Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Remote Learning

For rural locations, the use of remote learning may provide schools the opportunity to meet student needs without the need for students to travel long distances to access services. It is critical that teachers of students with disabilities understand how to support learning and know how to use the accommodations, modifications, and assistive technologies listed in student Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in online classrooms. Students with language disabilities sometimes require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems to effectively communicate. This article provides teachers with practical tips of teaching students to use AAC online and supporting its continued use in the virtual classroom.

School Activities for Autistic Children Using Newly Developed Software and Tools

Original teaching materials with dot codes were created for use with autistic children with intellectual and expressive language disabilities. One of the authors (S. I.) created “Post-it” sticker icons on which dot codes were printed and shared these with teachers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Each sticker icon was linked with up to four multimedia mediums of expression, such as a movie, in addition to up to four voices/sounds. Touching a dot code icon with a speaking-pen enables audios to be replayed, and touching a dot code icon with a dot-code reader with Bluetooth functionality enables multimedia to be replayed on iOS and Windows OS devices. New software to create self-made teaching materials with dot codes was developed by Gridmark Inc., with the help of author S. I. Basic information on creating original teaching materials using this newly developed software and its use in schools for students with ASD are presented in this chapter.

Managers’ challenges on implementing inclusive education

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges attract a diverse population of students with different backgrounds in terms of culture, social norms, language, disabilities, race, and family structures. All such students have the right to equal access to education. However, there is still limited access and support to students with disabilities in TVET colleges. This paper explores challenges faced by the management of TVET colleges concerning the implementation of inclusive education, specifically for students with disabilities. A case study design within a qualitative research approach was adopted for this study. Two TVET colleges were conveniently selected with ten participants being purposively sampled. Data was collected through interviews, observations and document analysis. Findings revealed that the management of TVET colleges experience challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, funding, lecturer-training, and shortage of staff to support students with disabilities. It was recommended that TVET colleges establish Disability Service Units and recruit trained lecturers or they must train current lecturers to facilitate the learning process of disabled students. Keywords: accessibility, disabilities , implementation , inclusivity ; rights

Evidence-Based Practices for Working with Learners with Speech and Language Disabilities

Communication is about working together to create shared meaning. It usually requires at least two people (one acting as the sender, and one or more acting as the receiver), uses a particular code (which may involve either conventional or unconventional signals), may take linguistic or nonlinguistic forms, and may occur through speech or other modes. In the classroom context, spoken language is typically the preferred mode of communication and the primary medium through which teaching and learning takes place. For learners with speech and langue disabilities, this is problematic. Communication does not develop in a vacuum. Cognitive and social routes are both important and therefore evidence-based practices (EBP) that impact on both need to be considered. In an attempt to delineate evidence-based strategies from assumptions or commonly accepted practices that have become “teaching folklore,” three aspects should be considered: (a) the best available research evidence that should be integrated with (b) professional expertise (using for example observation, tests, peer assessment, and practical performance) as well as (c) the learner’s and his/her family’s values. EBP thus recognizes that teaching and learning is individualized and ever-changing and therefore will involve uncertainties. Being aware of EBP enriches service delivery (in this case teaching practice) and enables teachers to support their learners to achieve high-quality educational outcomes. Research has shown that high expectations from teachers have a significant influence on the development of academic skills for children with speech and language disability. Teachers should therefore be empowered to understand how they can set up the environment in such a way that responsive, enjoyable interaction opportunities can be created that will enable learners to develop a sense power and control which are important building block for learning. They also need to understand the important role that they play in shaping behavior through the provision of consistent feedback on all communication behaviors and that communication entails both input (comprehension) and output (expression). Four teaching approaches that have some evidence base for learners with significant speech and language disabilities include: a) communication passports: this is a means through which idiosyncratic communication attempts can be captured and shared enabling everyone in the learner’s environment to provide consistent feedback on all communication attempts; b) visual schedules: a variety of symbols (ranging from objects symbols to graphic symbols) can be used to represent people, activities, or events to support communication. Visual schedules signal what is about to happen next and assists learners to predict the sequence of events, to make choices, and to manage challenging behavior; c) partner training: as communication involves more than one person, communication partner (in this case teachers) training is required in order to ensure responsivity; d) aided language stimulation: this classroom-based strategy attempts to provide a strong language comprehension foundation by combining spoken language with pointing to symbols, thereby providing learners with visual supplementation.

A synonymous UPF3B variant causing a speech disorder implicates NMD as a regulator of neurodevelopmental disorder gene networks

Loss-of-function mutations of the X-chromosome gene UPF3B cause male neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) via largely unknown mechanisms. We investigated initially by interrogating a novel synonymous UPF3B variant in a male with absent speech. In silico and functional studies using cell lines derived from this individual show altered UPF3B RNA splicing. The resulting mRNA species encodes a frame-shifted protein with a premature termination codon (PTC) predicted to elicit degradation via nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). UPF3B mRNA was reduced in the cell line, and no UPF3B protein was produced, confirming a loss-of-function allele. UPF3B is itself involved in the NMD mechanism which degrades both PTC-bearing mutant transcripts and also many physiological transcripts. RNAseq analysis showed that ~1.6% of mRNAs exhibited altered expression. These mRNA changes overlapped and correlated with those we identified in additional cell lines obtained from individuals harbouring other UPF3B mutations, permitting us to interrogate pathogenic mechanisms of UPF3B-associated NDDs. We identified 102 genes consistently deregulated across all UPF3B mutant cell lines. Of the 51 upregulated genes, 75% contained an NMD-targeting feature, thus identifying high-confidence direct NMD targets. Intriguingly, 22 of the dysregulated genes encoded known NDD genes, suggesting UPF3B-dependent NMD regulates gene networks critical for cognition and behaviour. Indeed, we show that 78.5% of all NDD genes encode a transcript predicted to be targeted by NMD. These data describe the first synonymous UPF3B mutation in a patient with prominent speech and language disabilities and identify plausible mechanisms of pathology downstream of UPF3B mutations involving the deregulation of NDD-gene networks.

Handmade Content and School Activities for Autistic Children with Expressive Language Disabilities

Original teaching materials with dot codes, which can be linked to multimedia such as audio, movies, Web pages, html files, and PowerPoint files were created for use with autistic children with intellectual and expressive language disabilities. A maximum of four audio recordings can be linked to one dot code icon. One of the authors (S. I.) also created “Post-it” icons, on which dot codes were printed, and shared these with teachers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). As part of this project, many activities using dot code materials were successfully conducted at special needs and general schools. Basic information on the creation of these materials and their use in schools are presented in this paper.