Coping Strategies & Assistive TechnologyNeil Cottrell
ADSHE Annual Conference, 28th May 2013
Timing and Questions
Overview
• Personal Perspective• Assistive technology as coping strategies• How I chose strategies
• Reading• Memory• Organisation• Spelling
• Practical examples• Developing, adapting and sharing
strategies
Background
• Dyslexic • Age 15:• Reading speed: 7 years, 3 months• Spelling: 8.5-9 years
• Support and coping strategies• Cardiff University
• Graduated top of my class in psychology (2009)
Background
• Founded LexAble• British Dyslexia Association
• Young achiever of the year (2010)• Technology committee (2012-)
• AbilityNet• Technology4Good award (2012)
• Run workshops internationally• I rely on assistive technology
Why Coping Strategies
• Specific learning difficulty• Important to work on key skills• But don’t let higher level skills get left
behind
Example: Analysing a Poem
Read
Comprehend
Consider Themes
Form Opinions
Plan Essay
Write Essay
Example: Analysing a Poem
Read
Comprehend
Consider Themes
Form Opinions
Plan Essay
Write Essay
Someone reads aloud
Scan and usetext-to-speech
Why Coping Strategies?
• What’s important in:• Education?• The workplace?
• Individual• Strengths and weaknesses
Assistive Technology
• Tackling a specific issue for the individual• Simplicity
Reading
• My issues• Reading speed• Stressful• Almost everything relies on reading
• What I needed• Access all written information• Independent • Instant
People Reading to Me
• Traditional strategy• Not a primary strategy
• Slow, embarrassing and a burden
• Occasional (e.g. film subtitles)• Please don’t paraphrase
• (except with permission)
Text-to-speech
• Most important strategy for me• Learning curve• I could “read” faster than my peers
Prizmo (iOS app)
Memory
• My issues• I forget very quickly• Franticly scribbling notes in seminars• Couldn’t focus properly at the same time
• What I needed• Think and contribute in seminars• Write very little• Remember what was said
Dictaphone
• I didn’t like it (personal opinion)• Hours of un-sorted audio• Too much time and energy
Livescribe
Organisation: preparation
• My issues• Psychology experiments, sports competitions,
orchestra concerts• Preparation / packing was stressful• Always forgot something
• What I needed• Lists• Always know where they are• Tick things off as I packed them
Errands (iOS app)
Organisation: tasks & thoughts
• My issues• Forgot what I was thinking• Where and when• Irrelevant thoughts
• What I needed• Store irrelevant thoughts• Be told where to be and when• Quick to input system
(Smart)phone
• Always with me • Jotting down thoughts
• Quick• Organise later
• Calendar & alarms• Tips
• Sort to-do’s by urgency/importance• Sync with computer (e.g. Google calendar) to
visualise day/week/month• Automatic backups
Spelling
• My issues• Distracted by spelling mistakes and typos
• Red underlines• Reports and emails weren’t well written• Spell-checking was long & disheartening
• What I needed• Stop worrying about spelling• Focus on content• Reduce workload• A solution that worked in all of the programs I
use
No Solution
• Failed strategies• Ignoring mistakes• Spell-checking was long and disheartening
• AutoCorrect• Not for email, mind maps, online
• At age 15• Frustrated while writing• Developed my own assistive software
In 2009, 6 years later …
Global AutoCorrect
• How it helped me• Focus on content
• Fewer red underlines• Reduced workload
• Less time spent spell-checking• Learning spelling
• I knew which words to work on
• My best strategy yet!
Global AutoCorrect
• Cardiff University (Dr Trevor Humby)• Dyslexic participants• Remembered 18% more of what they had
written• 10% more confident in the accuracy of their
answers
Global AutoCorrect
• Released in 2009• Now 7 of us in the team• Used in the UK and internationally
Coping Strategies
• Specialist• Simple• Discreet• Wacky
• Mainstream• Complex• Overt• Common sense
• Tackling a specific issue for the individual• Simplicity
Assistive Technology
• Tackling a specific issue for the individual• Simplicity
Resources
• Getting around my dyslexia: A personal evaluation of coping strategies• Published in the PATOSS Bulletin (Winter 2010)
• Choosing, evaluating and using assistive technology• Published in British Dyslexia Association’s book,
“Dyslexia and Useful Technology” (October 2012)
• Ability Magazine article• My story
Conclusions
Keep up the good work!
Develop
Share
Adapt
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