Children with Multiple Challanges Can use AT to Show What They Know

 As a parent to a child with multiple challenges; what emotions does Assistive Technology (AT) invoke within you?  What is AT?  What types of AT do I need for my child?  Where do I even begin?  Deciding on what types of AT would be most appropriate for your child is an ongoing process.  As your child grows and changes, so does your choice of AT. Assistive technology devices are identified in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 as “any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities. AT can be as basic as a weighted spoon to a complex communication device. 

What is assistive technology?

• AT can be low-tech: communication boards made of cardboard or fuzzy felt.
• AT can be high-tech: special-purpose computers.
• AT can be hardware: prosthetics, mounting systems, and positioning devices.
• AT can be computer hardware: special switches, keyboards, and pointing devices.
• AT can be computer software: screen readers and communication programs.
• AT can be inclusive or specialized learning materials and curriculum aids.
• AT can be specialized curricular software.
• AT can be much more—electronic devices, wheelchairs, walkers, braces, educational software, power lifts, pencil holders, eye-gaze and head trackers, and much more.

      Assistive technology helps people who have difficulty speaking, typing, writing, remembering, pointing, seeing, hearing, learning, walking, and many other things. Different disabilities require different assistive technologies.  The purpose of this article is to find the appropriate AT for your child learn academics and show what he has learned, for example the use of a smartboard, tablets, computers, etc.

    There are some basic questions that ought to be asked when considering AT for your child in the classroom.

•  What difficulties is my child experiencing in the school environment for which assistive technology intervention is needed?
• What are her strengths? AT should utilize your child’s abilities to help compensate for her disability.
• What strategies, materials, equipment and technology tools has my child already used to address the concerns?
• What new or additional assistive technology or accommodations should be tried?
• What will the criteria be for determining whether my child’s needs are being met while using assistive technology during the trial period?

      Your role as a parent in developing the AT part of the IEP is to articulate your ideas and feelings about the AT being considered. You can offer information about what you see at home and bring up any concerns you have.  It is imperative that every IEP team member keeps in mind the long-term vision for your child and takes steps toward that vision.

Deciding and choosing what AT is appropriate for your child doesn’t have to be an overwhelming and complicated task.  Every guideline I have found for parents and educators has explanations like this one; “Selecting an appropriate AT tool for a student requires parents, educators, and other professionals to take a comprehensive view, carefully analyzing the interaction between the student, the technology, the tasks to be performed, and the settings where it will be used. Keep in mind that AT assessment is an on-going process, and it is critical to periodically re-evaluate the “match” even after a technology tool has been selected. This will help ensure that the student receives the maximum benefit from AT and is able to reach her full potential.” (Raskind, 2006)

 Granted as parents we need to understand our schools protocol when it comes to asking for AT to be used in school. However, at home, exposure is the basic “assessment’ tool to determine what will work for your child.   As an educator to exceptional students, it is important for me to understand assessment and implementation of AT for any given student. But as a mother to one very exceptional child with Angelman Syndrome, I have allowed my son, Scotty to show me what AT works best for him through exposure. 

Your child is not too young or too old to start using AT.  Obviously at home it is not a formal assessment, just start introducing your child to a tablet with appropriate apps for academics, coloring, reading, or just fun games.  For the school setting ongoing communication with his educational and therapeutic team is critical.  You also need to know your rights and your child’s rights under the Individuals with disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Be aware of the school’s role and responsibilities in implementing AT into his IEP (Raskhind, 2006):

 “Assistive Technology: Rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Under IDEA, AT must be considered for children with disabilities if it is needed to receive a “free and appropriate public education.” It is the school district’s responsibility to help select and acquire the technology, as well as provide training to the student in the use of the technology, and, at no cost to parents. This is done on a case-by-case basis. It is the IEP team (including parents and students) that decides as to the necessity of AT. It is also the IEP team, (or any individual member) that initiates a request for an AT assessment. The assessment may be performed by school district personnel, or an outside consultant working in conjunction with the IEP team. Parents should know that at present, there are no standard policies, procedures, or practices among school districts for conducting AT assessments. This is more reason for parents to be informed as to the critical elements in conducting a quality AT assessment”

          

      I would like to tell you the process from start to finish is smooth going.  It is not a straight path from assessment to implementation.  There most likely will be hesitation and opposition.  This is where you get to show those special needs parent muscles.  Stay strong in the pursuit of AT implementation.  Take video of your child using AT at home.  Take screen shots of your child’s work on the laptop.  Bring best practices academic articles to the team. I know you are proficient in operating in that flux of cooperation and unrelenting advocacy. 

        

In the early days, Scotty, couldn’t sit still long enough to watch 90-minute movie.  His processing of the world around him was scattered and at times overwhelming.  Through learning what sensory processing disorder is and what an intense amount of sensory input he needed to organize his neurological system helped us to get Scotty to focus long enough to watch music videos and parts of movies on YouTube.  Starting at 5 or 6 years old he enjoyed playing on our personal computer and laptop. He could navigate the systems to find his games, videos, and channels on the internet.  At first it was difficult to maneuver the mouse or keypad with his tremulous hands.  Scotty received his first iPad at 8 years old.  Touch screen was critical in how Scotty used AT to show us what he can do on these devices.

I have been witness to his perseverance through trial and error.  Scotty has shown me that he has great problem solving skills and is quite adept in maneuvering an android or apple product. Many well intended therapists and teachers set the bar low for Scotty.  Thankfully Scotty and I never allowed their lack of awareness and knowledge be the determinant of what he is capable of.

