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TARGET:TEXASGUIDEFOREFFECTIVETEACHINGASSISTIVETECHNOLOGY
ASSISTIVETECHNOLOGY
CHARACTERISTICSOVERVIEWCHARTVerbalSkillsNonverbalMixed
Verbal
GradeLevelsElementary
Middle/High
CognitiveLevelClassicHighFunctioning
AreasAddressed(Pre)Academic/Cognitive/AcademicAdaptiveBehavior/DailyLiving
BehaviorCommunication/SpeechSocial/Emotional
PK
BRIEFINTRODUCTIONMoststudentswithautismrequirestrategies,equipment,and/orsupporttoreachtheir
potential(Schlosser,Blischak,Belfiore,Bartley,&Barnett,1998).Researchhasshownthatone
suchmeansofsupport,assistivetechnology(AT),iseffectiveforstudentswiththis
exceptionality.
DESCRIPTIONAccordingtotheIDEAAmendment(2004),ATisabroadtermusedtodescribeanyitem,pieceof
equipment,orproductsystemthatisusedtoincrease,maintainorimprovethefunctional
capabilityofachildwithadisability.Furthermore,IDEArecognizedthatATisacritical
instrumentinmeetingtheeducationalandoveralldevelopmentalneedsofstudentswith
disabilitiesinschool(Smith,MurphyHerd,Alvarado,&Glennon,2005).
ATdevicescanbeelectronicornonelectronic.ThreemaintypesofAT,rangingfromlowto
hightechnology,canbeusedwithchildrenwithautism.Eachtypeisdescribedbelow.
Lowtechnology.Lowtechnologystrategiesdonotinvolveanytypeofelectronicorbatteryoperateddevice.Thesestrategiestypicallyincludelowcostandeasytouse
equipment,suchasdryeraseboards,clipboards,laminatedphotographs,photoalbums,
threeringbinders,PECS,etc.Thestrategiescanbeusedtoenhanceexpressiveand
receptivecommunicationskillswithautism.
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TARGET:TEXASGUIDEFOREFFECTIVETEACHINGASSISTIVETECHNOLOGY
Midtechnology.Thesestrategiesusebatteryoperateddevicesorbasic/simpleelectronicdevices.Examplesofmidtechnologyaretaperecorders,voiceoutput
devices,timers,andcalculators.Theyareprimarilyusedasameanstosupport
expressivecommunicationandenhanceclassroomparticipation,focusattentionon
variousskillareas,andassistinthedevelopmentofsocialskills.
Hightechnology.Hightechnologystrategiesarecomplextechnologicalsupportstrategies.Theytypicallyinvolvehighcostequipment,suchascomputersandadaptive
hardware(touchwindow,software,andtrackballs),accessoryequipment(digital
camerasandscanners),videocameras,andcomplexvoiceoutputdevices.
Careful
training
of
educators
and
students
on
the
use
of
devices
is
essential
to
ensure
that
they
are used correctly. AT should be incorporated into every aspect of daily living in order to
improvethefunctionalcapabilitiesofchildrenwithautism.Thus,itisimportanttoconsiderthat
allATdevices,fromlowtechnologytohightechnology,alwaysbeindividualized tomeetthe
uniqueneedsofanychildwithautism.Most important,theoptimalgoalofATstrategies isto
increasethechilds independent functioningskillsbydecreasingtheamountofdirectsupport
neededfromanotherperson.
STEPSTheStudent,Environment,Tasks,andTools(SETT)frameworkisincreasinglyusedby
educationalpersonneltoidentifyandselectATdevicesthatmeetthespecificneedsofastudent
(Smithetal.,2005).ThisframeworkhelpsintheATconsiderationprocessbyinvolvingteam
membersinbrainstormingandcollaboration.Teammembersmeettoevaluate(a)thestudents
needs,(b)thestrengthofthecurrentlearningenvironmentandtheavailabilityofthematerials,
(c)thestudentsIEPgoals,and(d)ATdevicesthatareappropriateforthechild.
