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Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative

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Vol. 8, No. 4 Fall 2000

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Learning Disabilities and Assistive Technology: How Can AT Help My Child?

by Dan Fendler, Assistive Technology Specialist, Kent County

Children may have difficulty learning because of any number of "learning disabilities" (LD). This article will focus on some assistive technology (AT) that may be useful for children with LD. First, some basics about learning disabilities.

What Is a Learning Disability?

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a learning disability is a "disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or to do mathematical calculations." According to the law, learning disabilities are not learning problems caused solely by visual, hearing, or motor disabilities; mental retardation; or environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.cartoon of a computer with a big smile on its screen

What Are the Signs of a Learning Disability?

According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), some indicators to look for are: preschool children may have pronunciation problems, slow vocabulary growth, or trouble learning numbers, letters or days of the week. They may also be extremely restless, have difficulty learning right from left, or have trouble interacting with playmates. School-age children in lower grades may have trouble reading, spelling or following directions. They may be slow to recall facts, easily distracted, or have poor spelling or trouble with letter formation. Children in middle school may exhibit poor reading comprehension, have trouble with word problems, or have poor, illegible writing. Those in upper grades may have a poor written expression, trouble studying for tests, or poor grasp of abstract concepts. (Learn more from NCLD's website: www.ncld.org.)

If you suspect that your child might have a learning disability, it is important to speak to school personnel. They will arrange to have your child evaluated by the appropriate professionals. The presence of one or more of the symptoms described does not necessarily mean that your child has a learning disability.

Getting Evaluated--the Individualized Educational Program (IEP)

If the results of testing show that your child does have a learning disability, your child will be eligible to receive special education services. Every child who is classified as learning-disabled must receive an IEP, which is a written statement describing the approach designed to meet your child's special needs. The law requires that every child receiving special-education services have an IEP, and states that parents have the right to participate in the development of this document.

My Child Has a Learning Disability; What Can I Do?

One of the first things you should do is find out more about learning disabilities and the IEP process. A good starting point is LD OnLine (www.ldonline.org), a service of The Learning Project at WETA, Washington, D.C., in association with The Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities. The more you know, the more you will be able to help your child.

Assistive Technology Products for Students with Learning Disabilitiespicture of a hand on a trackball

If your child has difficulty with reading or writing, you may find one or more of the following products--available in the DATI Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) near you--to be helpful.

Reading

CAST's eReader is designed to support all readers in school, at home, and at work. It has particular applicability for non-readers and readers with learning disabilities, visual disabilities (for example, low vision or difficulty tracking), mobility challenges, or those who use use English as a second language. With Windows eReader you can have any text read aloud (with a voice you select), see text highlighted as it is being read, control the way reading voices sound, enter text and have it read back to you as you type. eReader also works with Internet Explorer to assist with "surfing" and reading web related text.

Another product, L&H Kurzweil 3000 reads scanned or electronic text aloud using human sounding synthetic speech (L&H RealSpeak). Words are highlighted as they are spoken. The biggest difference between the two software packages is that, with Kurzweil, you can scan printed matter and have it read aloud. This feature would be particularly useful for scanning pages of a school textbook.

Writing

Word prediction programs are designed to help those who struggle with writing due to language delay and learning or physical disabilities. Word prediction packages facilitate the writing process. As you enter text, word prediction software prompts you with word choices that fit logically into the sentence. They work well with most text-based packages (word processors, email, etc). These programs can also help reduce the number of keystrokes needed to type complete sentences.

The ATRCs have two word prediction packages, Co:Writer (by Don Johnston, Inc) and EZ Keys (by Words+), which have similar features but a slightly different appearance. Both work with any word processor or text program. Both have built-in intelligence that predicts logical word choices. Both "remember" frequently used words and include them in the choice list.

Note taking

If your child has poor handwriting, note taking devices allow users to type, edit, and electronically store text (for example, reports, essays, email messages or notes) without being at a computer. The text can be transferred to any computer for formatting, or directly to a printer. Most devices also include a spell checker. They are relatively inexpensive (most sell for around $200) and fairly rugged. The AlphaSmart 3000, the Laser PC6, and the QuickPad are common note taking devices.

If you think your child might benefit from the use of any of these devices, discuss them with his or her teacher or therapist. Stop by the ATRC, and one of our AT Specialists will be happy to talk to you about options and show you how the various products work.

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