Assistive Technology and Adaptive Tools

Assistive technology is any device, piece of equipment, or learning system that helps a person work around his challenges so he can learn, communicate, or simply function better and boost his learning and attention too. While assistive technology can’t make learning and attention issues disappear, if used properly and consistently, these tools will build on your child’s strengths, helping him to gain confidence, work more quickly, negotiate classroom routines, reach his goals, and become independent. If your child is struggling with attention issues, math, reading, or writing, there are simple adaptive tools as well as more high-tech tools you can explore.

If your child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) at school, talk to your child’s teacher or team about these tools and perhaps request an assessment. Discuss with them the possibility of adding them into your child’s instructional day. You can use these tools and techniques at home as well so look into these ideas and see what works best for your child.

Listen while you read
Some children benefit from being able to listen to words as they are reading them on the page. These days, many e-books have audio files attached to their books, while tablets often come with text-to-speech software that will broadcast aloud what your child sees on the screen. If you don’t have these tools readily available, then a quick search will turn up options such as TextAloud which you can purchase for this purpose.


Record the lesson
If your child struggles with note taking or recalling what was said in class once home, an inexpensive, small, handheld mp3 recorder might be helpful. Also, a new smartpen can record the voice of the teacher as you take notes, and the exact portion of the audio recording can be replayed just by tapping a word in your notes! Check with your teacher first, though, to make sure she gives her approval before recording audio in class. By using one of these devices, your child can record lessons and instructions while at school and then playback the audio at home.


"Watch" the task
Does your child have difficulty with timed activities or rigid scheduling? Visual cues may help and are not disruptive in class. A fun wristwatch is fashionable, inexpensive, and can help your child pace her work—even cluing her in to how much time is remaining to complete the task she is working on. Take your child with you when watch-shopping so she can pick out her favorite color, Disney character, or super-hero themed watch, and she’ll take pride in wearing it to school.

Take a line at a time

A reading guide is terrific if your child struggles with visual tracking while reading words on a page or tablet. A simple, solid colored strip of plastic or paper is placed underneath the line being read, making it easier to read the single line because it blocks out surrounding words or lines that are likely causing visual problems or distractions. The strip is light-weight and can easily be moved up and down the page.






Get comfy
For kids who struggle to sit still for long periods of time, causing attention issues and other problems, a soft seat cushion just may be the answer. The padding in the cushion will provide a bit more comfort on hard school seats while allowing for enough movement as well. This just might lessen your child’s need to wiggle about in his chair or get up and move around, resulting in better focus on the classroom activities.





Amplify the teacher
If auditory processing or more severe attention issues are a concern, then a frequency modulation system may be the answer. Your child’s teacher wears a small microphone that transmits to a personal receiver worn by your child, reducing background noise, amplifying the teacher's voice and avoiding classroom disruption. This is a tool that can also help kids with hearing impairment and language-processing issues.





Type or speak to write
Everyday, basic word processing programs will assist with spelling and grammar issues, while more advanced software such as Dragon allows your child to speak aloud and the recognition software processes the words and recreates them as text on the computer or tablet screen.




Diagram the lesson
A low-tech way to help your child organize his thoughts and ideas for a writing assignment is with the use of a graphic organizer. There are so many different styles to consider, but this tool will help to focus and order writing tasks into smaller steps in order to achieve a finished project. For some really excellent graphic organizers that you can adopt for your use, check out this webpage and decide which one you like the best.
 

Make the numbers large
A basic calculator might help if math is a struggle for your child. Some have large displays and there are even some with speech capabilities that can broadcast numbers, symbols, and other functions as the keys are pressed.

 

Get a grip on handwriting
Soft plastic pencil grips are perfect for the child who may struggle to hold the implement, while the use of a computer or tablet can eliminate that need in many cases.








Exploring these different options, considering the specific needs of your child, and finding the right tool may take some time, but it can make all the difference in educational success for your child. We are happy to help you in this process and to help design a plan for your child, so give our office a call!