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TheSETTFrameworkforConsideringAssistiveTechnology
SETT Questions Responses
Student
Whatdoesthestudentneedtodo?
Whatarethestudentsspecialneeds?
Whatarethestudentscurrentabilities?
Environment
Whatmaterialsandequipmentarecurrentlyavailableinthe
environment?
Whatisthephysicalarrangement?Aretherespecialconcerns?
Whatistheinstructionalarrangement?Aretherelikelytobe
changes?
Whatsupportsareavailabletothestudent?
Whatresourcesareavailabletothepeoplesupportingthestudent?
Tasks
Whatnaturallyoccurringactivitiestakeplaceintheenvironment?
Whatiseveryoneelsedoing?
Whatactivitiessupportthestudentscurriculargoals?
Whatarethecriticalelementsoftheactivities?
Howmighttheactivitiesbemodifiedtoaccommodatethestudents
specialneeds?
Howmighttechnologysupportthestudentsactiveparticipationin
thoseactivities?
Tools
Whatnotech,lowtech,midtech,andhightechoptionsshouldbe
consideredwhendevelopingasystemforthestudentwiththese
needsandabilitiesdoingthesetasksintheseenvironments?
Whatstrategiesmightbeusedtoinviteincreasedstudent
performance?
Howmightthesetoolsbetriedoutwiththestudentinthe
customaryenvironmentsinwhichtheywillbeused?
AdaptedMyles,B.S.(Ed.),(2005).ChildrenandyouthwithAspergerSyndrome:Strategiesforsuccessininclusivesettings.ThousandOaks,CA:Corwin.BRIEFEXAMPLESimonisa15yearoldboywithhighfunctioningautism.Simonhasdifficultyprocessing
informationpresentedorally,buthasnodifficultycomprehendinginformationpresented
visually.Inclass,Simonalwayshasahardtimefollowingwhattheteachersayswhileheistaking
notes.Afterevaluation,SimonsIEPteamdecidesthatanoverheadprojectorandapersonal
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computerareappropriateATdevicestoenhanceSimonslearninginclasses.Ineachclass,the
teacherwillusetheoverheadprojectortoprovideoutlinesandsummariesofthetopicthatare
coveredintheclass.Inaddition,acomputerisprovidedsoSimoncantakenoteselectronically
insteadofusingpaperandpencil.
TIPSFORMODIFICATIONSImportanttipsinselectingandutilizingassistivetechnologywithchildrenwithautisminclude
thefollowing:
Alwaystrylessintrusivelowtechnologystrategiesfirst. Besurethatthetechnologymatchestheneedsandabilitiesoftheindividualchild. Analyzetheenvironmenttoseewhichtypeofdevicewillbestsupportthechilds
participation.
SUMMARYUtilizingATdevicescanprovideaccesstomultipleenvironments,includingthegeneral
educationclassroomanditsrelatedacademic,social,andbehavioralrequirements.
RESEARCHTABLE
Number
ofStudies
10
Ages(year)1017
SampleSize85
Area(s)Addressed
Communication,matching,spelling,problemsolving,
alertness,motivationandbehavior,taskcompletion,
selfhelp,socialinteraction,emotionrecognition,joint
attention
Outcome
+
STUDIESCITEDINRESEARCHTABLE1. LaCava,P.G.,Golan,O.,BaronCohen,S.,&Myles,B.S.(2007).Usingassistivetechnologytoteach
emotionrecognitiontostudentswithAspergerSyndrome:Apilotstudy.RemedialandSpecialEducation,28,174181.Thispilotstudyexploredtheuseofassistivetechnologytoteachemotionrecognition(ER)toeight
childrenwithautism.Theresultsindicatedthatafterintervention,participantsimprovedonface
andvoiceERforbasicandcomplexemotionsthatwereincludedinthesoftware,aswellasfor
complexvoiceERforemotionsnotincludedintheMindReadingsoftware.
