An Educational Media Product for Young Children with LD and ADHD Product Overview

This media product will be an app for kids ages 6-8 that can be downloaded from Google Play or Apple’s iTunes. It will be a free app that provides a portal to kids learning shows, similar to PBS Kids or YouTube Kids. The product will allow children to watch the shows on a personal device, like a tablet, iPhone, iPad, android, etc., or on a PC or a TV that is connected to the Internet. The product will consist of shows that focus on learning vocabulary but also on dealing with tough situations that kids commonly have to face in this day and age—issues such as divorce, death, sadness, loss, isolation, and trauma. The programs are designed for children with learning disabilities and ADHD.

Demographic Characteristics

The demographic for this educational media product is children grades 1-3, ages 6-8. The cognitive/social orientation of the demographic will consist of children with learning disabilities (LD) or children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD); this can even include children with autism, children experiencing divorce, and children suffering from a loved one who is terminally ill, as there are so many children who are misdiagnosed as having LD when what they really have is ADHD or autism or are suffering from some other problem that goes undiagnosed—so preparing a product that is universally accessible for children of this age group is important as it is very difficult to determine sometimes the exact nature of the challenge for the student (Czamara, Tiesler, Kohlbock et al., 2013)). The media product is geared towards children who come from traditional homes as well as those who are either experiencing a trauma or have a handicap or challenge that prohibits them physically or mentally from engaging with learning material in a traditional manner. The interests of the children of this demographic are games that require problem-solving (Therrell, 2002); information about animals, insects, and nature; sharing and reading books (Palmer, ; superhero cartoons, crazy, fun, large and colorful characters; and programs that teach words in an entertaining manner like Sesame Street (Teach Mama, 2017).

Media use patterns for this demographic, according to research by Cain and Gradisar (2010) consists of a wide range of electronic, digital and print media, while in more recent years, this demographic has been exposed to more personal computer screen time with the arrival of iPads, tablets, androids, etc. (Hale & Guan, 2015). Because the Digital Age has arrived it is far more common today for younger...

Media products range from learning videos, to apps, to games, to YouTube videos and so on.
Learning Goals

Czamara et al. (2013) show that ADHD is one of the most common neuro-behavioral childhood disorders. Their study indicates that 5% of school children are affected by ADHD and that half of all children with ADHD present as LD students. The learning objectives of this product, therefore, are to appeal to students with ADHD so that they can develop their learning skills more efficiently. The Montessori Method, based on the theory of self-directed learning, allows students to command their own pace and direct their own interests in a way that is conducive to having a healthy development of knowledge (Mangal, 2007). This method can be employed most easily especially today with the arrival of digital technology that allows for interactive learning experience. As many researchers show, computer-assisted instruction can help students to improve grades across a range of disciplines, can improve vocabulary, and can increase the students’ level of engagement with the lessons (Keengwe & Hussein, 2014; Alvarez-Marinelli, Blanco, Lara-Alecio et al., 2016; Cassady, Smith & Thomas, 2017). The app will contribute to the healthy development of the target audience by offering engaging, interactive, computer-assisted instruction through digital media, whereby the user is able to use a mouse on a PC or a touch-screen pad on a tablet, etc., to interact with the videos that are streamed via the app. The characters will present situations for the children and the children will be able to link to the next video by way of the options that appear on the screen. It will be like “choose your own adventure” but on YouTube instead of on print media.

The theory of self-directed learning advocated by the Montessori Method combines here with the theory of using computer-assisted instruction to provide children with ADHD who may be struggling with a variety of issues at home a way to engage with and interact with educative, entertaining characters via the app while learning to make decisions and develop their own vocabulary in a way that is age-appropriate but real-world situated. The specific learning goal that is meant to be achieved through this product is the development of the student’s vocabulary by introducing the student to a new set of words that are explored through a variety of methods during the program.

Educational Approach

The educational…