scholarly journals Children's Voices: Perspectives on Using Assistive Technology

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin E. Schock ◽  
Elizabeth A Lee
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Elementary School Children ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Students With Ld ◽  
Children’S Voices ◽  
Technology In Schools

Rarely are the views of children with learning disabilities elicited. In this study, we used focus groups involving eight students with learning disabilities to explore their self-perceptions as learners and writers using assistive technology (AT). Three groups of two to three Grade 4–8 students and their parents participated in the qualitative study. Both student and parent responses provided data for thematic analysis that resulted in three themes: (a) changes in students’ self-perceptions as learners; (b) student and parental self-reported benefits of using assistive technology; and (c) inconsistencies in approaches to using assistive technology in schools. The implications for education are greater attention to the views of elementary school children; greater focus on the use of AT in the classroom; and greater AT training for teachers in order to better support the use of AT by students with LD.

Teachers of Students With Learning Disabilities: Assistive Technology Knowledge, Perceptions, Interests, and Barriers

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 236-248
Author(s):  
Comfort Atanga ◽  
Beth A. Jones ◽  
Lacy E. Krueger ◽  
Shulan Lu
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
College Courses ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Course Work ◽  
College Course ◽  
Students With Ld ◽  
Workplace Preparation ◽  
Common Barriers ◽  
Elementary And Middle School

Assistive technology (AT) helps bridge the gap between students with learning disabilities (LD) and their peers without LD. However, this implies a need for teachers to become well-trained and proficient in the use of AT. There are established AT competencies for educators, and AT services professionals must be knowledgeable about AT to select and recommend specific technology to individual education program teams. Professionals should also be well-versed with AT to be able to train students in its use. There is a significant need for research on teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of AT (i.e., interest in using it and barriers to incorporating it) as well as the best ways to provide AT training. To investigate these areas, a survey was administered to teachers of students with LD at the elementary and middle school levels. Our results indicated that completing an AT course in college along with self-reported AT proficiency in iPad reading apps were associated with higher ratings of AT knowledge. Additionally, higher AT proficiency ratings and completing AT college course work were associated with perceptions of college preparation of AT, but these factors did not predict perceptions of workplace preparation. Teachers were clearly interested in utilizing AT but felt their college did not adequately prepare them in AT, and funding issues were the most common barriers to implementing AT. Our findings suggest a need for an emphasis on AT training in college courses.

Writing Issues in College Students with Learning Disabilities: A Synthesis of the Literature from 1990 to 2000

2003 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huijun Li ◽  
Christine M. Hamel
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Instructional Support ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Writing Difficulties ◽  
Students With Ld

This article provides a synthesis of the literature published from 1990 to 2000 on college students with learning disabilities and writing difficulties (LD/WD). Thirty-eight articles met the criteria for describing writing difficulties in this cohort of students. Upon reviewing the articles, four major topics emerged: (a) assistive technology for college students with LD/WD; (b) effectiveness of assistive technology for college students with LD/WD; (c) characteristics and error patterns in the writings of college students with LD/WD; and (d) instructional support and methods. The review of the literature shows that there is an urgent need for empirical studies, especially on instructional methods and strategies. Recommendations for future research are presented.

Using Smartpens to Support Note-Taking Skills of Students with Learning Disabilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-93
Author(s):  
Joseph R. Boyle ◽  
Rachael L. Joyce
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Written Expression ◽  
Note Taking ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Meaningful Information ◽  
Incoming Information ◽  
Students With Ld

For students with learning disabilities (LD), note taking during lectures and discussions is a difficult task. Many students have difficulties with listening comprehension and written expression, two important skills vital for successful note taking during teacher lectures. Note taking is a cognitively demanding task whereby students must temporarily hold/rehearse incoming verbal lecture information, quickly construct representations into meaningful bits of information that can be recorded, and then transcribe the bits of meaningful information onto paper before the information is lost and before processing any new incoming information. Despite the difficulty of this task, smartpen technology can aid students during note taking by storing verbal lecture information and then syncing it up when students amend their partial notes. This article provides an overview of a smartpen strategy and a guide for teachers to implement this assistive technology in their classroom and improve the note taking of students with LD.

Implementing Asynchronous Instructional Materials for Students With Learning Disabilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 105345122110018
Author(s):  
Matthew L. Love ◽  
Kathy B. Ewoldt
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Academic Standards ◽  
Asynchronous Learning ◽  
Student Needs ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Learning Materials ◽  
Instructional Environments ◽  
Students With Ld ◽  
K 12

Online learning continues to be an increasingly popular option in K–12 and postsecondary settings As this trend continues, it is important that the developers of online instructional environments and materials proactively consider the needs of all students. This includes determining how special education and specially designed instruction can be provided in online environments. For students with learning disabilities (LD), a systematic process for determining whether available learning materials address academic standards and specific student needs is key. To support practitioner lesson planning, this column provides guidance for aligning asynchronous learning materials to academic standards and the needs of students with LD. Guidance for supplementing and augmenting available materials is also provided.

