Using ICT to support

1. Using ICT to support children with Dys-Abilities Judith Stansfield BDA Computer Committee SEN ICT Consultant

2. What are dys-abilities? Some children have learning differences manifested as difficulties with: • Reading and spelling (Dyslexia) • Poor co-ordination (Dyspraxia) • Attention and memory (ADD/ ADHD) • Numeracy (Dyscalculia) • Social interaction (Aspergers syndrome)

3. What are the common characteristics? These children often have: • At least average ability • Great strengths in creativity / design • Differences in two or more cognitive areas • Problems remembering instructions • Problems organising ideas • Mis-match between oral ability and written work • Misunderstandings with ‘authority’

4. Attention development Using a computer is excellent for increasing a child's ability to stay on task because: • focussed activities can be provided • there is room for experimentation within a time-scale • a finite time span can be negotiated • it is non-judgemental • it increases independence in working

5. How can they be helped? • Early identification of learning styles • Adaptation of teaching styles to learning styles • Teaching survival strategies • Providing relevant ICT support • Monitoring and reviewing the ICT provision

6. Early recognition Everyone has a unique preferredlearning style, which may be mainly: visual auditory tactile a combination of any of them

7. Where the teacher’steaching styleis different to the child’slearning style, the child may : • be able to adapt the instruction to his preferred style • give up and ‘switch-off’ • develop avoidance strategies • become an attention seeker / behaviour problem

8. Screening for identification may be through: • a paper test DEST Bangor Dyslexia Test • a computer program Lucid Baseline Assessment Lucid KS1 CoPS Junior LASS LASS Instines /IDEAS

9. LUCID KS1 COPS

10. :

11. What to look for in a young child: Many parents knowfrom early on that their child is different, especially where there is a family history of difficulties. This may appear in the child as: • extreme clumsiness • a disinclination to paint, draw • a penchant for jumbling syllables, word order • late speaking • forgetful of instructions

12. What to look for in an older child: • Mismatch between oral contributions and written work • Late reading / ‘barking’ at print • Poor handwriting • Heavily inscribed writing • Difficulty staying on-task • Spelling problems • Arithmetic problems • Conflict with adults / peers • Poor organisation of work /day-to-day living

13. Using ICT can help by : • providing a multisensory learning environment • being non-judgemental • facilitating individualised work for a child • bypassing some co-ordination obstacles • supporting home/school collaboration in the learning process • raising self-confidence / esteem

14. What sort of software? The young child does not need specialist software, but access to: • good multisensory early years software • more regular access to the computer • extra supported practice in areas of weakness

15. TIZZY’S TOYBOX

16. IN SOUND INSOUND

17. FIRST KEYS TO LITERACY

18. CLAUDE AND MAUD

19. The older child often feels a ‘failure’ , so needs software to provide access to : • independent reading • writing more independently • recording diagrammatic information • self-remediation for spelling/maths • organising ideas

20. Penfriend (Penfriend Ltd) with Pages(Semerc)

21. Type and Talk (TextHelp!) Talking spellchecker Predictive lexicon

22. Wordsmith (textHelp!) used in Word

24. INCLUSIVE WRITER

25. What sort of hardware? - 1 The young child does not need specialist hardware, but access to : • good multi media computer • more regular access to the computer than the class norm • alternative access devices (rollerball, touchscreen), if needed

26. ROLLERBALL

27. KIDTRAC Kidtrac

28. TOUCHSCREEN touchscreen

29. BIG KEYS big keys

30. What sort of hardware? - 2 • The older child may need: • A simple writing aid • A hand-held spellchecker • A hand-held voice recorder • A laptop with sound and pictures • A roller or trackerball

31. FRANKLIN SPELLMASTER spellmaster

32. talking calculator spellcheckers spellcheckers

33. laptop notebooks

34. palmtops

35. handheld tape recorders handheld tape recorder

36. mini disk recorder

37. Attention • Most of these children are ‘forgetful’ • Have difficulty staying on-task • Have auditory and/or visual sequencing problems • Benefit from : learning strategies to help them remember repeating instructions out loud making up their own mnemonics

38. Attention development Accele Read Accele Write is a teaching programme using a talking wordprocessor and cards to: • improvereadingskills • improvewritingskills • improveconcentrationand ability to stay on task while working : on the computer on other activities

39. Handwriting support • Handwriting for Windows • School fonts • Claude and Maud • Eye for Spelling • THRASS IT

40. FIRST KEYS TO LITERACY

41. Touch Type

42. Developing keyboard skills Children who will be keyboard users need to learn the keyboard! • First Keys to Literacy • Speedy Keys • Type to Learn • Mavis Beacon • Disney • Kaz • Ultra-Type • TypeQuick

43. Preparing for reading • Use the multisensory aspects of talking books to: • foster success in reading • support tracking skills • reinforce relationships of image, sound and letters • encourage independence • foster rhythm, rhyme and pitch skills

44. ORT

45. LEARN MORE ABOUT WORDS

46. MAKE SENSE WITH WORDS

47. CATCH UP

48. ELECTRONIC LIBRARY

49. on-screen grids screen readers predictive typing VAS /SRS (for some users) ICT supports writing through:

50. personalised handwriting practice sheets talking wordprocessing rebus support talking wordbanks a portable wordprocessor ICT supports writing through: