User:Annamuzaffar/sandbox

Special education - technology - different disabilities.

Things I'm adding - a section on technology in special ed classrooms. and benefits of tech in these classrooms

Including - tech and autism, down syndrome, and dyslexic students

Integrating Technology

Autism - Stats -

• "An estimated 1 out of 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States."

Autism is known as a disability that impairs the social interactions and communication skills of a person. People who are autistic tend think and act differently than others. Many children with autism spectrum disorder find themselves comfortable with a device in their hands. Technologies - Melt Down Redirection - time tracker which allows autistic children to get ready when changing topics in classroom - For students with autism, there are apps called “visual scene displays” that are most helpful for children who are having difficulty with verbal skills, according to Jules Csillag, a speech-language pathologist who focuses on special ed tech. Apps such as SceneSpeak and Speech with Milo help autistic children develop storytelling skills with text-to-speech voice and interactive storybooks. Using apps like these in a classroom can improve autistic student’s verbal skills. 

down syndrome - stats -

•  Each year, about 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome, which is about 1 in every 700 babies born."

If a student has down syndrome, assistive technology can help with their learning experience. Author of Down Syndrome: A Promising Future, Together, Terry Hassold, who got his ph.d in human genetics, explains that students with Down syndrome have delays with cognitive ability. Their brains have a late reaction when their neurological system sends a message for any task. Because of this late reaction, they tend to take longer to complete a task than an average students. Assistive technology is crucial in helping Down's students with their writing ability. Down syndrome children tend to have shorter, stubbier fingers and a lowered thumb making their ability to write more difficult. Also, some of the usual wrist bones are not formed, making it difficult to hold objects. Slanted desks are one type of assisted technology that can aid in the successful ability to write. A three-ring binder can be used to create a slanted desk by turning the binder sideways. Also, students with Down's often try to hold their pencils by anchoring them against the thumb rather than using the tip of their thumb. Shortened pencils or triangular-shaped pencils encourage students to hold them correctly. Using any of these assistive technologies can help down syndrome students during their educational process.

Adhd - stats -

An estimate of 6.4 million American children ages 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD.

http://www.adhd-brain.com/assistive-technology-for-adhd.html

Benefits -

"Communication is the door to humanism and assistive technology is one of the keys to opening up a world for the significantly disabled population"

Today many people with disabilities are breaking barriers through the use of technology. For some individuals with disabilities, assistive technology is a necessary tool that enables them to engage in or perform many tasks. Integrating technology will allow students to increase their self-confidence, self-motivation, independence and they will also be able to engage in different activities within the school.