Assistive Technology

Have you ever heard of assistive technology? Assistive technology is defined as software and electronic devices that are designed to help ADD Students or those with learning disabilities learn more effectively.

There are devices and software for organization, math skills, reading skills, and writing skills.

You may be familiar with devices like PDAs – Palm Pilots, Blackberrys, and iPods to name a few. My daughter Caitlin recently upgraded her cell phone to a Blackberry and she is amazed by how much it can do for her and help her remember. Not all PDA devices have to be as expensive as a Blackberry; you can find simple ones for as little as $30.

If math is a problem for your child, there are programs that will help them align the numbers in the right place – something a lot of ADD Students have trouble with. There are also calculators that have built in audio – it reads aloud each key that is pressed so that it can help your child recognize sooner if he has pressed the wrong key.

If reading is a problem for your child, you’ve most likely already got one form of assistive technology installed on your computer. Both PCs and Macs come with software that will read a page aloud. In Windows, it’s filed under Accessories. For Macs, if your computer doesn’t have it, there are free downloads available.

There are also books available on tape or cd and there is a device that allows you to scan a page which it then reads aloud.

For problems with writing, you can purchase voice recognition software that allows your ADD Student to dictate their paper and the software types it. They do take some practice, and even with prolonged use, there is still a tendency to get things wrong, so it’s important to proof read your paper before you print it.

If you are interested in finding out more, ADDitude Magazine’s website has a number of excellent articles with more detail. Start here, and be sure to check the links at the bottom of the page for more articles.