When remediation is not enough . . .

1. When remediation is not enough . . . textHELP! Read & Write: AdaptiveTechnology for Students with Learning Disabilities Mark Giddens, Adaptive Technologist Mike Walker, Learning Strategist Presented to P/J & J/I Special Education/Psychology Students December 2, 2002

2. General Learning Outcomes(Presentation Objectives) • identify our premise for using/promoting assistive technology • briefly define learning disabilities from a “psychological processes” or information processing perspective • introduce you to textHELP! Read & Write • demonstrate this tool in action • increase awareness of the technology available to accommodate students with LDs

3. Premise • Our Desire - we want all of our students to be able to master the Three R’s and to develop “normally” physically, mentally and emotionally. • The Reality – approximately 9.4% of our elementary and secondary students are “exceptional” (MET, 1997). • The Result - many of our students will not read, write or perform other academic tasks efficiently, despite our best effort and intense remediation.

4. Consequently • In order for many of these exceptional students to be successful their • skills must be remediated and/or • learning either modified or accommodated • textHELP! Read & Writeis one of many new technologies which may be used to accommodate students with LDs. • We purchased a site license for Read & Write and had it installed on your computers to help raise awareness of these new technologies.

5. Remediation Should • provide direct intervention and instruction • build skills in areas of deficit • teach strategies to cope in areas of deficit But may involve • withdrawal creating gaps in classroom learning • constant repetition and extra work leading to frustration and fatigue • low-level material leading to low self-esteem • stigmatization (retard room) leading to behavioural issues

6. Modifications Should • change curriculum outcomes • lessen expectations • make work easier • shorten assignments But • can lead to learned helplessness • are ineligible for high school credits • do not exist at college/university level

7. Accommodations Should • meet learning outcomes/objectives • keep expectations at grade level • allow for similar work • allow for alternative presentation of info, assignment completion, & test taking Can or Are • build self-esteem • eligible for high school credits • available at colleges and universities

8. Some Stats . . . • learning disabilities impact the lives of approximately 10% of the population • approximately 4% of Ontario’s school aged population is formallyidentifiedwith LDs • of Ontario’s identified exceptional population • approx. 48% of elementary students are LD • approx. 54% of secondary students are LD • 25 to 30% of those with LDs have AD/HD • 75 to 80% of those with AD/HD have LDs Sources: Weber and Bennett, Special Education in Ontario Schools, Fourth Edition and LDAC National, Spring 2000

9. A brief overview . . . What is a Learning Disability? Ministry of Education definition

10. A learning disorder… • evident in both academic and social situations that involves one or more of the processes necessary for the proper use of spoken language or the symbols of communication, and that is characterized by a condition that:

11. a) is not primarily the result of: • impairment of vision; • impairment of hearing; • physical disability; • developmental disability; • primary emotional disturbance; • cultural difference; and

12. b) results in a significant discrepancy between academic achievement and assessed intellectual ability, with deficits in one or more of the following: • receptive language (listening, reading); • language processing (thinking, conceptualizing, integrating); • expressive language (talking, spelling, writing); • mathematical computations;

13. c) may be associated with one or more conditions diagnosed as: • a perceptual handicap; • a brain injury; • minimal brain dysfunction; • dyslexia; • developmental aphasia.

14. What is a Learning Disability? A new definition from the LDAO

15. In brief… "Learning Disabilities" …refers to a variety of disorders that affect the acquisition, retention, understanding, organization or use of verbal and/or non-verbal information.

16. These disorders …result from impairments in one or more psychological processes related to learning in combination with otherwise average abilities essential for thinking and reasoning.

17. These psychological processes are • phonological processing • memory and attention • processing speed • language processing • perceptual-motor processing • visual-spatial processing • executive functions (e.g., planning, monitoring and metacognitive abilities)

18. Learning disabilities …range in severity and invariably interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following important skills:

19. These skills are • oral language (e.g., listening, speaking, understanding) • reading (e.g., decoding, comprehension) • written language (e.g., spelling, written expression) • mathematics (e.g., computation, problem solving) • organizational skills • social perception • social interaction

20. What a LD is Not! IT IS NOT: • low intelligence/an intellectual disability • mental illness/emotional disturbance • autism • visual or auditory acuity problems • laziness/lack of motivation • a way to avoid other issues • a physical handicap • the result of a poor academic background

21. A Learning Disability is a Information Processing Impairment It is like having too many bridges out as well as too many overlapping pathways along the “information highways” of the brain. Dale R. Jordan U. of Arkansas

22. For you visual learners… What does an LD look like? Diagnosing a learning disability?

23. Traditional Aptitude vs. AchievementAverage Student

24. Traditional Aptitude vs. AchievementStudent with a LD

25. Aptitude, Achievement & Info Processing Visual (Dyslexia)

26. Aptitude, Achievement & Info Processing Auditory (CAPD)

27. So how might an LD affect a Learner? A Couple of Examples . . .

28. Can’t you read this? • Myle arn in gdisa bi LI tyma kesit dif Ficu ltform eto re Adi tslo wsm edo wnwh eniha veto re AdmYte xtbo Ok sbu twhe nius Eboo kso Nta peo rco mpu Teri zedsc ree nrea Din gsof twa Reto lis tent Om yte xtbo ok sith elp sal Ot.

29. Can’t you see this? • Can’t you see the _________?

30. Tough Facts from LDAC • 35% of students identified with learning disabilities drop out of high school. • 50% of adolescent suicides had previously been diagnosed as having learning problems. • Volumes of research have shown that 30% to 70% of young offenders have experienced learning problems. Statistics on Learning Disabilities. LDAC, October 2001.Source Online: http://www.ldac-taac.ca/english/indepth/bkground/stats01.htm

31. What About the Kids?3 Tales from the Trenches • Adam (grade 4) – reading disability (pre. board) • reading at grade 1 level, highly frustrated & resistant to learning • resistant to resource, so accommodated in the classroom • up two levels, completed grade level work, independent research project, class leader • end of the year comment to John • now in Grade 5 – back in resource, same phonics workbooks, etc. – shut down • teachers, perhaps afraid of technology, but have also bought into the myth that if students learn differently, they won’t make it in the “real world”

32. What About the Kids?3 Tales from the Trenches • Eve (grade 4) – gifted with an LD • worked very hard but no significant ability/achievement discrepancy so parents paid for assessment • performing just below grade level • works harder than all of her classmates • remediation every night thru Oxford L C • principal won’t allow identification & IEP – “monitoring” • recently caught cheating in spelling in French • “I wanted to get them right just once.” • should she be allowed to experience success? • strategy – Report Card – “accommodating her learning disability according to the psychological assessment”

33. What About the Kids?3 Tales from the Trenches • Ruth (grade 4) – not yet diagnosed • problems with math • probably non-verbal LD – problems with drawing, visual/spatial awareness, awkward, late reader • goes to Kumon Math every night • nightly math sheet (10 – 20 min) may take 2 hours with parents help • teacher warned not to rock the boat (not to ID) • so teacher removed classroom accommodation; resulting failure allowed teacher to contact parents; parents influential in community and parent council • letters flew – testing has begun – shook up resource team; 5 kids will now benefit from 1st math program

34. LD Specific Software textHELP Read & Write v. 5.0 (Read & Write v. 6.0 is now available) www.texthelp.com

35. Reading tool Screen Reader for severe print disabilities Text Reader reads e-text aids decoding and comprehension Writing tools Word Prediction ‘Dyslexic’ Spell Checker Thesaurus Homonym Checker Word Wizard – use it to look up topics textHELP! Read & Writeoverview

36. R&W Reading Tools Screen Reading • reads the screen, icons & application menus Text Reading • highlight to read e-text • tracks words in speech balloons or • tracks highlighted text in TextReader • works in most Windows applications – word processors, email, web browsers

37. R&W Reading Tools Reading features • change reader’s • character • voice • speed & pitch • highlighting colours & text size • find and listen to words and definitions in Spell Check, Thesaurus and Word Wizard

38. R&W Writing Tools • Listen to your writing • listen as you type by • letter • word • sentence • or even speaks punctuation • listen to proofread a complete document

39. R&W Writing Tools • Word Prediction • find a word “the word starts with an ele…” • change prediction window size and colours • use a hyphen “-” to extend the list • expand vocabulary – learns as you type or import spelling lists • learns your writing style & predicts for you • program phonetic replacements (fone, filosofy)

40. R&W Writing Tools (editing) • Check spelling – as you type or after • dyslexic (b p q d) and first letter errors - filosofy • speaks back definition; gives examples in context • by parts of speech – noun, verb, adjective, adverb • keeps spelling log – errors and dates • Check homophones • speaks back definition; gives examples in context • Use the Thesaurus – another word for big • synonyms & antonyms

41. R&W Writing Tools • Word Wizard – expands vocabulary • look for alternative or linking words • example – chip: part of speech; get a definition; do a search – “more things like…” or “different kinds of …” • for research – president

42. R&W targets skill deficits… Directly: • reading (e.g., decoding, comprehension) • written language(spelling, written expression) To a lesser degree: • oral language(listening, speaking, understanding) • organizational skills • social interaction • mathematics (e.g., computation, problem solving) • social perception

43. R&W aids processing deficits… Directly: • phonological processing • language processing • visual-spatial processing To a lesser degree: • memory and attention(engages students) • perceptual-motor (keyboard/prediction) • executive functions (planning, monitoring and metacognitive abilities) (elaborating, editing) • processing speed

44. textHelp - Helps! • Assists and motivates • Accommodates many reading and writing deficits • Helps build reading and writing skills including fluency, elaboration & risk taking • Although not the most sophisticated, Read & Write is probably the best all round LD tool for the money*

45. Want to practice? • We will put 3 copies of Cambrian College’s textHELP! Read & Write instructional manual on reserve in the library • and 7 copies in the Student Affairs Office (A201). • There are student disks with the package – please copy these disks to your computer and don’t overwrite the files on the floppy 

46. Just released:Read & Write GOLD Read & Write features plus • scan & read features • speech input (speech to text – XP engine) • research tools – gather, organize, annotate info from the internet • simple & scientific talking calculator • Teacher Toolkit – manage spelling and activity logs and student access

47. More Technology for Young Learners • WordQ (simpler tool similar to textHELP!) • www.wordq.com • Kidspiration • www.inspiration.com • IntelliTools Inc. (www.intellitools.com) • IntelliTalk II • IntelliMathics • IntelliPics Studio • MathPad • Accessibility Tools (for physical disabilities)

48. Free Text Readerwww.readplease.com • ReadPlease 2003 • Text-to-speech (no scanning feature) • Developed in Canada • Very simple to use • Use Oscar's Sound Recorder (also free) to convert to .mp3 for portability

49. More Info . . . • On textHELP! products • www.texthelp.com • On learning disabilities • www.schwablearning.org • www.ldonline.org • www.ldpride.net • www.ldao.on.ca • www.ldrc.ca • http://specialed.about.com/cs/learningdisabled • Mike’s Learning Resources site • www.nipissingu.ca/faculty/mikew/resource

50. Questions? . . . our thanks for this opportunity!