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2. Myles,B.S.,Ferguson,H.,&Hagiwara,T.(2007).Usingapersonaldigitalassistanttoimprovethe
recordingofhomeworkassignmentsbyanadolescentwithAspergerSyndrome.FocusonAutismandOtherDevelopmentalDisabilities,22,9699.A17yearoldboywithASwastrainedtouseapersonaldigitalassistant(PDA)torecordhomework
assignmentsinhishistory,English,andscienceclasses.Resultsrevealedamarkedincreasein
recordingofhomeworkassignmentsaftertreatment.
3. Robins,B.,Dautenhahn,K.,&Dubowski,J.(2006).Doesappearancematterintheinteractionof
childrenwithautismwithahumanoidrobot?InteractionStudies:SocialBehaviourandCommunicationinBiologicalandArtificialSystem,7,479512.Fourchildrenwithautismparticipatedinthisstudy,whichinvestigatedtheimpactofthe
appearanceofarobotontheirinteractions.Therobotsservedasinteractivetoystoencourageand
mediateinteractions.Theresultsindicatedthechildrenpreferredintheirinitialresponsetointeract
withaplain,featurelessrobotoverahumanlikerobot.Thus,thechildrensresponsetowardsthe
plain/roboticrobotwasnotablymoresocialandproactivethantoalifesizetheatricalrobot.
4. Robins,B.,Dickerson,P.,Stribling,P.,&Dautenhahn,K.(2004).Robotmediatedjointattentionin
childrenwithautism:Acasestudyinrobothumaninteraction.InteractionStudies:SocialBehaviourandCommunicationinBiologicalandArtificialSystems,5,161198.Threechildrenwithautismparticipatedinthisstudy,whichexaminedtheeffectivenessofusinga
robottoincreasejointattentionskills.Thedatashowedthattherobotprovidedasalientobject,or
mediator,forjointattention.
5. Taylor,B.A.,Hughes,C.E.,&Richard,E.(2004)Teachingteenagerswithautismtoseekassistance
whenlost.JournalofAppliedBehaviorAnalysis,37,7982.Threeteenagestudentswithautismweretaughttorespondtotheuseofavibratingpagertorequest
assistance.Studentsgeneralizedtheirrequestsacrosssettingsandindividuals.
6. Dyches,T.T.(1998).Effectsofswitchtrainingonthecommunicationofchildrenwithautismand
severedisabilities.FocusonAutismandOtherDevelopmentalDisabilities,13,151162.Thestudyexaminedtheeffectsofswitchtrainingonthecommunicationoffourstudents.Results
indicatedthatswitchtrainingimplementedusingasystemofminimalpromptsincreasedthe
numberofcommunicativeinteractionsofallparticipants.
7. Schlosser,R.W.,Blischak,D.M.,Belfiore,P.J.,Bartley,C.,&Barnett,N.(1998).Effectsofsynthetic
speechoutputandorthographicfeedbackonspellinginastudentwithautism:Apreliminarystudy.
JournalofAutismandDevelopmentalDisorders,28,309319.Thisstudyevaluatedtheeffectsofspeechoutputandorthographicfeedbackonthespelling
performanceofa10yearoldboywithautism.Specifically,hewastaughttospellwordsunder
threefeedbackconditionsusingavoiceoutputcommunicationaid.Findingssuggestedthatspeech
outputcontributedtoefficientspelling.
8. Kennedy,C.H.,&Haring,T.G.(1993).Teachingchoicemakingduringsocialinteractionstostudents
withprofoundmultipledisabilities.JournalofAppliedBehaviorAnalysis,26,6376.Fourstudentsweretaughttouseamicroswitchcommunicationsystemtorequestachangein
recreationalstimuliduringsocialinteractionswithpeers.Threeofthemlearnedtousethemicro
switchandincreasedtheirlevelofalertness.
