[Special Education]

According to Statistics Canada, in 2006 more than 40% of children with disabilities received some form of the special education, illustrated in the following table for 2005-06.

Note: Coefficient of variation of estimate between 16.6% and 33.3%

Source: Statistics Canada, Participation and Activity Limitation Survey, 2006.

Special needs students in public schools can have varied levels of learning difficulties with a need for attention from teachers and caregivers. Educators, specialists and parents have long been working to find effective teaching methods to help special needs students to achieve their full potential. The adoption of emerging technologies in special education has generated positive feedback among students, parents and teachers. The areas of emerging technologies that have been applied in special education are:

Source: University of Cincinnati

What are examples that could be used for Special Education?

SoundingBoard

SoundingBoard is a free mobile augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app designed for children who are unable to speak (or who have limited speech) to help them communicate. In order to meet the needs of this particular population, the app comes with preloaded boards using symbols with recorded messages. Students select and press images on the board to prompt a verbal message.



Sentence Builder

Sentence Builder is a paid app. It is a conversation simulator designed to help elementary-aged children learn how to have conversations with their peers in a variety of social settings, which can be a particular challenge for special needs students.

Autism App - Autism Core Skills School Edition

This innovative educational platform built by autism experts is designed to help every child with autism reaches their fullest potential. Lessons teach both academic and social skills, from preschool through first grade Common Core standards. Academic lessons cover reading and math skills such as colors, shapes, rhyming, spelling, and addition.


Digital Modifications:

Aside from apps, digital modifications are critical for online home learning for special needs students. Text to speech (TTS) is a type of assistive technology that reads digital text aloud and works with almost all digital devices—phone, iPad, computer. Many types of text files and most web pages can be converted into audio with TTS software.

What are your thoughts on the personalized learning technologies discussed?