Deandra Christopher (Deandra.Christopher@uoit.net)
Prism EdTech (https://www.prismedtech.com/)
University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Abstract

This chapter focuses on addressing how assistive technology (AT) can be used by teachers to foster inclusion and participation in students with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Core deficits of ASD challenges will be briefly outlined. An overview how AT can help these students develop core skills and mange challenges in order to engage in general curriculum. A variety of assistive technology tools ranging from low tech to high tech will be highlighted and how they can be integrated will be outlined. Areas for further research and analysis is also noted.

Keywords: Autism, Assistive Technology, Curriculum, Higher functioning autism,

Introduction

This “digital revolution” is transforming how teachers educate students and how students are learning. Today, technology is important in the design and development of the curriculum, it also has the potential to give learners an enjoyable, engaging, challenging and motivating experience of learning, while raising achievement and improving learning outcomes (Parsons et al., 2015). Additionally, technology integration into curriculum has the ability to increase and improve learning opportunities for students with special needs. Despite the advancement in technology, many parents from the Ontario Autism Coalition advocacy group argue 72% of the children do not get the level of support needed at school (Kirby-Mcintosh & McLaughin 2017). An article published by Huffington Post in November 2017 claimed Ontario’s education system was in crisis for students with Autism. The article advocated that due differential treatment of students and board policies varying so widely from on child in one board to another, many students are denied specialized equipment that would help them communicate or learn (Kirby-Mcintosh & McLaughin 2017).

This shift in curriculum design and technology integration needs to be inclusive to students with special needs. There is a growing number of special needs students in K-12 who are in specialized classrooms and general education classrooms. In 2004 Ministry of Education estimated there was over 16, 000 students with ASD in publicly funded schools (Ministry of Children and Youth Services, 2013). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an umbrella term for a developmental disorder that affects an individuals’ social, communicative and language skills (Ping, Scharf, Nelson & Brooks, 2012). Although many individuals with ASD are characterized by the above core deficits, some individuals have strong language abilities but have challenges in social communication skills. Due to the noted deficits, many of these students have unique learning needs and can often face challenges with accessing and participating in curriculum (Mintz, 2013).

This chapter highlights how assistive technology can be integrated to support higher functioning students with ASD in K-12 education. The technology tools reviewed target how to support the development of social communication, manage rigid behaviour, cognitive and motor differences in order to maximize participation and engagement in curriculum.

Background Information

Factors That Affect Autism Spectrum Disorder Student Success

Many high functioning ASD students struggle in mainstream schools. A number of researchers have argued that inclusion for students with ASD is difficult for mainstream schools to provide due to their deficits. Impairments with understanding social conventions, challenges with emotional regulation and organization, as well as associated risk of bullying can lead to a lack of inclusion for students in mainstream schools (Mintz, 2013). Additionally, due to the above mentioned challenges, many students find participating in core academic curriculum areas of reading, writing, math, group work , comprehension and task management daunting (Mintz, 2013).

Benefits of Technology Integration

AT is identified by educators as an essential tool in education because it ‘levels the playing field’ and assists teachers with helping students meet  their goals (Chambers & Berlach, 2015). The literature has highlights many benefits which include: the development of functional skills that can be generalized to natural settings, improved physical fitness, enhanced social communication, better time management, greater task completion, communication with others, heightened self-worth and improved academic outcomes (Chambers & Berlach, 2015).

Literature Review

Computer assisted technology (CAT), Technology Aided Intervention and Instruction (TAII), Assistive Technology (AT) has been found to be an effective treatment method compared to other interventions for students with disabilities (Ping et al., 2017; Southall 2013; Barton, Pustejovsky, Maggin & Reichow 2017) . TAII includes a wide range of technology including: laptop computers, smart phones, tablets, virtual networks and applications. A meta-analysis conducted by Barton et al., 2017 on ASD and TAII literature revealed that technology improved academic, communication and social outcomes for students with ASD. Assistive Technology (AT) has been used to support student with special needs in educational, vocational, independent living settings (Southall, 2013). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) define assistive technology as any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is issued to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability (Hopkins, 2004). Particularly in education, AT helps many students access information, connect with others, and participate in ways that could not have possible without the use of AT (Hopkins, 2004). Today there are over 29,000 AT devices available, compared to less than 100 in the 1970s (Southall, 2013).

Types of Assistive Technology

Assistive devices are categorized based on a continuum and classified as low-tech, medium-tech or high tech based on the level of sophistication in features, cost, level support need to needed to use (Chambers & Berlach, 2015). Chamber & Berlach (2015) describe low and medium-tech devices as requiring only basic instruction or and not overly complicated to operate. Low tech devices are often not electronic, simple to make and acquire such as communication boards, visual schedules, highlighter, word rings. Medium tech devices are reasonably complicated such as talking calculators, visual timers, tablets and IPad applications. Lastly, high tech devices are most complex and often specialized to accommodate a specific function and requires more training, which can include: software (Inspiration mapping), augmentative communication devices, Smartboards (Chamber & Berlach, 2015) .

Technology to support High Functioning Autism Spectrum Differences (HFASD)

Social Communication

Many students demonstrate difficulty understanding and using contextual or social cues as a means of engaging in the social world. Students with ASD have a greater risk of emotional breakdowns in public places because of difficulty tolerating mistakes, low tolerance for frustration, and high anxiety (Southall, 2013). All of these can affect educational opportunities and can make integrating into the general education environment difficult.

Applications

The benefits of virtual environments can include systematic instruction, group environments to encourage interactions, and modern technology to present skills visually for individuals with HFSD. It can also provide accommodations that “facilitate appropriate forms of social inclusion” (Southall, 2013).