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9. Battenberg,J.K.,&Merbler,J.B.(1989).Touchscreenversuskeyboard:Acomparisonoftask
performanceofyoungchildren.JournalofSpecialEducationTechnology,10,2428.Thisstudycomparedtheeffectivenessofatouchsensitivescreenandkeyboardinimprovingthe
taskperformanceof40childrenwithdevelopmentaldelaysand40typicalchildren.Results
indicatedthattheuseoftouchsensitivescreensignificantlyimprovedthetaskperformanceofall
children,withandwithoutdevelopmentaldelays.Furthermore,thechildrenwithautismperformed
bestusingatouchscreenratherthanakeyboard.
10. Colby,K.M.(1973).Therationaleforcomputerbasedtreatmentoflanguagedifficultiesin
nonspeakingautisticchildren.JournalofAutismandChildhoodSchizophrenia,3,254260.Seventeenparticipantswithautismwereinvolvedincomputerbasedinterventionsthataddressed
languageskills.Positiveoutcomesandimprovementinspontaneousspeechusewerefoundin13
participants.
REFERENCESBattenberg,J.K.,&Merbler,J.B.(1989).Touchscreenversuskeyboard:Acomparisonoftask
performanceofyoungchildren.JournalofSpecialEducationTechnology,10,2428.BernardOpitz,V.,Sriram,N.,&NakhodaSapuan,S.(2001).Enhancingsocialproblemsolvinginchildren
withautismandnormalchildrenthroughcomputerassistedinstruction.JournalofAutismandDevelopmentalDisorders,31,337384.
Chen,S.H.,&BernardOptiz,V.(1993).Comparisonofpersonalandcomputerassistedinstructionfor
childrenwithautism.MentalRetardation,31,368376.Colby,K.M.(1973).Therationaleforcomputerbasedtreatmentoflanguagedifficultiesinnonspeaking
autisticchildren.JournalofAutismandChildhoodSchizophrenia,3,254260.Dyches,T.T.(1998).Effectsofswitchtrainingonthecommunicationofchildrenwithautismandsevere
disabilities.FocusonAutismandOtherDevelopmentalDisabilities,13,151162.IndividualswithDisabilitiesEducationActAmendments,300.5(2004).
Hagiwara,T.,&Myles,B.S.(1999).Amultimediasocialstoryintervention:Teachingskillstochildrenwith
autism.FocusonAutismandOtherDevelopmentalDisabilities,14,8295Kennedy,C.H.,&Haring,T.G.(1993).Teachingchoicemakingduringsocialinteractionstostudentswith
profoundmultipledisabilities.JournalofAppliedBehaviorAnalysis,26,6376.LaCava,P.G.,Golan,O.,BaronCohen,S.,&Myles,B.S.(2007).Usingassistivetechnologytoteach
emotionrecognitiontostudentswithAspergerSyndrome:Apilotstudy.RemedialandSpecialEducation,28,174181.
Moor,D.,Cheng,Y.,McGrath,P.,&Powell,N.J.(2005).Collaborativevirtualenvironmenttechnologyfor
peoplewithautism.FocusonAutismandOtherDevelopmentalDisabilities,20,231243.
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TARGET:TEXASGUIDEFOREFFECTIVETEACHINGASSISTIVETECHNOLOGY
Myles,B.S.,Ferguson,H.,&Hagiwara,T.(2007).Usingapersonaldigitalassistanttoimprovethe
recordingofhomeworkassignmentsbyanadolescentwithAspergerSyndrome.FocusonAutismandOtherDevelopmentalDisabilities,22,9699.
Robins,B.,Dautenhahn,K.,&Dubowski,J.(2006).Doesappearancematterintheinteractionofchildren
withautismwithahumanoidrobot?InteractionStudies:SocialBehaviourandCommunicationinBiologicalandArtificialSystem,7,479512.
Robins,B.,Dickerson,P.,Stribling,P.,&Dautenhahn,K.(2004).Robotmediatedjointattentionin
childrenwithautism:Acasestudyinrobothumaninteraction.InteractionStudies:SocialBehaviourandCommunicationinBiologicalandArtificialSystems,5,161198.
