Types

• Depending on the particular needs of your learning-disabled student, many different types of AT are available to help promote academic independence and confidence in your classroom. There are devices that assist students with listening, reading, math, writing, organization and memory skills. AT devices can be manual, hand-held visual devices, electronic voice or computer devices, alternative keyboards, audio devices, speech-recognition programs, variable speed tape recorders, word-prediction software programs and internet-based technology.
  
  

Significance

• Using AT devices in your classroom can increase significantly your learning-disabled students' ability to achieve academic success. Rather than focusing on the often frustrating manual tasks or struggling with organizational difficulties in order to communicate, your LD students will be able to use the AT to overcome their obstacles to learning and self-expression. This will give them a sense of self-empowerment and lead to more satisfaction with the process of learning.
  
  

Psychological Impact

• Using AT devices with your learning-disabled students can not only give them greater confidence and lessen their anxiety about learning it can also reduce their frustration with the learning process and help them to focus on what they know, rather than dwell on what they are unable to do. A student that is unable to process spelling or the order of letters in a sequence could become frustrated and discouraged when trying to put ideas on paper. By providing that student with simple spell-check technology on a computer, she is able to write her ideas and communicate her thoughts without getting stuck in the logistics of spelling. The psychological impact of having a technological aid to assist in the student's success cannot be minimized, as it can mean the difference between a focus on failure or on the confidence that comes with academic achievement.
  
  

Available ATs for Specific LDs

• Word Processors
  If you have a student who has difficulty using a pencil or pen or who becomes confused when they try to form letters, you might suggest that your school provide a word processor to the student. That way, rather than being focused on the mechanical process of writing, the student will be able to express himself freely using a keyboard and spell-check software.
  
  Tape Recorders
  If your student has difficulty reading or making sense out of the words he reads, providing him with a tape recording of the lesson will free him to focus on the content of the lesson, rather than struggling with the mechanics of reading. Many libraries have books on tape, and the student who has trouble focusing in a classroom setting can also tape lectures in the classroom to play back at home, when he is able to concentrate without distraction.
  
  Text-Reading Systems
  Text-reading systems use software that allows a student to listen to text as it appears on a screen and highlight specific passages or words for repetition. Having the content on screen while the student hears it reinforces the information visually and audibly to promote learning.
  
  Word Prediction
  With word-prediction software, your student only has to begin typing a word, and the computer will offer suggestions of words that she intends. She is able to choose the appropriate word and continue with her sentence. This allows greater freedom of expression for students who might otherwise labor over the task of finding the letters to express meaning.
  
  Reading Pens
  Offer a reading pen to a student who has trouble processing printed words. The pen will "speak" the word that the student highlights, allowing for greater comprehension.
  
  Concept Mapping
  Use concept-mapping software or pages to assist students who have difficulty grasping structure and overall meaning of text passages. By breaking down concepts into an understandable outline, such a student is better able to express and understand the meaning of texts.
  
  Speech Recognition
  Speech-recognition software allows students who have difficulty with manual dexterity to "type" text by speaking into a microphone. The computer will recognize speech and transcribe it into text.
  
  Personal-Information Managers
  Personal-data managers will help your students with organizational difficulties better comprehend and manage schedules, tasks and other data by organizing the information in a digestible way.
  
  

Low-Tech Solutions

• Not all AT devices are technologically complicated. You can help your learning-disabled students succeed in the classroom by using simple, homemade learning aids, such as Post-it reminders, highlighter tape, pens and transparency sheets, pencil grips, white boards for writing, and other inexpensive learning aids. Organizational charts are also easy to create using felt, Velcro and plastic.