Assistive technology brings freedom/independence back to the child/student. Although technology, for a typically developing child makes things more convenient, assistive technology for atypically developing children makes things more possible!
In my first year as a teacher, I had a child with autism in my class and it was definitely not easy. She challenged me to think in different ways than I did with typically developing children and gave me a chance to try different methods/strategies to include and integrate her into the classroom. This led me to realize that I need to be more informed and educated in integrating children with special needs in my classroom. Doing research to see what kind of technology resources are available to me as an educator to use in the classroom revealed to me how much there is to take advantage of, but is not typically done so because of the lack of exposure and familiarity. To further familiarize myself with the possibility of having a child with special needs in my classroom, I did research with the idea of having a future student in my class with a hearing impairment.
Children with hearing impairments can be assisted with technology such as personal FM systems. If I had a child in my class who had a hearing impairment/cochlear implant, I would integrate a personal FM system first thing. The devices are usually portable, lightweight and use wireless microphones to directly deliver the teacher’s instructions to the ear.
Another technology that can be used in the classroom for children with hearing impairments are visual aids such as lights. Rather than just an auditory fire alarm, most establishments also have accompanying flashing lights. Along with the same idea, having lights as a means to give time warnings or signaling for attention to the teachers can be helpful not only to the children with hearing impairment, but for the class as a whole to be able to focus in on the specific instruction.
In my first year as a teacher, I had a child with autism in my class and it was definitely not easy. She challenged me to think in different ways than I did with typically developing children and gave me a chance to try different methods/strategies to include and integrate her into the classroom. This led me to realize that I need to be more informed and educated in integrating children with special needs in my classroom. Doing research to see what kind of technology resources are available to me as an educator to use in the classroom revealed to me how much there is to take advantage of, but is not typically done so because of the lack of exposure and familiarity. To further familiarize myself with the possibility of having a child with special needs in my classroom, I did research with the idea of having a future student in my class with a hearing impairment.
Children with hearing impairments can be assisted with technology such as personal FM systems. If I had a child in my class who had a hearing impairment/cochlear implant, I would integrate a personal FM system first thing. The devices are usually portable, lightweight and use wireless microphones to directly deliver the teacher’s instructions to the ear.
Another technology that can be used in the classroom for children with hearing impairments are visual aids such as lights. Rather than just an auditory fire alarm, most establishments also have accompanying flashing lights. Along with the same idea, having lights as a means to give time warnings or signaling for attention to the teachers can be helpful not only to the children with hearing impairment, but for the class as a whole to be able to focus in on the specific instruction.
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