each child an independence they might not have had or experienced without it personally and educationally. Having seen how these devices help students and continues to help them educationally the effectiveness is not overstated but quite practical. Students are motivated to do their lessons in a more effective and energetic way when they do so in an enjoyable environment where they can learn while playing.

http://expandinghorizonsineducation.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/9/5/26950018/integrating_the_ipad_into_language_arts_instuction_for_students_with_disabilities_engagement_and_perspectives.pdf


Infusing Universal design for learning and Assistive technology in teacher education
Hajer Chalghoumi
 The infusion of At and UDL in teacher education was analyzed in this article. With moves towards inclusive education, more and more students with special needs are placed in the general student population therefore pushing for advances in technology for these students as it provides them with new options to participate in and accomplish tasks in an inclusive educational setting. The size and growth of special student population allows the importance of AT and UDL solutions to grow in importance. The success of these solutions depends greatly on the skills and knowledge of the teachers to implement and evaluate these solutions. Lack of awareness and training of teachers continuously acts as a major barrier to the implementation of AT and UDL in education.
A framework was built of the project that suggests directions of teacher education to enable it takes into account the needs, skills and knowledge regular and special education teachers should develop. The research project was based on an original approach to AT and UDL that considers AT and UDL different but completely complementary, this is shown is the fact that AT is unique and personal as it travels with the individual and UDL is universal and inclusive, accommodating diversity and the fact that advances in one approach prompts advances in the other thus reciprocating an evolution that maximizes their mutual benefits. It uses methods such as data collection, literature review, syllabi analysis, questionnaires, and follow up interviews.
This research is quite effective as it includes the means of data collection that will give results in different areas. With trained teachers who are aware of what the difficulties of an individual are then they are better able to assess and implement strategies to deal with the specific needs of the students in their care, training in the area of technology is vital if it is to be utilized effectively and appropriately. I take myself as an example, I was not and would not have been able to help my students without the proper knowledge to pass on to them, if I am unable to utilize the resources available then how will I be able to pass on the knowledge? However, having done this course and knowing what to do to help the students I am better able to do so and they will be benefited by the knowledge I have garnered.

http://wiki.fluidproject.org/display/fluid/Infusing+Universal+design+for+learning+and+Assistive+technology+in+teacher+education

Effect of Assistive Technology in a Public School Setting

Anne H. Watson, Max Ito, Roger O. Smith, Lori T. Andersen

The Individuals With Disabilities Educational Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) directs that Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams must consider assistive technology (AT) during the drafting of every students IEP.

Despite this direction however, little evidence exists regarding AT effectiveness in the public school setting, which creates the possibility that an IEP team may decline to implement AT. A lack of reliable, validated measurement tools adds to the difficulty of conducting empirical studies. Many studies used client satisfaction as an outcome measure. Another study included societal costs in the form of institutionalization as an outcome measure. The functional performance changes of the client for AT intervention, especially those regarding children in public school settings, continues to receive less recognition as an outcome variable than user satisfaction or use versus non use. Various studies have shown the improvement in the performance of children with cerebral palsy secondary to the introduction of AT as measured by the Caregiver Assistant Scale of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI).

The studies performed highlighted the need for more group designed studies in the occupational therapy AT literature. The purpose of the study was to seek evidence regarding AT's effectiveness in a public school by determining the out come of AT provided by a multidisciplinary team in helping students enhance their performance in a public school setting.

 The method used was a pretest post test quasi experimental design which allowed students to serve as their own control. The Student Performance Profile was used as a study measure. The SPP was used because it can be customized to a wide variety of students, it is specific to the use of AT in a public school setting, and it bases performance on IEP goal or objective ability level.

This article like the previous ones shows the effectiveness of using AT in educating students with special needs, however several other AT devices were used in this study as shown in the list below:

the studies show that AT has a positive impact on children's performance, the analysis provided further evidence of AT's positive contribution to educational development.

http://marylandlearninglinks.org/data/ck/sites/121/files/Watson%20et%20al%20%202010.pdf

iPads as instructional tools to enhance learning opportunities for students with developmental disabilities: An action research project
Therese M Cumming, Iva Strnadova, Sylvia Singh