Using Graphic Novels to Engage Students With Learning Disabilities During Fluency Instruction

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 278-285
Author(s):  
Nicole S. Fenty ◽  
Melissa Brydon
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Oral Reading ◽  
Graphic Novels ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Reading Engagement ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Fluency Instruction ◽  
Students With Ld ◽  
Good Reading

Strong oral reading fluency skills are an important indication of good reading. In addition, reading engagement is often correlated with reading success. Unfortunately, students with learning disabilities (LD) often struggle to read fluently and engage with text. Incorporating graphic novels as part of a comprehensive reading program may help support student engagement with text during reading fluency instruction. This article outlines how teachers can use graphic novels as part of a comprehensive reading program to help engage students with LD in reading during fluency instruction. A brief summary of the literature surrounding comprehensive fluency instruction and the use of graphic novels is provided. In addition, a scenario is provided to illustrate guidelines for fluency planning and instruction using graphic novels. Finally, conclusions are summarized.

scholarly journals I Just Have to Try Harder: Examining the Mindsets of Students with LD

2021 ◽  
pp. 082957352199895
Author(s):  
Lauren D. Goegan ◽  
Gabrielle N. Pelletier ◽  
Lia M. Daniels
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Growth Mindset ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Fixed Mindset ◽  
Students With Ld

Growth and fixed mindset messaging is gaining popularity. In our pilot study, we examine the mindsets of students with learning disabilities (LD) to determine how their self-beliefs relate to this messaging. Our results demonstrate that students with LD endorse growth mindsets more than fixed mindsets which is consistent with their peers without LD. Moreover, in their comments about being a student with LD, participants highlight important components of growth mindset messaging. However, some comments may reflect a false-growth mindset wherein students are only focused on effort and not the additional resources required for growth. We provide directions for future research.

Intensive Word Problem Solving for Students With Learning Disabilities in Mathematics

2021 ◽  
pp. 105345122110475
Author(s):  
Bradley Witzel ◽  
Jonté A. Myers ◽  
Yan Ping Xin
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Word Problem ◽  
Word Problems ◽  
Mathematics Performance ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Word Problem Solving ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Students With Ld

State exams frequently use word problems to measure mathematics performance making difficulties with word problem solving a barrier for many students with learning disabilities (LD) in mathematics. Based on meta-analytic data from students with LD, five empirically validated word-problem strategies are presented with components of model-based problem solving (MBPS) highlighted.

Using a Digital Pen to Support Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Wook Ok ◽  
Kavita Rao
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Note Taking ◽  
Instructional Technologies ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Students With Ld ◽  
Assessment And Testing ◽  
Content Review

Secondary students with learning disabilities (LD) can benefit from using assistive and instructional technologies to support content and skill acquisition. Digital pens have features that can be beneficial for students who struggle with comprehension, note taking, and organization. Livescribe pens, in particular, provide a variety features that teachers and students can use as a support for note taking, content review and test preparation, formative assessment, and testing accommodations and as a math calculator for secondary students with LD. This article describes several ways that teachers can integrate digital pens to support secondary students with LD and discusses potential benefits and challenges regarding the use of these pens.

scholarly journals Prospective memory in students with learning disabilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-169
Author(s):  
Razaan Alotaibi ◽  
Kowthar Ali
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Retrospective Memory ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
The Past ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Future ◽  
Students With Ld ◽  
Memory Questionnaire

Introduction. The importance of memory is not restricted to remembering the knowledge and experiences of the past retrospective memory (RM), but also to remember what an individual must accomplish in the future prospective memory (PM). Objectives. The aim of this study was to identify RM and PM levels in students with learning disabilities (LD) according to some variables (gender, grade) and to identify the differences between the two types of memories. Methods. The study followed the comparative descriptive statistics. The study sample consisted of 37 male and female students with LD in middle school. The Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) was used in this study. Results. The results include the following: a statistically significant decrease from the average in PM and RM levels in students with LD, the existence of statistically significant differences between PM and RM in students with LD for the RM, the presence of statistically significant differences in the PM and RM according to the gender variable for females, and the presence of statistically significant differences in PM and RM according to the grade variable for the third grade of middle school. Conclusion. Students with LD may suffer from a decrease in their capacity to remember in the future, which causes many difficulties in daily life. We guide teachers to use external AIDS for students with LD (such as writing notes) to help students remember performing their tasks.

Does Place Really Matter to Students with Learning Disabilities? A Study of Three University Campuses

2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-81
Author(s):  
Susan Whitmer
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Space Design ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
Students With Ld

Key drivers that influence space design in today's higher education environment are technology, changing demographics, increased focus on student engagement, and carbon footprint. Just as important, but not typically on the list, is the growing population of students with Learning Disabilities (LD) for which the physical environment plays an increasingly important role in successful learning outcomes. The research goal was to examine the role of “place” as a component of academic success for those students with LD. Methodology included both literature review and the development of a case study analysis of three post-secondary institutions in the United States. The universities were chosen based on the size of the university, the campus setting, and the mission of the Disabilities Services team. The conclusion of the research surfaced three specific components of the physical environment that hold an increased value for a student with LD. These components are wayfinding, formal learning spaces, and disability services spaces. The key to integrating a sense of place with the needs of students with LD is moving beyond meeting the minimum standards of the legal mandates and bridging the principles of universal design to the built environment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document