Schlosser,R.,Blischak,D.,Belfiore,P.,Bartley,C.,&Barnett,N.(1998).Theeffectivenessofsynthetic
speechoutputandorthographicfeedbackinastudentwithautism:Apreliminarystudy.JournalofAutismandDevelopmentalDisorders,28,309319.
Smith,S.J.,MurphyHerd,M.,Alvarado,D.,&Glennon,N.(2005).Assistivetechnologysupports.InB.S.
Myles
(Ed.),
Childrenand
youth
with
Asperger
Syndrome:
Strategies
for
success
in
inclusive
settings(pp.107126).ThousandOaks,CA:Corwin.
Taylor,B.A.,Hughes,C.E.,&Richard,E.(2004)Teachingteenagerswithautismtoseekassistancewhen
lost.JournalofAppliedBehaviorAnalysis,37,7982.Tjus,T.,Heinmann,M.,&Nelson,K.E.(2001).Interactionpatternsbetweenchildrenandtheirteachers
whenusingaspecificmultimediaandcommunicationstrategy:Observationsfromchildrenwith
autism and mixed intellectual disabilities. Autism: The International Journal of Research andPractice,5,175187
RESOURCES
AND
MATERIALS
AbleData:http://www.abledata.com/ ThiswebsiteprovidesinformationaboutATproductsandofferstohelplocatecompaniesforspecific
productneeds.Nodirectselling.
AutismCoach:http://www.autismcoach.com/Assistsive%20Technology%20Overview.htm ThislinkstheusertoabasicexplanationofATdevicesforchildrenwhoareunabletousecomputers
intraditionalways.
AssistiveTechnologyforChildrenwithAutism.CooperativeEducationalServiceAgencyNo.7,GreenBay,WI,SpecialEducationServices. AutismInterventionsandStrategiesfor
Success.:http://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst10.htm
Thisarticleisfullofideasforteachersandparentsandincludesexamplesoflow,mid,andhightech
assistivetechnology.
AssistiveTechnologyFundamentals.NationalAssistiveTechnologyResearchInstitute:http://natri.uky.edu/resources/fundamentals/funmenu.html
Thisisaresourcethatteachers,families,andadministrators canusetodevelopaplanforusing
assistivetechnology.
TexasStatewideLeadershipforAutismMarch2009 7
http://www.abledata.com/http://www.abledata.com/http://www.autismcoach.com/Assistsive%20Technology%20Overview.htmhttp://www.autismcoach.com/Assistsive%20Technology%20Overview.htmhttp://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst10.htmhttp://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst10.htmhttp://natri.uky.edu/resources/fundamentals/funmenu.htmlhttp://natri.uky.edu/resources/fundamentals/funmenu.htmlhttp://natri.uky.edu/resources/fundamentals/funmenu.htmlhttp://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst10.htmhttp://www.autismcoach.com/Assistsive%20Technology%20Overview.htmhttp://www.abledata.com/8/4/2019 AT for Autistic Children
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TARGET:TEXASGUIDEFOREFFECTIVETEACHINGASSISTIVETECHNOLOGY
ClosingtheGap:AssistiveTechnologyResourcesforChildrenandAdultswithSpecialNeeds:http://www.closingthegap.com/index.lasso
ThissiteoffersinformationaboutATresources,aconferencedevotedtoAT,andATrelated
publications.
WhatIsAssistiveTechnology?NationalCenteronAccessibleInformationTechnologyinEducation.UniversityofWashington:www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?109
Thisarticleprovidesaclear,printabledefinitionofATandalinktotheAccessBoardsstandardsfor
useofassistivetechnology.
