Assistive Technology Presentation

1. Assistive Technology
Lauren Lallande

2. Overview
 Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
 What is Assistive Technology?
 How to choose an Assistive Technology tool
 Summary of Assistive Technology
 Resources
 Assistive Technology for Mild Disabilities
 Assistive Listening Devices
 Georgia Project for Assistive Technology (GPAT)

3. Individualized Education Plan
(IEP)
 What is an IEP?
 According to the Individual’s with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), if a
child receives special education, he/she
must also have an IEP. An IEP indicates a
child’s learning needs, the services
provided by the school, and the way in
which progress will be measured.
 Who qualifies for an IEP?
 A child must receive an evaluation first
and then a decision is made. An IEP team
will make the final decision. IDEA states
that having any of these 13 disabilities
may qualify a child for special education:
 Autism
 Blindness
 Deafness
 Emotional Disturbance
 Hearing Impairment
 Intellectual Disability
 Multiple Disabilities
 Orthopedic Impairment
 Other Health Impaired
 Specific Learning Disability
 Speech or Language Impairment
 Traumatic Brain Injury
 Visual Impairment

4. Individualized Education Plan
(IEP)
 How are services delivered?
 IEP services can be delivered in a regular classroom setting or in a special
resource room. However, children who need intense intervention may be
taught in a special school environment.
 Referral and Evaluation Process
 Step 1: Gathering data regarding the child’s academic progress and/or academic
issues. This can be done through a conference with the parents or student,
observation, and through an analysis of the student’s performance.
 Step 2: Specific strategies can be used to help the child become for successful
in school. If this does not work than go to Step 3.
 Step 3: The child will be tested for a specific learning disability to help
determine qualification for special services.
 Step 4: A team of professionals will then evaluate the child based on multiple
things (e.g. observation, performance on standardized tests, etc.).
 Step 5: If the child is eligible, a comprehensive evaluation report is created that
compiles the findings from step 4. The parents review the report before the IEP
is developed.

5. Individualized Education Plan
(IEP)
 Developing an IEP
 At the IEP meeting, the child’s team and parents decide what
will go into the IEP and a regular teacher should also be
included to offer suggestions about how the plan can help the
child’s academic progress.
 The IEP will be reviewed annually and the goals in the IEP will
be updated as well as the levels of service. It is important to
note that an IEP can change at any time on an as-needed basis.
 The IEP process is complicated; however, it is an effective way
to address how a child learns and functions. It is important to
ask questions about the evaluation findings and/or goals
recommended by the child’s team.

6. What is Assistive Technology?
 Assistive technology is a term
that encompasses assistive,
adaptive, and rehabilitative
devices for people with
disabilities.
 Assistive technology also
includes the process that is used
when selecting, locating, and
using the technology.
 Assistive technology gives
people greater independence
because it allows them to
perform tasks that they were
previously unable to perform.
 Examples of Assistive
Technology include:
 Alternative keyboards
 Electronic math work sheets
 Portable word processors

7. How to choose an Assistive
Technology tool
 There are six steps in regards to deciding what Assistive
Technology is best for a child.
 Step 1: Gather child and family information which will begin the
discussion of the child’s strengths, abilities, preferences and needs.
 Step 2: Discuss the child’s daily activities and think about what is
preventing him/her from participating more.
 Step 3: Determine the child’s current level of participation and what
observable behaviors will reflect an increase in independent
interactions.
 Step 4: Brainstorm Assistive Technology solutions.
 Step 5: Determine when AT intervention will begin and create an
observation plan.
 Step 6: Identify and discuss what worked and make necessary
modifications.

8. Summary of Assistive
Technology
 Overview
 Examples of Assistive Technology in the classroom
 Assistive technology can be low-tech or high-tech. Examples
of low-tech assistive technology include communication
boards or fuzzy felt. Examples of high- tech assistive
technology include special purpose computers.

9. Resources
 Assistive Technology for Mild Disabilities
 Assistive Listening Devices
 Georgia Project for Assistive Technology

10. Assistive Technology for Mild
Disabilities
 According to Behrmann and Kinas (2002), assistive
technology can assist students with mild disabilities
in the following six areas:
 Organization
 Low-tech solutions include flow-charting,
task analysis, webbing and outlining.
 High-tech solutions include utilizing the
outline function of word processing
software, the Internet, local area networks,
and LCD projections systems.
 Note Taking
 Low and high-tech methods include
videotaping class sessions, sending web-
cam photography across the Internet to see
and hear what is happening in the
classroom, sending notes/presentations
through e-mail, translating print-based
notes to voice, and using notebook
computers, PDAs, or portable work
processing keyboards to assist students
with note taking.
 Writing
 Writing barriers for students with mild
disabilities include mechanics (grammar,
spelling, etc.), process (generating ideas,
organizing, drafting, etc.) and motivation.
 Solutions to the above barriers include
grammar and spell-checkers, dictionaries,
thesaurus programs, word processors,
computer editing, desktop publishing, and
multimedia capabilities of computers.
 Academic Productivity
 Tools to assist with academic productivity
include calculators, spreadsheets,
databases, and graphics software.
 Access to Reference and General Educational
Materials
 The Internet and multimedia tools give
students easy access to resources and
general educational materials.
 Cognitive Assistance
 Assistive technology can help students with
mild disabilities balance weak areas of
learning with strong areas.

11. Assistive Listening Devices
 Hearing assistive technology systems (HATS) are devices that help
people with a hearing disability function in daily communication
situations. HATS can be utilized with or without hearing aids or
cochlear implants to make hearing easier.
 The following situations are especially difficult for people with
hearing loss:
 Distance between the listener and the sound source
 Competing noise in the environment
 Poor room acoustics/reverberation
 The above situations usually occur together and as a result have a
negative effect on the ability to hear and process speech. HATS
can help those suffering from hearing loss overcome listening
difficulties.

12. Georgia Project for Assistive
Technology (GPAT)
 GPAT is a part of the Georgia Department of Education and
it supports local school systems in their efforts to provide
assistive technology devices and services to students with
disabilities.
 GPAT has been funded since 1991. The mission of GPAT is
“to improve student achievement, productivity, independence
and inclusion by enhancing educator knowledge of assistive
technology and increasing student access to appropriate
assistive technology devices and services.”

13. References
 Assistive technology. (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology
 Behrmann, M. & Kinas, M. (2002). Assistive technology for students
with mild disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-
1/assistive.htm
 Georgia project for assistive technology. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.gpat.org/Georgia-Project-for-Assistive-
Technology/Pages/default.aspx
 Hearing assistive technology. (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/treatment/assist_tech.htm
 Help for young learners: How to choose AT. (2015) Retrieved from
http://www.ldonline.org/article/8088

14. References
 Individualized education programs (IEPs). (2014) Retrieved from
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/iep.html#
 Lee, A. (2014). How IDEA protects you and your child. Retrieved from
https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/your-childs-rights/basics-
about-childs- rights/how-idea-protects-you-and-your-child
 Raskind, M. & Stanberry, K. (2010). Assistive technology for kids with
LD: An overview. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.org/special-
education/assistive-technology/702- assistive-technology-for-kids-with-
learning-disabilities-an-overview.gs?page=all
 Stanberry, K. (2014). Understanding individualized education programs.
Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-
services/ieps/understanding- individualized-education-programs
 What is assistive technology? How is it funded? (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://www.atia.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3859