Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) preschool aged children should receive a free appropriate public special education and other appropriate services (ECTA, n.d.). Under these guidelines, more children with disabilities are being placed in inclusive classroom with typically developing peers (Lohmann et al., 2019). Children with disabilities that are receiving their instruction in an inclusive classroom may require assistive technologies to support or enhance their development and success in the inclusive classroom. Assistive technologies are tools or equipment that improve the capabilities of children (Lohmann, et al., 2019 as cited by IDEA, 2004).
Assistive technology can be no tech, such as offering gestures or sign language, low tech such as graphics or pencil grips, or high tech with equipment such as augmentation and alternative communication boards or iPads. Often people think of the high tech aspects of assistive technology since the term technology conjures up an image of something computerized. In one definition, technology is defined as the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science (Dictionary.com). The definition sounds complicated but assistive technologies are not always as such and no tech and low tech options should not be dismissed (Nielsen, 2011).
The preschool environment often allows for long periods of playtime. Teachers intentionally place materials in the environment to support children’s development in all developmental domains and academic areas. During the preschool years, play times offer children opportunities to socialize with their peers. In an inclusive classroom, that might be challenging for a child that has an expressive language disability. One assistive technology that teachers can use to help a child with a receptive and expressive language disability is to use pictures and photographs to create the class schedule as well as a calendar (Lohmann et al., 2019). Teachers can use these regularly with children and then begin to use the same photo/picture symbol system in other areas of the classroom during play. All of the children can use these symbols during play even if they are intentionally placed in the environment for the child that specifically needs to use them to help with understanding and communication. For example, when children are playing in dramatic play area, there might be a photo of a sandwich on a plate. Children can use the photo in their play to pretend to make lunch for a peer by either holding up the picture to express what is wanted to give it to the child with the disability to indicate that this is what the other person would live. Once the child becomes comfortable with the picture/photo symbol system, the teachers might begin to think about whether a high tech assistive technology such as an augmentation and alternative communication board might be something beneficial to the child (Lohmann et al., 2019).
In the preschool years, moving around during playtime helps children to develop initiative and autonomy. Children with mobility disabilities might be dependent on adults to move them from one area to another. Mobility issues interfere with children making decisions and may spend more time alone rather than with peers (Lohmann et al., 2019). If the child has upper body strength or crawls to move around, a walker might be the assistive technology that gives the child more independence (Lohmann et al., 2019). This low tech device would allow the child more options to explore independently and participate in other areas of the classroom that peers may frequent.
In both of these instances, the assistive technology is adaptable to any child regardless of culture and with minimal expense. There may be a small amount of training needed to help a child learn to use each of these technologies, but the time spent acclimating to the assistive technologies would be minimal. When determining the type of assistive technology needed, the teacher should always focus on the intended goal, and staying focused on what the child gained by having access to the technology. Determining the success of the assistive technology would be in whether the child met the intended goal or if the technology improved the child’s capabilities (Lohmann et al., 2019).
References
Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) (n.d.) Idea Retrieved from
https://ectacenter.org/idea.asp
Lohmann, M. J., Hovey, K.A., Bauvreau, A.N., Higgins, H.P. (2019) Using assistive technology
tools to support learning in the inclusive preschool classroom. The Journal of Special
Education Apprenticeship 8(2).
Nielsen, L. (2011). 25 incredible assistive technologies. Retrieved from
https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/09/25-incredible-assistive-
technologies.html
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