ConnSENSE

Understanding Special Education

Kathleen Whitbread PhD.
Whitbread@nso1.uchc.edu
Margaret Kardos, MS, OTR/L, ATP
MKardos@UCHC.EDU
University of Connecticut
A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service
http://www.uconnucedd.org/

Understanding Special Education (USE) is a program currently underway at the University Of Connecticut A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Funded by a grant from the Developmental Disabilities Council, the purpose of the project is to provide a state-of-the-art, comprehensive instructional course to parents of children with disabilities, educational professionals and social service providers in Connecticut. At the center of the USE project is the belief that by providing training to families and professionals on how to best understand and implement special education mandates, the efficacy of the Connecticut special education system will improve, promoting successful learning outcomes for students with disabilities. One of the primary objectives of the project is to increase the amount of time students with disabilities spend in the regular education setting.

The USE training program has been active since 2001 and to date has trained more than 1,100 parents and education professionals in more than 70 school districts across the state. Each training takes place over several sessions, totaling 9 hours per training. The course covers a variety of topics unique to understanding the special education process necessary to ensure that a student is educated in the least restrictive environment; topics include:

The law and special processes affecting special education
Understanding the Individualized Education Program (IEP) plan
Writing measurable goals and objectives
Creating and implementing modifications and accommodations
Building effective school and family partnerships
Transition to adulthood
Assistive technology in special education

These topics, which are taught as individual learning modules, provide information useful to both parents and professionals in understanding the special education process. In addition, each module contains "hands-on" activities that allow parents and professionals to apply what they are learning as they progress through the course. At the conclusion of each training, participants share their thoughts about how the course will help them personally and/or professionally, what changes they will make for their child or student(s) as a result of taking the course, and what could be done to make the USE course better. Responses have been overwhelmingly positive in all areas as parents and professionals alike report finding the course informative and helpful. The majority of suggestions made for improving the course often refer to extending the length of the training to allow more time for the application exercises which include writing measurable goals and objectives, adapting curriculum assignments and preparing for IEP meetings.

Assistive Technology Under IDEA: One of the topics covered in the training focuses on the use of assistive technology in special education; a summary of the key points provided in this training module follows.

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), assistive technology is defined as 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 the functional capabilities of a child with a disability. Assistive technology service is defined as any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. These specific definitions are not unique to IDEA as they are the same definitions found in the Tech-Act. What is unique about IDEA is the requirement that the need for assistive technology must be addressed for every special education student on an annual basis at a minimum.

Categories of Assistive Technology Devices. Typically, assistive technology devices fall into 3 categories of sophistication ranging from low-tech to mid-tech to high-tech. Educationally related items that find their way into the "low-tech" classification often consist of pencil grips, raised line paper, non-slip clip boards to stabilize paper work, highlighter tape, colored tabs for organization, picture cards for schedules and communication, angled work surfaces as well as writing tools and utensils with built up handles or other adaptations.

Continuing along the road from low to high tech, the "mid-tech" range is impressively expansive and includes items such as pocket recorders, talking calculators, lower capacity voice-output communication devices, switches, alternative keyboards and computer access devices, portable word processors, word prediction programs and simple environmental control units.

At the "high-tech" end of the continuum we find computer applications to adapt curriculum materials for alternative access to learning, digital voice output communication devices using symbolic representation for spontaneous communication, power mobility devices, text readers, electronic print enlargers, and voice or motion activated environmental control units.

How Are All Students' Needs Met? If one were to attempt to become familiar with all of the products and adaptations that are available in the world of assistive technology, he or she would be busy 24 hours a day for several lifetimes and never manage to become knowledgeable, let alone proficient, with them all. With so many options available, how can educational teams attempt to adequately address the IDEA mandate to examine the need for assistive technology for all students requiring special education services?

Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to address a student's need for assistive technology. Some districts have developed local capacity by having district personnel trained individually or as teams to identify student needs and recommend assistive technology solutions. Often this approach is used with students with high-incidence disabilities such as specific learning disability who may have difficulty participating in reading and writing assignments. Software programs and low-tech devices designed for supporting students with learning disabilities are often well known to special education teachers and frequently available in many school districts.

Students with low-incidence disabilities who may benefit from the addition of assistive technology services often have needs ranging in the mid to high-tech range. For students in this category, the first line of approach should be to include any related service providers the student or team may be working with or who are available in the district in helping to identify the need for assistive technology. Typically, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and physical therapists have training that encompasses the use of assistive technology relative to specific disabilities. Often related service providers work in more than one school within a district and may be familiar with devices and adaptive equipment currently available for trial.

For some students with multiple, complex needs that need to be considered simultaneously, the expertise of an assistive technology professional will be required; it is up to the Planning and Placement Team (PPT) to determine when the need for this type of service is required.

Matching the Technology to the Student and the Context. Under IDEA, the purpose of assistive technology is to improve students' ability to access and participate in the educational curriculum, thereby enabling the student to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). In determining the need for assistive technology, the PPT must carefully consider the following information:

Student's needs relative to accessing curriculum and achieving goals and objectives in the IEP.
Student and family preferences and attitudes toward technology.
The educational environment and context in which any assistive device may be used.
Level of support needed by the student to utilize the technology.
Amount of training and expertise needed by staff, family and/or student to incorporate the technology into the curriculum.

Unless all of the above items are carefully considered and planned for, the risk of abandonment of the technology will be very high; technology that is not used is of no value regardless of how appropriately matched it is to the goals and objectives of the IEP. Failure to consider the goals and expectations of the student and family surrounding the use of assistive technology can also limit the efficacy of the intervention relative to student outcomes.

Ongoing Support and Monitoring. The use of any assistive technology device in the educational setting will require some level of ongoing support and monitoring. This fact must be recognized early on and plans for training staff, student and family to appropriately use and care for the device must be made part of the student's IEP. Similarly, the integration of assistive technology into the curriculum must be regularly monitored and adjusted as the student progresses through school. Students change and grow rapidly and the technology they use must keep up with their physical and academic development to support their participation across a variety of venues. For example, high school students who require an alternative method to producing written output will most likely need to have it available in more than one class. Deciding whether to place the technology separately in each classroom or to have the student transport the technology from class to class will be a decision the team will have to make initially and most likely reevaluate as the student progresses through school and the academic demands increase. Without a contingency plan to provide the level of support necessary to ensure consistent and efficient use of assistive technology, the student will not be able to benefit from its use.

Assistive technology can provide increased access to and participation in the general educational curriculum. It can also provide opportunity for enhanced social relationships between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers and increase participation in extra-curricular activities. Through the addition of assistive technology devices and services to a student's IEP outcomes can be achieved that might otherwise be unattainable. Ensuring that parents and professionals understand the intent of IDEA and the application of assistive technology to the special education process is one way that the Understanding Special Education training program is helping to improve the lives of students with disabilities in our state.

For more information on the project, please contact Kathleen Whitbread, PhD. Associate Director; University of Connecticut A.J. Pappanikou Center for Execellence in Developmental Disabilities at Whitbread@nso1.uchc.edu

References

Derer, K., Plosgrove, L., & Herbert, R. (1996). A survey of assistive technology applications in schools and recommendations for practice. Journal of Special Education Technology, 13, 62-80.

Lahm, E. & Nickets, B. (1999). Assistive technology competencies for special educators. Teaching Exceptional Children, 32, 56-63.

Parette, P. & McMahan, G. (2002). Being sensitive to family goals. Teaching Exceptional Children, 35, 56-59.