Assistive Technology
Other Health Impairments (OHI)
limits learning in the classroom. Currently, I am in two classrooms where over
half of the 40 students have OHI, including ADD/ADHD and asthma. Working in
this classroom, walls are very plain, breaks are frequent, and extremely small
group instruction is given daily for reading, writing and math, based on
response to intervention (RTI, tier 3). The small groups that I teach for math,
reading and writing, also all have SLD (specific learning disability). OHI and
SLD adversely affect the students educationally because they have a difficult
time focusing on the task at hand. In my small groups, I have to redirect and
give simple instructions repeatedly to make sure the students understand what
is being taught.
There are many types of assistive
technology tools available to help students under all categories of IDEA. There
are high tech devices, such as iPads or other communication devices, all the
way to low tech devices, like dark lined paper, post-it notes, schedules, etc.
For the students with ADD/ADHD, I use schedules with timers to help keep them
on track. They have morning work that needs completed in 20 minutes, so those
students have a timer at their desk so they have a visual of how much time they
need to work. Also, the students with ADD/ADHD have spiky tactile cushion
seats. Spiky tactile cushion seats is just a fancy way for saying they sit on a
rubber seat that has a flat bottom with little bumps on it. These seats help
them fidget, or move, when they have to. They can move their bottoms and bodies
in any motion, helping to get “the wiggles” out.
When timers and cushion seats don’t
seem to be helping, I take little brain breaks and let the students play a game
called “Animal Vegetable.” This game is really simple, so here are the rules:
You stand up any time you hear the word “animal.” You sit down any time you
hear the word “vegetable.” You start out slow saying, “animal, vegetable,
animal, vegetable,” in a pattern. Then, as they start to catch on, you change
up the pattern, trying to trick them, “animal, animal, animal, vegetable,
animal, vegetable, vegetable, animal,” etc. If they sit down on “animal,” or
stand up on “vegetable,” they are out and help you catch other people who are
out. The game progresses fast, but they are using their brains to focus, while
moving their bodies to blow off some of their built up energy. All of the kids
love this game, and they can come back to focus after we play a few rounds,
which is pretty incredible!
While OHI is difficult to show huge
advancements in with low tech AT, high tech AT can be used and advanced more
readily. A timer and the cushion seats are both pretty low tech, but a high
tech device I allow my students to use in a laptop. Using a laptop can help
them gather their thoughts and write them, or speak them, as fast as they are
thinking them. Keeping kids with ADD/ADHD active I believe is the best way for
them to learn. Since their brains are already at a fast pace with little
attention, working on activities in short segments will get the best work from
them. Taking exercise breaks frequently will help keep the wiggles to a
minimum, and it also helps keep their brains active.
For other Assistive Technology
devices for all types of needs under IDEA, The Ohio State University Nisonger
Center has an AT library that I visited for an AT class I have taken. Here is a
link to their website. They have some pretty clever AT tools that can be done
yourself! They also have higher AT that might need to be “tested” on your child
or student before you spend a lot of money of a type of technology that may not
best benefit your child/student. Also, here are some links to different brain
break/exercise ideas that I found on Pinterest. However, if you simply go to
Pinterest and type in “brain breaks” great ideas pop up!
References:
