Autism
Characteristics: Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. Other ASDs include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorders Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females (www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm#107163082).
Children diagnosed with ASDs appear to excel in a highly structured learning environment where visuals, manipulatives, sound, video, and audio is use to augment learning opportunities.
Technology Supports:
- Create structure and routine with the SMART board by developing standardized schedules that can be saved and re-used as needed
- Record text passages for playback when information is displayed on the SMART board
- Engage students by having them complete tasks at the SMART board
- Document student progress with a portfolio of student work done at the SMART board
- Provide reinforcement of steps in a process by recording the process on the SMART board, i.e. factoring a number, and play it back on a demand basis
- Enhance understanding by placing maps, images and 3D objects with a Document Camera, and project the images onto a standard white board where students can annotate over the image and text.
- Ensure students hear every word spoken by the teacher as well as sound, music, video and announcements with a classroom Audio Enhancement system. Distribute sound evenly throughout the classroom at a consistent volume providing a more predictable learning environment.
- Enhance learning and review activities by creating interactive games using the tools built into the SMART board.
Students with ASD disorders excel when they learn using visuals and manipulatives. The image above illustrates a SMART board activity where the students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding by using manipulatives built into SMART Notebook software.
Students with ASD’s benefit from routine and structure in the learning environment. The activity shown above was created using a template found in SMART Notebook software. The content can be changed without altering the appearance of the template.
Using a document camera and projector to display images, maps, and 3D objects adds visual impact to any class, helping to engage students in learning while catering to specific learning needs.
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) get the greatest educational gains in using the satalight™. Many ASD individuals are very visual learners, and are motivated to learn by using computer software. Teachers report that the large image size of the satalight™ is very attention getting for ASD students and that they immediately notice increases in attention span and in visual tracking.
Click here for examples of Satalight™ use in Low Incidence Populations
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