GENERALRESOURCES
AutismInternetModules(AIM)www.autisminternetmodules.org TheAutismInternetModulesweredevelopedwithoneaiminmind:tomake
comprehensive,uptodate,andusableinformationonautismaccessibleandapplicableto
educators,otherprofessionals,andfamilieswhosupportindividualswithautismspectrum
disorders(ASD).WrittenbyexpertsfromacrosstheU.S.,allonlinemodulesarefree,andare
designedtopromoteunderstandingof,respectfor,andequalityofpersonswithASD.
Currentmodulesare:
o AssessmentforIdentificationo HomeBaseo PeerMediatedInstructionandIntervention(PMII)o PictureExchangeCommunicationSystem(PECS)o PivotalResponseTraining(PRT)o PreparingIndividualsforEmploymento Reinforcemento RestrictedPatternsofBehavior,Interests,andActivitieso
Self
Management
o SocialSupportsforTransitionAgedIndividualso StructuredTeachingo StructuredWorkSystemsandActivityOrganizationo SupportingSuccessfulCompletionofHomeworko TheIncredible5PointScaleo TimeDelayo TransitioningBetweenActivitieso VisualSupports
InteractiveCollaborativeAutismNetwork(iCAN)http://www.autismnetwork.orgiCANoffersfreeonlineinstructionalmodulesonautismspectrumdisorder(ASD). Modules
havebeendevelopedintheseareas:
o Characteristicso Assessmento AcademicInterventionso BehavioralInterventionso CommunicationInterventions
TexasStatewideLeadershipforAutismMarch2009 8
http://www.closingthegap.com/index.lassohttp://www.closingthegap.com/index.lassohttp://www.autisminternetmodules.org/http://www.autisminternetmodules.org/http://www.autismnetwork.org/http://www.autismnetwork.org/http://www.autismnetwork.org/http://www.autisminternetmodules.org/http://www.closingthegap.com/index.lasso8/4/2019 AT for Autistic Children
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TARGET:TEXASGUIDEFOREFFECTIVETEACHINGASSISTIVETECHNOLOGY
TexasStatewideLeadershipforAutismMarch2009 9
o EnvironmentalInterventionso SocialInterventions
IndianaResourceCenterforAutism(IRCA)http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/fmain1.html TheIndianaResourceCenterforAutismstaffs effortsarefocusedonprovidingcommunities,
organizations,
agencies,
and
families
with
the
knowledge
and
skills
to
support
children
and
adults
in
typicalearlyintervention,school,community,work,andhomesettings.
o IRCAArticleshttp://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/ftrainpapers.html o IRCAModuleshttp://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/fmodules.html
TexasStatewideLeadershipforAutismwww.txautism.netTheTexasStatewideLeadershipforAutisminconjunctionwiththenetworkofTexas
EducationServicecenterwithagrantfromtheTexasEducationAgencyhasdevelopeda
seriesoffreeonlinecoursesinautism. Pleasecheckthetraining
page,www.txautism.net/training.html,forupdatelistsofcourses,coursenumbersand
registrationinformation. Currentcoursesincludethefollowing:
o Autism101:TopTenPiecestothePuzzleo Autismo101:Las10piezasprincipalesdelrompecabezaso AspergerSyndrome101Onlineo AspergerSyndrome101Onlineo NavigatingtheSocialMaze:Supports&InterventionsforIndividualswithAutism
SpectrumDisorders
o Communication:ThePowerofCommunicationforIndividualswithAutismSpectrumDisorders
o Communication:ThePowerofCommunicationforIndividualswithAutismSpectrumDisorders
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/fmain1.htmlhttp://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/fmain1.htmlhttp://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/ftrainpapers.htmlhttp://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/ftrainpapers.htmlhttp://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/fmodules.htmlhttp://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/fmodules.htmlhttp://www.txautism.net/index.htmlhttp://www.txautism.net/index.htmlhttp://www.txautism.net/training.htmlhttp://www.txautism.net/training.htmlhttp://www.txautism.net/index.htmlhttp://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/fmodules.htmlhttp://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/ftrainpapers.htmlhttp://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/fmain1.htmlTop Related