Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) typically do not learn using tradition teaching methods. However if the right teaching method is used great strides can be made. By using tecdhnology in teaching a great number of possibilities become available and allow for flexible curriculum and instructional development.
Incorporating Technology in Teaching
In the world today, technology is at the forefront of every day life and it is important that students become exposed to technology at an early age. When teaching students with ASD it is possible to use technology to enhance teaching and thereby increase the student’s ability to learn. Using technology can make the learning more enjoyable for the student by increasing their motivation to learn.
In order for a student to reach his/her fullest potential a teacher must capitalize on the student’s areas of strength while still addressing the areas of greatest need. For many students with ASD using visual cues is most effective and technology allows for the use of many forms of visual representations. In addition, if a student is an auditory learner it is possible to use technology that is more based in auditory stimuli. Technology allows for teachers to use creativity and offers great versatility in its use.
Using Technology to Create Individualized Student Lessons
It is possible to use PowerPoint™ to develop individualized student lessons. The program allows the use of photographs, clip art, sound files, animation and video clips. In addition text can be adapted by increasing size, changing font style or color for effect. The slide itself can either be modified in terms of color or style. There are slides available with designs that may be relevant to the lesson being prepared such as frogs on the background of the slide when teaching about the lifecycle of the frog.
Student’s individual curriculum goals can be addressed directly through a lesson in PowerPoint™. Examples of lessons that could be created in PowerPoint™ for a student with ASD could include: receptive or expressive identification of actions, identifying items that are same and different, completing patterns, describing what the child might do next after watching a brief video clip of a social scene or choosing the correct descriptive sentence that matches a picture that was provided.
Challenges Faced When Using Technology
Although technology can be a great tool for teaching there are also many challenges that can occur when using technology. It is important to have a back up for the lesson as it is possible that the technology may not always work. Having a printed version of the lesson is a good safeguard in case the technology fails at least the lesson can still be conducted with the student.
In addition, it is important to know how to use the technology to get the most out of it. The more time invested in practice, the easier it will become to problem solve and adapt to the technology when developing lesson plans. The possibilities are nearly endless in terms of how the program can be used to support a student's curriculum however the person who is develoiping the curriculum must kinow the student and the goals in order to develop a clear lesson that is individualized to the student and that will be effective for that student to learn the concepts expected of him/her.
Technology and Versatility
When developing individualized lesson plans it is possible that modiifcations may need to be made to the lessons often throughout the student’s learning process. Curriculum adaptaption may be required to assist a student who is struggling with a particular concept or because they are doing so well that a more challenging curriculum is needed.
When using PowerPoint™ it is possible to add slides, delete slides, quickly add a new picture or remove a picture as well as change the audio associated with a picture. It is also possible to hyperlink to another slide or any other document and the hyperlink can easily be changed as needed. This type of versatility allows for a very individualized and progressive use of curriculum for students with ASD.
References:
Connell, James E., and Joseph C. Witt. “Applications of Computer-Based Instruction: Using Specialized Software to Aid Letter-Name and Letter-Sound Recognition.” Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 37 (2004): 67-71.
Chen, Shen Hsing A., and Vera Bernard-Opitz. “Comparison of Personal and Computer-Assisted Instruction for Children with Autism.” Mental Retardation 6 (1993): 368-376.
Moore, Monique, and Sandra Calvert. “Brief Report: Vocabulary Acquisition for Children with Autism: Teacher or Computer Instruction.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 4 (2000): 359-362.
Panyon, Marion V. “Computer Technology for Autistic Students.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 4 (1984): 375-382.
Rehfeldt, Ruth A., Elisabeth M. Kinney, Shannon Root, and Robert Stromer. “Creating Activity Schedules Using Microsoft PowerPoint.” Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 37 (2004): 115-128.
Mary McDonald - Dr. McDonald is an Assistant Professor in the CRSR Department (Counseling, Research, Special Education and Rehabilitation) and teaches in ...
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