The first and foremost belief system you must adhere to is that your child is capable.  Presuming competence is key.  The primary misconception that children with multiple challenges are not capable of learning.  The question is not if your child can learn. The question is how your child learns and how do you adapt his environment to allow him to show what he knows.  AT is the means to realize our children’s interests, aptitude, and abilities.

     Remember, when it appears your child is not listening, he is.  Your child may not be able to keep eye contact, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t hear every word you said to them.  Even our children who seem so distracted are paying attention. Our idea of what it looks like to listening, paying attention, and learning is not what our children portray.  Learning is going on. Now it is up to us to get our children to show us just how much they are learning.  The problem is not our children’s inability to learn, it is our expectations of what learning looks like.  We have been taught that learning is taking place when a child is sitting still, silent, eyes on teacher (or parent).  Our children’s learning does not display itself in this manner. 

     Perception of the time it should take for a child to learn something is also an issue.  What I mean is we give up too soon thinking our child isn’t ‘getting it’.  So, we stop exposing them to learning tasks and AT.  In his younger days, Scotty has the pictures for communication.  Something like PECS.  He particularly liked the plastic laminate covering on the pictures.  He’d crinkle them, put them in his mouth, and toss them to the ground.  Speech therapist after speech therapist gave up. Yet he was learning. One had the audacity to tell me that any communication system is “above” Scotty and he will never be able to use a universal mode of communication.  The conversation took a turn.  I took the lead from there.  She was fired on the spot.  I informed her that her inability to assess all of Scotty’s challenges and address those first made her inept in her ability to work with my son.  My son is already communicating and has been for years.  Today scotty prefers the iPad over the Dynavox for communication.  He is, it is, we are a work in progress.  We have some days of incredible communication, others regression, but we continue.  We never stop the exposure to AT for communication, learning, and showing what he knows.

     Our timeline of when our children will perform any given task is not appropriate most of the time.  Therapists, teachers, and parents need to step back and reevaluate the environment, the teaching style and tools, and above all have endurance and patience.  Our children do things on their timeline on their terms. Exposure, repetition, modeling, practice, exposure, repetition, modeling, practice, and repeat. 

    Scotty’s teacher still has learning tasks at the first-grade level.  Scotty is doing age appropriate grade level (7^th grade) lessons on his iPad and in a method called Rapid Prompting Method (RPM).  The burden is on his RPM instructor to equip Scotty with the skills to show what he has learned during each lesson.  The burden is on me, his mother to give him the tools to gain those skills to show what he knows. The burden is not on Scotty to prove he is worthy of AT or age appropriate lessons. It is inherent that he and all children deserve opportunities to show us what they know. 

    Once we change our expectations of the time line of learning and what learning should look like is when we finally open opportunities for our children to step into who they have been all along; a cognizant learning being bursting to show us what they know and what they continue to learn.  I know Scotty may have a longer processing time than other children.  If it takes him 20 minutes to process input how can I expect him to be done with at task in 25 minutes? We must acknowledge what our child’s timeline is different than our expectations and that is ok.  Recognize that your child’s learning is unique to him.  

    Many factors affect our children’s use of AT.  Our child’s abilities and difficulties must be considered because of their multiple challenges.  Things to consider:

·         Medical Considerations

    Does my child’s medication affect his learning or recognition systems?  Does his level of awareness change in response to when he receives his meds?

·         Physical Challenges

Is the seating in his classroom appropriate? My child needs to be in a position that is best for engagement to occur.  If my child has tremulous hands, what can be used to assist him with that?  Do we need to consider a head or eye gaze for his AT?     

·         Cognitive Challenges (memory, recognition, generalizing learning)

How does my child respond to a new person, environment, or person? How many exposures does it take for him to retrieve or remember that information?  Does this recognition only happen in the setting in which the information was learned or does he have carry over into other settings?  How does he show they know or recognize information?  How long does it take him to learn new information?  Take note here that repetition is ok.  Multiple exposures are fine.  This is not a sprint.  Learning is an ongoing life long process.

·         Sensory Challenges

How does my child’s sensory system impact learning?  Would a sensory diet benefit my child?  How much and what kind of sensory input does my child need to be able to learn the task at hand? Is my child getting enough or too much sensory input at any given time?  Do his sensory challenges change throughout the day?

·         Challenging Behaviors

              What do they look like? Can you predict when they occur? How do you deal with them? When we address the sensory and communications needs do the challenging behaviors decrease?  Every behavior is a form of communication.  Implementing AT to help our children communicate will alleviate challenging behaviors.

   I know this journey you are on is not an easy one.  I am on this journey with you.  Implementing assistive technology may seem like just one more thing on your plate to contend with.  If you get anything out of this article, please understand this, you are doing an amazing job.  You get up each day and rise to the challenges of each day and give your all.  Ok some days maybe not your all, but you are still doing what needs to be done.   Balance is key even in assistive technology.  If your child’s school will not use the iPad for lessons and insists on paper and pencil, maybe that is a battle you can give up and he can use the iPad at home.  However, if your child’s school refuses to do an AT assessment for a communication device and yet they are complaining of challenging behaviors, that is a fight you must put those parenting muscles on for. 

  

 “For people without disabilities, technology makes things easier.”

For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible.

— International Business Machines (IBM) 1991 training manual