2. Overview
Working with students with special needs can be a very
challenging aspect of your career as a teacher.
When working with special needs students, you have to
make sure that you are accommodating their needs so
they get the best education they can.
This often means making modifications to lesson plans
and classroom procedures.
Most students who have been identified as special needs
have an individualized education plan (IEP).
This plan lists the goals that the student is trying to reach
for the school year. It also lists any accommodations the
student may need.
3. Overview Continued
As an educator it is important to remember that
special needs students are not incapable of learning.
They just need to be taught in a way that is most
advantageous for them.
In a lot of cases, students with special needs such as
ADHD, auditory disabilities and mild learning
disabilities require assistive technology and other
strategies to succeed.
4. Assistive Technology
Assistive technology can be very useful when working
with individuals with special needs.
As defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act, assistive technology is 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.
These assistive technologies can make a huge difference
in the education of a special needs student.
There are a wide range of items designed for all types of
disabilities.
5. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD)
ADHD is very common among young children,
adolescents and adults.
The most common symptoms are an inability to stay
focused, hyperactivity, short attention span and
sometimes behavioral outbursts.
Symptoms that can be seen in class include:
Being easily distracted
Struggling to follow instruction
Nonstop talking
A lot of movement when sitting
Being impatient
Having a hard time focusing on one thing
6. Assistive Technology for ADHD
The main objective when choosing an assistive
technology for a student with ADHD is to prevent the
symptom or behavior that disrupts their learning.
For students who are easily distracted by noises you can
provide noise cancelling earphones.
There are talking books for students who have issues
focusing when reading.
There are invisible clocks and other reminder timers.
These devices go off at set times to help remind the
individual that they have something to do.
There are also computer based programs for reading,
writing and math that help keep the student focused on
the task at hand.
7. Auditory Disabilities
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a disorder in
which individuals have problems processing what they
hear.
The problem is caused by a miscommunication between
the brain and ears.
Individuals with APD are not deaf, they just have a
problem with processing what they hear.
Symptoms that may be present:
Being easily distracted by loud or sudden noises
Difficulty following conversations
Difficulty following directions
Problems with reading, writing or spelling
8. Assistive Technology for Auditory Disabilities
Assistive technologies for individuals
with auditory disabilities help reduce
background noise.
Hearing loop systems are a great tool
for students with auditory disabilities.
This system involves the individual
with the disability wearing a headset or
setting their hearing aid or cochlear
implant to a specific setting. There also
has to be a small wire loop setup
around the perimeter of the room.
Once they have the headset on or their
hearing device set to the correct setting,
they are able to hear what the speaker
is saying without background noise
interfering. What makes this tool even
more useful is that it can be used with
TVs in the classroom and public
address systems.
Setup of a hearing loop system.
9. Assistive Technology for Auditory Disabilities
FM systems are another great
tool to use in the classroom.
The teacher wears a small
microphone and the student with
the disability has a receiver that
is set to a specific channel so it
picks up the signals from the
microphone.
The student wears a headset
unless they have a hearing aid or
implant. In the case that they
have a hearing aid or
implant, they either wear a wire
around the neck or one behind
the ear. The wire picks up the
signal and converts it to a
magnetic signal that can be
picked up by the implant or
hearing aid.
10. Assistive Technology for Auditory Disabilities
There are also other methods that can be used in the
classroom along the with assistive technology.
Make eye contact when speaking to the individual.
Speak in slow, simple sentences.
When giving instructions have the individual repeat
them back to you.
Try to reduce background noise when
possible, especially when you are lecturing.
11. Mild Learning Disabilities
Individuals with mild learning disabilities are
intellectually below average. They are often mature
at a slower rate, have problems adjusting socially,
have attention problems, show signs of clumsiness
and have developmental issues with speech and
language.
Students with mile learning disabilities can struggle
in almost all content areas. They have problems
understanding content and applying what they have
learned.
12. Mild Learning Disabilities
As an educator it is important to remember to hold
students with learning disabilities to the same
standards you have for students who do have a
learning disability.
Some strategies that may help when working with
students with mild learning disabilities include:
Giving explicit instructions
Use mnemonics to help students remember
Group an LD student with a non-LD student when assigning
group work
Supply organizers for the student
13. Assistive Technology for Mild Learning
Disabilities
You can use Text-to-Speech Software. Most Mac and
Windows computers come equipped with this feature. If
the computer does not have the feature, there are
websites that offer free downloads. These programs
convert computer documents from text to voice. The
voice files can be saved as mp3 and used later.
For students who have problems reading there are
reading pens. These pens are passed over text and from
there the words can be translated, defined or
pronounced for the reader. There are two types of
reading pens. The simple version for early readers and
the advanced version for someone with a larger
vocabulary.
There are also small handheld devices that allow
students to write and get feedback from the software.
The devices often come with text-to-speech features.
These devices also have the capabilities of having other
software packages being added to them for all content
areas.
Reading pen
14. Conclusion
Working with students who have disabilities can be a
frightening thought for many teachers. However,
with the correct tools and a better understanding of
the different types of disabilities, both the teacher
and the student can have a successful and fulfilling
experience.