Table 1
Assistive Technology Applications for Social Communication

Virtual environments or online forums for group work and projects can serve as effective accommodations for general education coursework by reducing the emphasis on effective social skills, thereby allowing students with HFASD to demonstrate their true academic ability and participate in collaborative work in a meaningful way (Southall, 2013).

Rigidity in Behaviour

Although students with high functioning ASD may not present sterotypy behaviours, such as hand flapping, many students are more likely to have restricted behaviours. Additionally, unexpected transitions can be difficult due rigidity can cause behaviours (Alhandi, 2014). All of the listed challenges are marked by rigidity, thus a need for sameness, order and predicting the environment (Mintz, 2013). Lack of integration of strategies to address these core characteristics can cause student distraction and affect engagement in curriculum.

Applications

Table 2
Assistive Technology Applications for Rigidity in Behaviour

To accommodate difficulties with transitions, activity schedules can provide a primer for the day’s events and serve as static reminders of the day’s progress for individuals with ASD (Bryan & Gast, 2000). Visual media can facilitate higher success and independence than other forms of cues such as the ephemeral verbal cue and sign language (Southall, 2013).

Cognitive Differences

Many students with ASD have weak central coherence and deficits in executive functioning and that is associated with learning challenges which can range from synthesizing information, initiating tasks, problem solving, etc.) (Southall, 2013). Additionally, many children with high functioning ASD are likely to have a learning disability in reading, written expression, and/or math and 95% of people with ASD also demonstrate symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Alhandi, 2014).

Literature describes weak central coherence as individuals with ASD inability to integrate information to make a meaningful whole (Southall, 2013). Mintz (2013) defines executive function as cognitive functioning that controls processes such as working memory, concentration, behavior inhibition, planning, initiation, performance monitoring, and self-regulation—deficits in these areas make organization, time management more difficult (Mintz, 2013).

Applications

Table 3
Assistive Technology for Cognitive Differences

Graphic organizers accommodate weak central coherence by helping students make meaning and understand relationships with visual representations. They have been found to be effective across content areas for students with both neurotypical and specific learning disabilities (Southall, 2013).

Motor Differences

Motor differences have a pervasive impact for most individuals with ASD, because many social and academic skills are learned through movement (Parsons, Yuill, Brosnan & Good, 2015). Thus, students with motor challenges can have difficulty engaging in activities that require handwriting and/or note taking.

Applications

Table 4
Assistive Technology for Motor Differences

Studies and clinical reports reviewed demonstrate that speech recognition software can be used effectively to help students with a disability gain active control over their environment (Mintz, 2013).

Conclusions and Future Recommendations

The tools highlighted in this chapter demonstrate that integrating AT tools in a classroom environment can increase engagement and participation for students with high functioning ASD. All the tools highlighted were versatile and can be incorporated into a variety of curriculum material. The range of low to high tech tools offer options for teachers.

Further research on how the above tools can be adopted for different grade levels, details on the level of teacher training required to adopt the tools is also an area further review.

References

Alnahdi, G. (2014). Assistive technology in special education and the universal design for learning. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 13(2), 18-23.

Barton, E. E., Pustejovsky, J. E., Maggin, D. M., & Reichow, B. (2017). Technology-aided instruction and intervention for students with ASD: A meta-analysis using novel methods of estimating effect sizes for single-case research. Remedial and Special Education, 38(6), 371-386. doi:10.1177/0741932517729508

Bryant, B. R., Bryant, D. P., Shih, M., & Seok, S. (2010). Assistive technology and supports provision: A selective review of the literature and proposed areas of application. Exceptionality, 18(4), 203-213. doi:10.1080/09362835.2010.513925

Chambers, D., & Berlach, R. G. (2015). Assistive technology and teacher assistants. (pp. 219-239) Emerald Group Publishing Limited. doi:10.1108/S1479-363620150000004011

Dragon NaturallySpeaking – world’s best-selling speech recognition software. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nuance.com/dragon.html

Edmodo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.edmodo.com/

Messinger-Willman, J., & Marino, M. T. (2010). Universal design for learning and assistive technology: Leadership considerations for promoting inclusive education in today’s secondary schools. NASSP Bulletin, 94(1), 5-16. doi:10.1177/0192636510371977

Ministry of Children and Youth Services (2013). Austism services and supports of children (Annual Report of the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, 3.01, 52-81). Retrieved from http://www.autismontario.com/client/aso/ao.nsf/docs/93cf09b816544bb185257c3e00614637/
$file/autism+auditor+general+2013,+301en13.pdf

Integrate Inspiration® 9 into your Curriculum. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.inspiration.com/Curriculum-Integration/Inspiration

Mintz, J. (2013). Can smartphones support inclusion for autism in mainstream? Journal of Assistive Technologies, 7(4), 235-242. doi:10.1108/JAT-08-2013-0019

Parsons, S., Yuill, N., Brosnan, M., & Good, J. (2015). Innovative technologies for autism: Critical reflections on digital bubbles. Journal of Assistive Technologies, 9(2), 116-121. Doi:10.1108/JAT-03-2015-0005

Ploog, B. O., Scharf, A., Nelson, D., & Brooks, P. J. (2013). Use of computer-assisted technologies (CAT) to enhance social, communicative, and language development in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(2), 301-322. doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1571-3

Puckett, K. S. (2004). Project ACCESS: Field testing an assistive technology toolkit for students with mild disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 19(4), 5.

Wynne, R., McAnaney, D., MacKeogh, T., Stapleton, P., Delaney, S., Dowling, N., & Jeffares, I. (2016). Assistive technology/equipment in supporting the education of children with special education needs-what works best (Research Report No. 22) (p. 336). The National Council for Special Education. Retrieved from http://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NCSE-Assistive-Technology-Research-Report-No22.pdf