EDU 214

College of Southern NV online

TECHNOLOGY
ASSISTANCE FOR
DISABLED LEARNERS:
IPADS
Alexis Hagan
 SpecEd Assistive Technologies

The average person sees an iPad or tablet as a distraction, a block of metal filled with

games, and anything you can find on the internet, but many people in the field of education have

made a use for it. Those with social and learning disabilities, like the autism spectrum, can now

communicate their needs, and can be accurately graded in school, [Researchers] used video

modeling on the iPad to focus on the math skills of four adolescents with autism. The researchers

identified a functional relationship between the video self-monitoring on the iPod and math skill

acquisition. In a study done on post-secondary students with self-proclaimed learning

hindrances, using the iPad for e-textbooks helped them improve academically, which in turn

helped improve their sense of self and their confidence. Other studies, also done on higher-

education students with disabilities, showed that the iPad enabled students to be actively engaged

with their academic environment. The iPad may offer an opportunity to enhance the learning

experiences of students in way that was not previously possible. (Chmiliar, 2015)

Why the iPad? Instead of a fragile, incredibly expensive device, designed only for

communication, which allowed a very limited mobility, there was now a device which offered

the same types of communication, for a fraction of the price. Parents can now purchase the

device, the app, and a protective case for a third the price of the specialized technology alone.

(Price, 2014)

Even though there seems to be an increase in studies on this particular tech being used to

enable learners with ASD, there are minimal studies on the use of iPads to teach the set of skills

needed for traditional academics. With this void in literature it rings important that there is value

in the investigation of using iPads to help learners achieve the seemingly necessary, and
important, skills of literacy and numeracy. Early language development and specifically

vocabulary acquisition are of importance to both pre-literacy and literacy skills,

Learners who have severe communication impairment suffer from exclusion from

activities like the picture to word matching. Generally, in these activities, the instructor shows a

picture, and the students states what it is, and there is some sort of verbal conformation or non-

conformation, but a student suffering from ASD/DD cannot verbally respond in intelligible

language. To close this learning gap educators have done studies using i-device based guidance,

to help the learners respond accordingly to these types of questions. The students had to select

the corresponding images, though not identical, and the guiding device provided the voice-

output. Though this task is seemingly different from the verbal activity, the results are quite

equal, and just as useful. (Van Der Meek et al, 2015)

iPods and iPads are proving to be more than just a distraction, the fact that they have been

designed with the intention to help elevate learning, and providing an interface so easy that

everyone can use it, shows me that there are companies out there willing to make the world a

little better one step at a time. Even though the studies are few and far between, I would advocate

for my students to be able to use them in the classroom, there are currently ways schools are

making sure that they are being used for educational purposes, as well as fun. They are a

platform for students who need assistance to interact with the educational environment around

them. On top of that, it provides a more accurate way for educators to assess those students with

ASD or other disabilities, and it leaves them feeling included.

Bibliography

Chmiliar, L., & Anton, C. (2015). The iPad as a mobile assisting technology device. Journal of
Assistive Technologies. Retrieved April 20, 2017, from
Search.proquest.com.eproxy.library.csn.edu/docview/1758611548?pq-origsite=summon.

Price, A. (2014). Autism and iPads: What We Are Learning. Teacher Librarian,41. Retrieved April 20,
2017, from Search.proquest.com.eproxy.library.csn.edu/docview/1504427853?pq-origsite=summon.

Van Der Meer, L., Achmadi, D., Cooijmans, M., Didden, R., Lancioni, G. E., O'Reilly, M.
F., . . . Sigafoon, J. (2015). An iPad Based intervention for teaching picture and word
matching to a student with AND and severe communication impairment. Journal of
Developmental & Physical Disabilities. doi:10.1007/s10882-014-9401-5