Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
AT in the educational setting is individualized to the students' needs and is supported
by the use of an individualized education plan (IEP). With the national trend of includ-
ing children in special education in regular education classrooms, 75% of children with
disabilities are spending at least 49-80% of their time in regular education classes, a
significant increase over the past ten years (Swanson 2008). It is essential that teachers
design classrooms to allow for curriculum access [e.g., the student can obtain information
(written, oral, and graphic)] and provide information in a suitable and appropriate manner
for all children. Although curricular access is paramount, it is also important that children
have the opportunity to perform various social, academic, and personal care tasks/activi-
ties that impact functional participation in the educational setting. AT can be the bridge to
successful participation for many children with disabilities.
The special educator is a crucial member on the AT team in the educational setting.
Special educators work with students on a daily basis and are able to identify the student's
strengths and needs in the area of academic performance. A needs assessment is the first
step in the AT process. The special educator is in the best position to identify a student's
area of need related to specific academic performance and can assist in determining the
student's predisposition and personal characteristics related to the successful integration
of AT. Working with students on a daily basis, special educators have the opportunity to
become familiar with the personal characteristics of students and can help to identify pre-
dispositions that can support or hinder the student's use of AT.
An important responsibility of special educators is to develop an IEP for each student
who requires learning support. The IEP is a collaborative process that focuses on the abili-
ties of each individual student and their desired goals and is tailored to that student's
individual needs and abilities. The consideration for AT devices or AT services should be
embedded within the IEP (TATN 2007). The Texas 4-Step model is a process that can guide
the special educator through the consideration process of AT aligned with the development
of the student's educational plan. The first step is to identify the student's current academic
achievement and functional performance level aligned to the national standards. This step
aligns with the needs analysis step in an AT assessment to identify areas of strength for
the student and areas of need that may require an AT solution. The second step is to iden-
tify the goals and objectives, i.e., what is expected that the student can achieve. The third
step is to determine if any of the tasks involved in the students education plan will be dif-
ficult for the student to achieve and to subsequently decide if an AT solution or AT service
is needed. The final step is to determine if AT solutions/services are needed; this step can
be accomplished through gathering needed information in the assessment process and a
trial of AT solutions.
AT evaluations are crucial because they identify if there is a need for an AT device
and/or services that will allow the child to increase in quality, quantity, or indepen-
dence in activities defined in the IEP (Bowser and Reed 1995; Lahm and Sizemore 2002).
The AT evaluation should involve a comprehensive individualized assessment of the
child's progress on current goals, the child's tasks, the environment in which the AT will
be used, past experiences with the use of AT and other supports, and the child's predis-
position to the use of alternative or additional supports (Scherer et al. 2005). Each child
has a “predisposition”
that can influence the use of AT. Such predispositions depend
on personality characteristics; subjective well-being; and views of physical capabilities,
experience, future expectations, social acceptance, and financial and environmental
support for technology use (Louise-Bender Pape et al. 2002; Scherer 2005). In addition,
assessing and conceptualizing the patterns and degree of the child's disability become
crucial components. Special educators can help the AT team identify the student's
