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Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative

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AT Messenger Logo - Bringing Technology to You

Vol. 6, No. 2 March/April 1998

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Assistive Technology Support for a Student with a Learning Disability

Sharon Milner, M.Ed., M.A., CCC/SLP & Jody Tate, M.S., OTR/L

R.H. was an eighth grade student whose areas of interest included computer technology, science and math. He aspired to be an astrophysicist with a specific interest in robotics. Even though he was classified as a student with a learning disability, he attended all classes in a regular education setting within a Delaware school district. Previous IQ testing placed R.H. in the superior range for overall cognitive functioning. Decoding of written information, reading comprehension and written expression/spelling skills, however, represented significant areas of concern which profoundly affected his academic performance. Completing assignments required long hours of concentration with assistance required from family members.

Results of an assistive technology (AT) evaluation, completed by an occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, and rehabilitation engineer, indicated strengths in the areas of auditory processing/comprehension, immediate and short-term memory, verbal expression, and linguistic organization. R.H. demonstrated significantly impaired reading comprehension skills as a result of decoding deficits. Test results indicated maximum reliance on sight words and contextual support for comprehension of written information. He also exhibited written expression skills which were judged to be severely limited due to significant spelling deficits.

The AT explored by R.H. during the evaluation had the potential to facilitate his learning as well as provide a means for successful completion of academic requirements (reading and writing assignments for class and home, test taking). R.H. responded favorably to scanning and the screen reading program ULTimate Reader. This product provided him with the opportunity to independently read and comprehend information commensurate with his academic potential.

For the area of writing, R.H. used a writing/word prediction program called Co-Writer. This program provided auditory feedback of the material being typed. This method of auditory feedback is flexible and may be programmed to read each letter as it is typed, single words, or the entire sentence. In addition, Co-Writer has the capability to read each word in the word prediction list. R.H. was able to recognize a majority of the words that appeared in the word prediction list and he used them appropriately. If he was able to correctly spell the first three to four letters of a word, it would usually appear in the word prediction list. This improved his spelling when writing. In addition, Co-Writer's abbreviation expansion provided another means of improving R.H.'s spelling. For example, he would be able to program the abbreviation expansion to recognize the same sequence of letters as the abbreviation for a word that he consistently misspelled. The abbreviation expansion program recognized the word and automatically inserted the word using the correct spelling. Since Co-Writer was used with ULTimate Reader, R.H. had two opportunities to receive auditory feedback which allowed him to recognize if a word was misspelled.

In regard to R.H.'s academic potential in school, college, and future employment, another alternative to creating written documentation was the use of voice activated computer systems. This type of system in combination with a screen review program would give R.H. the support he needed for school and future endeavors. During this evaluation R.H. was introduced to a voice recognition program called Dragon Dictate. This program allowed him to access the computer using voice. R.H. may find that voice activated systems such as Dragon Dictate or the more updated version, Naturally Speaking, may be beneficial for lengthy writing tasks at the college level and for vocational use.

Presently, R.H. is using the recommended AT to successfully complete school assignments. This AT consists of a laptop computer, a scanner, ULTimate Reader, Co-Writer and a spelling aid called the Speaking Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus. R.H. exhibited the ability to independently operate and utilize these systems following an appropriate training period of approximately six hours. His parents and two school personnel also attended the AT training sessions. This technology has allowed him to demonstrate his academic knowledge and has introduced him to new opportunities for continued learning. Due to his success with the AT at the middle school level, it will be essential that he continue to have the opportunity to utilize the most beneficial technology through high school and college and/or employment. For this reason, R.H. and his family have explored a referral to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation when he turns 15 years old for the acquisition of personal AT equipment.

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