teaching academics to students with significant intellectual disabilities using assistive technology Karena Cooper-Duffy, PhD. Jessica Perry, MAED Western Carolina University North Carolina Rehabilitation Association & North Carolina Assistive Technology Program November 2-4, 2016 Crowne Plaza Resort, Asheville, NC

Objectives 1: Accessing academics for students with significant intellectual disabilities is challenging 2: Items such as Big Macs, IPADS, adapted books, virtual manipulatives, apps can be used to enhance access to academic for students with severe disabilities. 3: Teaching students with severe disabilities using assistive devices and systematic instruction can increase access to academic content.

Objective 1 Challenges to access academics

Challenges of accessing Common Core grade level skills to students with significant intellectual disabilities For Students with Significant intellectual and physical disabilities Students may have limited use of fingers or hands to touch/manipulate materials. Students may have limited verbal skills to tell you answers to questions about content Students may not understand abstract content. Students may have limited life experience to relate to the academic content Students may have limited purposeful movements to indicate a response. Teacher challenges

Students may have limited use of fingers or hands to touch/manipulate materials. Students may have limited verbal skills to tell you answers to questions about content Students may not understand abstract content. Students may have limited life experience to relate to the academic content Students may have limited purposeful movements to indicate a response. Students may have difficulty understanding the content.

Challenges of accessing Common Core grade level skills to students with significant intellectual disabilities Teacher/professional challenges Teaching a group of students with SID Many of the students need modifications all at the same time Limited access to expensive devices Not know how to use the devices Devices require maintenance Needing support to implement the devices .

Teaching a group of students with SID ( multiple grade levels) Busy teaching functional skills Many of the students need modifications all at the same time Limited access to expensive devices Not know how to use the devices Devices require maintenance Needing support to implement the devices . Limitations of the setting. – tables not high enough, not enough outlets, chairs cannot get close enough,

Other challenges ???

Keep it simple. Think low tech or no tech first. ( adapted pencil) Think as typical as possible to reduce stigma. Ask others who know the child ( Person, family, siblings, OT, PT, SLP, other teachers, GE) Use resources you have individualize for the student Adaptations Framework Demands of the setting/ ECCSS Student ( Strengths and limitations) Adaptations that can bridge the gap Evaluation ( without the adaptation vs with the adaptation).

Objective 2 Items such as Big Macs, IPADS, adapted books, virtual manipulatives, apps can be used to enhance access to academic for students with severe disabilities.

Communication Systems Picture/text vocabulary Objects Big Mac, Step by Step Go Talk Tech talk Dyna Vox IPad with .. App – proloquo2go $, Free: speak it, sounding board, My Talk Eye gaze boards Camera mouse (Free)

Accessing literacy Traditional books Page turners, laminate pages, cut and bind, Velcro on back of each page, spoons, boardmaker pictures on each page to enhance vocabulary, Adapted paper books. UNCC adapted books http://access.uncc.edu/parent-teacher-and-educator-resources Rice Sherlock Center http://www.ric.edu/sherlockcenter/wwslist.html PrAACtical AAC http://praacticalaac.org/strategy/literacy-for-everyone-through- adapted-books/ UNCCH Center for Literacy and Disability Studies https://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/clds ECU MAST (Look through Modules for adapting books and story based lessons) http://mast.ecu.edu/picker.php Electronic books Apps – view books on Ipad – News2you https://www.n2y.com/news-2-you/, BookFlix www.scholastic.com/digital/bookflix.htm , story kit Powerpoint Websites – Tar Heel reader, Literactive.com, Starfall.com, https://www.storyplace.org/, http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/ Bookshare.org, http://www.storylineonline.net/, Epic! https://www.getepic.com/, Curriculum Early Literacy Skill Builder – Attainment Me Ville to We Wille – Attainment Building with stories – Attainment Start to Finish – literacy starters

Student access to literacy Repeated line with a single switch – BigMac Laminated vocabulary sheet with picture/text vocabulary list on a Go Talk 9 Eye Gaze chart with enlarged vocabulary Multiple choice questions with picture/text answer options https://w3.setbc.org/students/Pages/default.aspx ( under student resources) Boardmaker Picsymbs do2learn.com

Accessing math Physical manipulatives Virtual manipulatives – add website http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html Starfall.com Graphic organizers Curriculum - Building Early Numeracy Skills ( Elementary) Teaching Math Standards ( Middle and High School) Number worlds

Science Starfall.com Brain pop Curriculum through Attainment Teaching Science to the Standards  ( Middle and High School) Early Science Curriculum ( Elementary) Scholastic News

Objective 3 Teaching students with severe disabilities using assistive devices and systematic instruction

Videos Literacy Story based instruction http://mast.ecu.edu/modules/ssid_sbl/concept/#1 Math http://mast.ecu.edu/modules/ssid_mc/concept/ Identify the problem Science http://mast.ecu.edu/modules/ssid_se/concept/ prediction & results *

Questions Share ideas you have for using AT in your academic instruction?