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Assistive Technology for Individuals with Learning Disabilities

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Assistive Technologies for People with Diverse Abilities

Part of the book series: Autism and Child Psychopathology Series ((ACPS))

Abstract

About 6 % of school-age students have a learning disability (LD), which is the largest special education category in terms of number of students. These students face academic challenges that are varied in reading, writing, and mathematics. Although not all students with LD have disabilities in all three areas, a high percentage of students have multiple LD. Over the years, assistive technology (AT) devices and services have increased exponentially the possibilities for individuals with learning disabilities (LD) to access the general education curriculum and focus on learning and academic success. The purpose of this chapter is to examine how individuals with LD use AT devices to help compensate for their disability-related weaknesses in reading, writing, and mathematics. We provide the definitional elements and characteristic behaviors of LD and present the Adaptations Framework to help teachers examine the tasks of their classrooms and the requisite abilities that are required to do the tasks compared to the strengths and weaknesses presented by students with LD. We describe AT devices, which are available for instruction to promote academic success in reading, mathematics, and writing, and discuss a process for conducting an AT assessment for students with LD. Additionally, we examine how CAI has progressed to be a viable option for improving reading, writing, and mathematics abilities. Finally, an overview of findings from research studies involving AT devices and academic areas is offered to provide insight about the potential promise of AT to promote access to instruction and academic success with individuals with LD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin, 78712–1284, Austin, TX, USA

    Diane Pedrotty Bryant, Brian R. Bryant & Min Wook Ok

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  1. Diane Pedrotty Bryant
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  2. Brian R. Bryant
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  3. Min Wook Ok
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Correspondence to Diane Pedrotty Bryant .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Giulio E. Lancioni

  2. Dept. Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA

    Nirbhay N. Singh

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Bryant, D.P., Bryant, B.R., Ok, M.W. (2014). Assistive Technology for Individuals with Learning Disabilities. In: Lancioni, G., Singh, N. (eds) Assistive Technologies for People with Diverse Abilities. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-8029-8_9

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