Assistive Technology: Assistive Technology: Making it Real!Making it Real!

Brian W. Wojcik, MS. Ed, ATPBrian W. Wojcik, MS. Ed, ATP

SEAT CenterSEAT Center

Illinois State UniversityIllinois State University

Defining Intervention Defining Intervention TypesTypes

What are What are different kinds different kinds

of of interventions?interventions?

Types of InterventionsTypes of Interventions

InstructionalInterventions

Compensatory Interventions

Instructional Instructional InterventionsInterventions Instructional InterventionsInstructional Interventions

– Are designed to teach or add new Are designed to teach or add new skills to a student’s skill baseskills to a student’s skill base

– Large varietyLarge variety– Not necessarily academic in focusNot necessarily academic in focus– Measured against previous Measured against previous

performance.performance.

Compensatory Compensatory InterventionsInterventions Compensatory InterventionsCompensatory Interventions

– Are designed to compensate or ‘bypass’ Are designed to compensate or ‘bypass’ the area of difficulty. the area of difficulty.

– Enhances student’s performance without Enhances student’s performance without necessarily increasing student’s skills.necessarily increasing student’s skills.

– Large varietyLarge variety– Not necessarily academic in focus (e.g., Not necessarily academic in focus (e.g.,

antecedent control)antecedent control)– Measured against performance without Measured against performance without

the intervention in place (e.g., the intervention in place (e.g., performance gap)performance gap)

Understanding the Understanding the Enigma of ATEnigma of AT

What is What is Assistive Assistive

Technology?Technology?

AT is…AT is…

ACompensatory

Intervention

Defining Assistive Defining Assistive TechnologyTechnology

Legal DefinitionLegal Definition– ““any item, piece of equipment , or any item, piece of equipment , or

product system, whether acquired product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of improve functional capabilities of children with disabilities” (P.L. children with disabilities” (P.L. 100-407, 29 U.S.C. 2201, §3(1))100-407, 29 U.S.C. 2201, §3(1))

What is assistive What is assistive technology?technology?

Assistive TechnologyAssistive Technology

is a tool that allows a person to do a taskis a tool that allows a person to do a task

such that, without the tool,such that, without the tool,

the person could not do the taskthe person could not do the task

at the expected performance level.at the expected performance level.

AT = Performance AT = Performance EnhancementEnhancement

Exp

ecte

d P

erfo

rman

ce O

n T

asks

Development Over Years

Typical Development

Atypical Development

Performance

Gap!

How much AT is out there?How much AT is out there?

2 7 0 0 0

Over

Different tools are classified as AT!

AT Categories AT Categories (Rehabtool, 2002)(Rehabtool, 2002)

Communication Communication AidsAids

Vision and Vision and Reading AidsReading Aids

Computer Computer Access AidsAccess Aids

Daily Living Daily Living AidsAids

Education and Education and Learning AidsLearning Aids

Environmental Environmental AidsAids

Ergonomic Ergonomic EquipmentEquipment

Hearing and Hearing and Listening AidsListening Aids

Mobility and Mobility and Transportation Transportation

AidsAids

Prosthetics and Prosthetics and OrthoticsOrthotics

Recreation and Recreation and Leisure AidsLeisure Aids

Seating and Seating and Positioning AidsPositioning Aids

What is AT? (part two)What is AT? (part two)

Tools that are UNIQUELY matched to an individual student.