Many studies over the past few decades have been conducted under the auspices of UDL as a theoretical framework. These studies have shown that several kinds of technology can be used successfully to support the learning of students with disabilities. It goes on to show that studies have found that video is an effective tool in teaching not only generalized academic skills but is also motivational for them.They found that video was particularly successful in teaching students:
(a) sign language
(b) functional living skills
(c) reading
(d) community based instruction
(e) social skills.
The study went on to show that even though students with disabilities would benefit more from having a computer they are the least likely to get one or access the internet due to factors such as sustainability, affordability and portability.
This I can attest to as in my own country the students with disabilities are least likely to get technological devices as the focus would be on helping those who are "normal" to achieve greater academic success.It is nice to note that the above mentioned problems have become significantly lessened with the inception of technological gadgets such as the iPods, mobile phone , iPads, these are portable devices that can download educational software for students to use anywhere.
The writers of article conducted a study with two core questions in mind, these were:
a. How can mobile devices such as iPads assist and enhance learning opportunities for students?
b. What are the perceptions of students with developmental disabilities and their teachers in regard to using the iPad as an instructional tool?
The actions taken in this research were quite effective as they recorded actions before during and after to ensure proper data collection thus getting a correct view of where the students were and the progress they made in the process, the sessions were also video taped  so as to have an even greater vantage point for assessment. The fact also that this research was done over time will prove its effectiveness in its findings. Some of the findings included the fact that  ‘‘students are able to work independently on a
majority of the applications without a teacher’s assistance.’’ The teachers mentioned a plethora of ways they were using the iPad, along with apps they were using. Having gone through this course I have seen some of  the numerous apps available to help students with and without disabilities to achieve academically.  In the study, both students and teachers found the iPads to be motivating and effective as tools for learning, as in my opinion it enhances both parties as the teacher had to learn how to use it before teaching it to the student thus both parties get benefits from the learning activity.

Learning from Text
by Dave L. Edyburn, Ph.D.

Learning to read is the predominant focus of
reading instruction in grades 1-3. However, in
grade 4 and beyond, the focus shifts to reading to
learn. The predominant instructional model,
probably exceeded only by use of the blackboard,
involves learning from print (Sorrells & Britton,
1998)

This article by Edyburn reiterates what I and a few of my classmates have said before " for more literate individuals the challenges of struggling readers are incomprehensible" That is until we were shown in class all the complex processes involved in reading from the smallest to the most complex word. In this article Edyburn argues why the " one-size-fits all" curriculum is so difficult for students who have the ability to do well but in a different way from that which is set out in the curriculum, all they need are the right "tools" and guidance.
Often, the most important outcome of education is considered to be the knowledge that a person carries around in their head. What happens when a student fails to learn to read? This question is what all educators should ask themselves before going into the classroom and formulating responses aimed at correcting it even before it arises, this will make the teacher able to come up with different teaching strategies to better assist a student with a disability without putting the student through the stress of a general curriculum that is where the answer to this question posed in the article comes in "Are there other ways of performing the task?" From the article the answer would be a clear and resounding "YES" there are several ways of performing a task, In the article Edyburn outlined specific sites to which an educator can go to access help for a students needs.

This article was quite interesting and I found myself smiling at some of the things that were outlined that teachers do, such as in presenting information to students, the differences in the preschool system where children are expected to get hands on knowledge and the middle school which is learning from text, if a student does not reach a certain expectation the solution is to assign a failing grade and move on due to time constraint. All these are issues I have seen and was guilty of doing myself without exploring other avenues that can help a struggling student, partly because the resources were not available to do so, however with AT a lot can be done in many different ways as shown by some sites that were quoted in the article to help with different learning problems.

This along with all the previous articles outlines the importance and usefulness of AT in education.


Would You Recognize Universal Design For Learning If You Saw It?
Dave Edyburn

In this article Edyburn raises concerns about the use of UDL and its effectiveness, thus raising the question; Will we recognize UDL if we see it? Edyburn put forward  10 propositions that the profession should consider in order to clearly discern what UDL is and how we might go about implementing the construct with fidelity to properly measure the effects of UDL.
These propositions are:

1. Universal Design in Education Is Fundamentally Different from Universal Design in the Built Environment
2. UDL Is Fundamentally About Proactively Valuing Diversity.
3. UDL Is Ultimately About Design
4. Universal Design for Learning Is Not Just Good Teaching.
5. Universal Design for Learning Does Not Occur Naturally
6.  Technology Is Essential for Implementing UDL.
7.  UDL Is Not Assistive Technology
8.  Is It Necessary to Measure the Primary and Secondary Impact of UDL
9. Claims of UDL Must Be Evaluated on the Basis of Enhanced Student Performance.
10. UDL Is Much More Complex Than We Originally Thought.

Edyburn is pointing to the fact that  not because we are using a computer to show a child something does not qualify as using UDL, we need to focus on the needs of the individual and  understand what it means to implement UDL, which includes measuring the outcomes of it's use.  I must say however that for one who only hears of UDL without really learning about how to use it in a helpful way this can be a deterrent. This leads me back to the article that advocates for infusing assistive technology in teacher education, Teachers need to get the in depth knowledge of when, how and why UDL is used in order to use it in a meaningful manner, they need to be exposed to the various forms and sites available in order to in turn expose their students to it, "you cannot teach it if you do not know it".

"We must find ways to define and measure implementation of UDL in order to discern when it is being implemented and when it is not. UDL must be recognized as a learned skill, one that is refined over time".
With the new knowledge I have gained I hope to be one of the teachers who advocates for the use of Assistive technology and UDL in not just my school but any school where students are in need of the help that can be gained from programs and sites that offer assistance in education.