There are many benefits of special needs children attending mainstream schools. In this article, we're going to be looking at some of the assistive technologies which can help them to do just that.
Education is important for all children, especially those with special needs. Although there are specialist schools in the UK, many parents feel that their child will thrive more in a standard school where they are able to interact with a wide range of children of their own age.
An SEN solicitor can help parents looking for advice on education for special needs children. But, these needs are much more likely to be met with the help of technological advances.
In this article, we'll look at some of the assistive technologies available to help them to do just that.
What Technologies Are in Place for Children with Special Needs?
The term "special needs" covers a number of conditions, such as Down's syndrome and Cerebral palsy, which can result in a child having learning and developmental problems. In many cases, although the child is able to function, they may take longer than usual to grasp basic concepts and will often need help with everyday tasks.
So, how has assistive technology helped?
1. Assistance with Speech
In some severe cases, a child with special needs may have difficulty communicating with others and this can be a significant barrier to learning. It's now possible to acquire speech generating devices which the child can use on their mobile phone.
These devices allow the child to type what they want to say and will then translate this into speech. Parents are often able to gain state funding for devices such as these which will enable their child to function in a standard class.
Famously, Professor Stephen Hawking designed such a tool for himself when he was no longer able to speak. However, unlike Professor Hawking's invention, these gadgets are now small enough to fit into a child's pocket or pencil case while at school.
2. Assistance with Dexterity
A large part of a child's school life involves holding items such as pens, pencils and even forks and spoons. Special needs children will often struggle with gripping and holding objects.
Apps like Dexteria, can be really helpful in providing games and exercises which are aimed at helping children to improve their dexterity. By using these tools on a regular basis, a special needs child can become able to pick up objects and to use them with a relatively small amount of difficulty.
3. Assisting with Memory
As we get older, most of us have to deal with the odd memory issue, For a child with special needs, this can be a constant struggle. Many special needs conditions involve mild to severe memory problems which can be incredibly frustrating for a child as they attempt to keep up with classmates.
Apps like Spaced Retrieval Therapy are great tools for helping kids with special needs to train their memory and become more able to retain information. Apps like these ask the user to answer a question and then repeats the question over longer periods of time. This helps to train the brain to recall the answer, and can be a great classroom tool for those with special needs.
4. Assisting with Focus
Focus and concentration can be particularly challenging for those with special needs and can often mean that they fall behind in a class or become labelled as disruptive. The GE Mind App can help here by providing visual, audible and physical stimulation to help the child to get used to focusing on a particular activity for a length of time.
When used over time, apps like these can help a special needs child to concentrate for longer periods of time, as well as retaining more information.
5. Assisting with Reading
Special needs children often suffer from poor eyesight and will have trouble reading material which is given to them. Optical Character Recognition tools are designed to help with reading tasks by allowing the user to scan material which is then read aloud by the software through a handheld device such as a mobile phone.
These tools can be invaluable in allowing special needs children to thrive in a normal classroom situation without having to ask for assistance from the teacher, something which is particularly important in increasingly overcrowded classrooms.
6. Assistance with Typing
In 2022, a lot of schoolwork and course work is done online which, of course, requires the ability to type content. A standard keyboard can be somewhat daunting for those with special needs as well as those with dyslexia.
An alternative keyboard can make all the difference to a child with special needs. These keyboards are customised to reduce input choices by grouping keys into colours, locations and graphics to make identification easier.
A growing demand for all-inclusive education...
In a world which aims to become more and more inclusive, it's vital that children with special needs are afforded the same opportunities as other children. That includes being able to attend a mainstream school.
This is extremely important as this offers more of a challenge than a special needs school and spurs the child on to greater achievements.
These days, we're lucky to live in an age whereby we have so many tools at our disposal to help special needs children to overcome the challenges that everyday life presents to them.
With many of these tools involving a simple app which can be downloaded onto a mobile phone, it's easier than ever before for those with special needs to integrate into mainstream schools and achieve their potential.
Images
https://www.pexels.com/photo/children-studying-inside-a-classroom-8466695/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/portrait-of-a-young-man-with-a-pencil-and-open-books-6958579/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/portrait-of-a-young-man-with-a-pencil-and-open-books-6958579/
