Technology Helps Special Education Students Find Their Voice

Technology Helps Special Education Students Find Their Voice

 "At Ashley Elementary School, a fifth grade student sits at lunch, talking with friends and using an iPad. He looks like any other student his age. He fits in. But there is something different. The special education student has challenges communicating due to autism."

This article shows how technology, mainly IPads, have positive impact on special education students not only educationally but socially and verbally as well.  IPads allow students to be apart of the crowd, to fit in, and to communicate effectively.  This technology allows students to be a part of the class and even the world instead of being an outsider because they are unable to communicate.  Students who were non-verbal used to be taught sign-language, however, when they would go out into the classroom or even out into the public they were unable to communicate because very few individuals know and understand Sign Language. 

My favorite part about this article is how it showed how IPads take away some of the students' disabilities and allowed them to be typical for just a little bit in some way.

This article hit very close to home for me because this past year I had the amazing opportunity to work with a student with Autism who was low verbal.  We used the IPad a lot and he loved every minute of it!  We were able to work on social skills, create stories about his new school (he was a 6th grader and heading to the high school for this next school year), watch his favorite music videos, watch tornado videos (his favorite movie is Twister), work on math, reading, and spelling.  It was very engaging for him and he loved when we worked on it.

Not only did I use my IPad for him but for also my other students.  It has so many engaging educational apps that my math students loved being able to work on it when it was their turn.  I was also able to put their spelling lists on one of the apps and the kids worked on spelling words (for some reason practicing spelling is much more fun on an IPad than on paper).  There are a million ways to incorporate an IPad within any classroom as long as the teacher is willing to take the time and figure everything out!  Technology engages students - use it to your advantage!!