Assistive Technology

The US Department of Education and IDEA defines assistive technology as "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 functional capabilities of a child with a disability."To me, that is a very broad definition that could mean endless types of assistive technology. Most commonly, when people think of assistive technology they think that it is a resource reserved for students with severe disabilities. However, that is not the case at all. Assistive technology can be used on a wide range of students with all sorts of different disabilities.

Students with mild disabilities can utilize assistive technology just as much as students with serve disabilities. There are many websites that are devoted and full of idea for using assistive technology for students with mild disabilities. Lately I've been finding all my creative ideas for teaching on the popular website of Pinterest. I think that its a great place for teachers to share their creative ideas of things that work in their classrooms. Most of the ideas I have found on Pinterest for using assistive technology have been very low budget or simple to create. One link I found on Pinterest brought me to a website that was chalk full of great assistive technology ideas for mild disabilities. The website had ideas for students with sensory issues, seating needs, fidget tools, auditory tools and also tools for gifted and talented students.

This past summer I worked at a school for students with severe autism. These students could not be served in a general education setting and had needs very different than what I was used to accommodating. It was a great experience for me because I got to learn a lot about autism but I also learned some great uses of assistive technology. My favorite was the PECS boards. PECS stands for picture exchange communication system. This form of assistive technology was a lifesaver for me when working with students with severe behavioral issues and also students who were nonverbal. When working with nonverbal autistic toddlers who had no yet learned how to sign everything they needed, the PECS board went a long way, especially for a young intern like myself. I also used a PECS board with one of my students who had serve behavioral issues. I would use it to help prompt him at times where he needed something but was often too upset to remember to use his words to ask for what he needed. The picture to the right is a great example of a PECS board used for autistic students. My favorite part about the PECS boards is that you can customize each individual PEC to meet the needs of your individual students; there are also a ton of resources online to print out PEC pictures for you students.


Assistive technology is a very broad term and can be used in many different ways to help assist the needs of all different kinds of students, learners and disabilities. I encourage all teachers to get creative when it comes to meetings the unique needs of their students. Assistive technology is a great thing for all students.

References

Hegemeir, R. (n.d.). Autism interactive teaching ideas. Pinterest. Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http://www.pinterest.com/pin/5018699521


US Department of Education. (n.d.). IDEA - Building the legacy of IDEA 2004. Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,st


Pinterest Icon. (n.d.). Google Images . Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/sites/default/files/styles/logo-thumbnail/public/022012/pinterest_icon_0.


Schwenda, K. (n.d.). Assistive technology. EdTech 541: Integrating Technology into the Classroom Curriculum. Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/schwedak/54


Volume meter. (n.d.). Volume meter. Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http://visuals.autism.net/main.php?g2_itemId=37