Special education overview and key concepts

Special Education

According to the law as well as generally accepted principles of humanity, each child who enters the school system in the United States has the right to an effective education. For average and above average children, this is usually not a problem. However, there is a wide diversity of children who enter the school system today. In addition to many different cultures and backgrounds, teachers are also challenged by a wide variety of learning needs. Some students, for example, struggle with specific areas of learning such as reading, where such a student then requires specialized assistance to meet the demands and challenges of the school environment. One such student is Eric, a first-grade student who struggles with reading. He struggles with the sounds of letters and building words from the different sounds. Since this is such a fundamental skill in early education, it was decided that Assistive Technology (AT) should be used to try to help Eric overcome this difficulty.

Eric is from a relatively affluent household in the middle class sector of society. Eric does not suffer from any physical or emotional difficulties. Indeed, he seems to be a very happy child who enjoys interacting with his classmates. The challenge he faces, however, is his frustration level when he struggles with a skill that his peers seem to master more easily than he does. This frustration could lead to the development of emotional and social issues if not addressed right away.

According to Dyal, Carpenter and Wright (n.d., p. 556), the decision regarding an appropriate AT system for Eric would be depend upon an Individual Education Plan (IEP) team, of which the teacher and school leader are an important part. It is also important to include Eric's parents in this decision making process. During contact with his parents, an estimate should also be made of their ability to afford the technology that will be needed to help him. In addition, his parents' attitude will play an important role in Eric's success. Furthermore, the affordability of Eric's assistive education program will be determined, according to which funding should be allocated as necessary.

In this way, the parents should play an active role in the assessment of Eric's specific needs. Because Eric's parents know him best, they can provide valuable input in terms of his needs, especially at the emotional level, where he might need extra support to handle the rigors of the program. Because Eric is struggling with the very basis building blocks of reading, it was estimated that a relatively high tech AT device should be used, at least for the first few months of his enrolment in the program. Stanberry and Raskind (2011) provide a number of examples of technology that can be of help to Eric.

One of these is audio books and publications. These are recorded books available in a variety of formats, including audiocassettes, CDs and MP3 downloads. This technology allows the user to listen to a reading of the text while following the words. At the Grade 1 level, Eric can be provided with very simple reading material, where he can then listen to the sounds of the printed words he sees in front of him. His teacher can supplement this with normal reading on the same subject matter as the audio books. In this way, Eric can then be provided with a way to connect the letters on paper with the sounds that he hears. The teacher should be careful to adjust the pace of learning according to Eric's needs. The help of the parents will be vital in this regard. Eric's frustrations levels should be monitored at all times, as these have the inherent danger of defeating the purpose of the technology.

A slightly more advanced piece of technology such as speech synthesizers or screen readers can also be implemented at a slightly later time, when Eric begins to make good progress with the initial audio book program. Speech synthesizers are systems that can display and read computer text aloud. Such text includes information that has been typed in by the user. This is a valuable tool for connecting Eric's reading and writing skills. Because these two skills are highly integrated, it would be very useful to utilize Eric's slightly higher level writing skills as a platform for further developing his reading skills. In this way, the AT system can help Eric to develop not only at a pace that is comfortable for him personally, but also to do so in an integrated and much more effective way.

The third component of the program for Eric is Stanberry and Raskind's (2011) suggestion of the paper-based computer pen. This will further integrate Eric's learning experience by recording and linking audio sounds to what the person writes. The computer pen and paper are linked to the computer, which responds to what is being written. Ultimately, this technology can also help with skills like note taking in a class while a teacher is speaking.