1. Assistive Technology: Making it Real! Brian W. Wojcik, MS. Ed, ATP SEAT Center Illinois State University

2. Defining Intervention Types What are different kinds of interventions?

3. Types of Interventions Instructional Interventions Compensatory Interventions

4. Instructional Interventions Instructional Interventions Instructional Interventions –Are designed to teach or add new skills to a student’s skill base –Large variety –Not necessarily academic in focus –Measured against previous performance.

5. Compensatory Interventions Compensatory Interventions Compensatory Interventions –Are designed to compensate or ‘bypass’ the area of difficulty. –Enhances student’s performance without necessarily increasing student’s skills. –Large variety –Not necessarily academic in focus (e.g., antecedent control) –Measured against performance without the intervention in place (e.g., performance gap)

6. Understanding the Enigma of AT What is Assistive Technology?

7. AT is… A Compensatory Intervention

8. Defining Assistive Technology Legal Definition Legal Definition –“any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of children with disabilities” (P.L. 100-407, 29 U.S.C. 2201, §3(1))

9. What is assistive technology? Assistive Technology is a tool that allows a person to do a task is a tool that allows a person to do a task such that, without the tool, such that, without the tool, the person could not do the task the person could not do the task at the expected performance level.

10. AT = Performance Enhancement Expected Performance On Tasks Development Over Years Typical Development Atypical Development Performance Gap!

11. How much AT is out there? 2 7 0 0 0 Over Different tools are classified as AT!

12. AT Categories (Rehabtool, 2002) Communication Aids Vision and Reading Aids Computer Access Aids Daily Living Aids Education and Learning Aids Environmental Aids Ergonomic Equipment Hearing and Listening Aids Mobility and Transportation Aids Prosthetics and Orthotics Recreation and Leisure Aids Seating and Positioning Aids

13. What is AT? (part two) Tools that are UNIQUELY matched to an individual student.