Understanding the assistive technology consideration process
Assistive technology impacts many areas of a student’s educational experience, and his/her specific needs must determine the consideration of these adaptations.
Considering AT is an ongoing process which could include but is not limited to:
Using a process such as the SETT framework to guide discussion among team members and plan for AT needs
Conducting trials with AT devices and collecting data on effectiveness.
Collecting work samples or other data supporting the effectiveness of AT that the student has tried.
Soliciting support from AT personnel such as HIAT or InterACT.
IEP teams must:
Document the results of their consideration of the need for AT during each IEP meeting
Describe the AT devices and AT services required in the IEP if consideration discussions indicate a need.
Provide the AT devices and services as specified in the IEP.
Reconsider the student’s AT requirements as needed, or at least yearly, and make adjustments to the IEP.
Types of Assistive Technology
AT can help to address needs in:
Communication
Students who have difficulty producing oral speech due to severe speech or language deficits, benefit from supports that augment or supplement their communication, or serve as an alternative to their communication.
Augmentative Communication - Assists students in effectively communicating when spoken communication is not effective such as communication boards, eye gaze board, simple voice output device, electronic communication devices.
Hearing
Assistive Listening - Assists students in gaining auditory-presented educational information such as classroom amplification, personal FM system, captioning.
Vision
Visual Access Tools are items used to help support students in visually accessing their learning environment. They help students interpret the information being presented in the curriculum if the student has a visual disability.
Visual Aids - Enable students with visual impairment to gain information from educational activities. Such as increased contrast, enlarged images, tactile and auditory materials
Motor Access
Environmental - Enables students to independently use equipment in the classroom such as switch interface.
Physical - refers to what students need in the area of gross and fine motor skills to access their learning environment.
Computer - Means for students to access the computer which could include input and output such as keyboard with built-in accessibility options on standard computer device, arm support, trackball/trackpad, switch with scanning, alternate keyboard.
Learning
Reading - Adaptations that make reading materials accessible such as text to speech software, audio books.
Writing - Adapted modes to produce text material such as pencil with adaptive grip, adapted paper, slant board, word prediction, speech to text, electronic word bank.
Mathematics- adapted modes to make math calculation accessible such as talking calculators, online calculator, large key or screen calculator.
Visual Supports - Symbolic arrangement of cues or supports for a student who needs a prompt for language, behavior or sensory needs. These are not specific to students with visual processing needs, but items such as visual schedules, First/Then behavior boards, word banks, or even whiteboards with task lists.