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Find out in this Q&A with the authors of Assistive Technology for Young Children: Creating Inclusive Learning Environments |
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About the authors
 Kathleen Curry Sadao, Ed.D., is a program specialist with the Supporting Early Education Delivery Systems (SEEDS) Project, in the Sacramento County Office of Education. Her work includes developing training materials for the field and facilitating a state-level assistive technology work group creating web-based AT training products. Dr. Sadao has been in the field of early childhood special education for more than 25 years. She has traveled the Pacific Islands providing training and technical assistance to newly developed ECSE programs as a Head Start Technical Assistance consultant and later a National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center coordinator. Currently Dr. Sadao and her SEEDS Workgroup on Early Education Technology (SWEET) team have been field-testing AT training modules around the state of California.
Dr. Robinson and Dr. Sadao began their collaborative work at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and established an interagency systems evaluation initiative. In 2005, Dr. Robinson became a consultant to the SEEDS Training Project at the Sacramento County Office of Education. She has participated as a member of the SEEDS Workgroup on Early Education Technology to assist in development and delivery of AT training in early childhood settings throughout California. Questions? Customer Service: |
Q: What is meant by "assistive technology" (AT)? A: AT is a broad term for all types of low- and high-tech devices that support a child to function in various developmental areas such as communication, play, learning, movement, and adaptive skills. Officially, AT is defined under the AT Act and IDEA as: "Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability." (People often think of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and AT as interchangeable when in fact AAC devices are a specific type of AT that support communication and language development.) Q: In your new book Assistive Technology for Young Children, you clarify the misconception that AT refers only to high-tech solutions. What are some examples of AT? A: In a typical preschool classroom, adapted scissors, pencil grips, puzzle knobs, carpet squares, and other materials all represent low-tech supports. Low-tech strategies include things such as adding page turners to books, stabilizing a toy on a tray using shelf liner, or creating basic communication symbols for use on a communication board. The next level of AT is typically "mid-tech" or "light-tech," referring to tools and devices that require power in the form of batteries or plug-ins to operate. Mid-tech materials are typically more specialized than generic low-tech supports and require some training to use. Examples include voice output recorders, battery operated adapted toys, basic switches, scanning software, and computer-adapted peripherals such as a touch screen. The high-tech category includes devices and systems that are more expensive, require training sessions over time to reach competency, and tend to be more difficult for users to learn. Examples of high-tech options are a computer system with a button-activated head pointer for cursor use or a speech generating device. Q: How are popular new technologies revolutionizing the use of AT in early childhood? A: The advent of devices such as iPod Touches, iPhones, and iPads has revolutionized the way we think about assistive technology. Where a sophisticated augmentative and alternative communication system can cost between $5,000 to $10,000, the new iPad's cost of $500, plus a communication application such as Proloquo2go at under $200, offers an alternative that would be considered mid-tech based on price range but high-tech by the opportunities the program offers for communication. Early childhood applications for the iPod can be purchased for under $2 each and include touch-and-listen stories, interactive games, simple communication systems, and behavioral schedules. The new technologies offer a more universal design for learning (UDL) approach to thinking about assistive technology. Because such products were designed for use in the general population, the cost becomes reasonable and availability commonplace as compared to more specialized AT products and services. In addition to cost and availability, the new technologies are considered mainstream and used by everyone, therefore avoiding any labels attached to specialized technology for users with disabilities. The new technologies are more portable and more acceptable in typical learning settings. Instead of having to convince a teacher to consider AT for a young child, the iPad used with other learners can be easily adapted to accommodate the language and learning needs of the young child. The popularization of new technologies is pushing the AT field forward. There will still be a need for more advanced communication systems but the competition created by mainstream technologies will improve existing systems and encourage standalone AT vendors to work collaboratively and creatively with companies geared toward the general education user. We have already witnessed a renaissance of AT promotion in fields within and outside special education. Where AT was a very specialized field known to only professionals working with children with significant disabilities, today the terminology is becoming more commonplace across early childhood and early childhood special education programs, and consideration is given to using AT with children other than only those with the most significant needs. Lastly, the real excitement about the new technologies is that parents are now able to afford to try out possible AT solutions with their young children during their formative years when language is developing and not have to wait until their child reaches school age for a device to be considered. Q: How widely used has AT been among early childhood professionals? A: Up to now, AT has typically been used in early childhood special education (ECSE) classrooms that are self contained for children with more significant disabilities, taught by a credentialed special educator. Use in the general early childhood education field is just beginning through the promotion of AT toolkits and low-cost classroom adaptations, and now the use of these new technologies. Q: What do you think have been the barriers to widespread use of AT among early childhood professionals? A: The lack of access to adequately staffed and equipped AT lending libraries has been a challenge. Other key challenges include lack of awareness and training on the benefits of AT with young children, the limited availability of personnel with background in AT, differences between parents' perceptions of what constitutes AT and professionals' understanding of AT, and inadequate funding opportunities. There are several national and state AT initiatives in the field of ECSE attempting to improve access to training materials and to increase awareness of the benefits of AT. Q: Is there legislation that supports the use of AT in early childhood settings? What does that legislation call for? A: The AT Act supports AT centers in every state and IDEA requires AT to be a consideration on every IFSP and IEP. No eligible child under the law can be denied AT because of a family's inability to pay. AT has been included in IDEA since 1975 but was not specifically defined until 1991 amendments. The laws provide guidance that states and local communities are required to follow when developing educational plans for children with disabilities. Q: Can you provide examples of how AT can make a difference for a range of children? A: For a very young child who may have limited-to-no intelligible speech, the provision of a communication system provides the means for indicating basic wants and needs, exploring home and community environments, and experimenting with language. Without any way of creating speech, a very young child has to rely on interpretations made by adults or choices made through finger pointing. If a parent of a young child has access to a computer, or a device such as an iPod Touch or iPad, a child can initiate word production through synthesized speech modes. Hearing various words presented when a symbol or picture is touched creates a vehicle for exploring the sounds and differences in language production. For an older child, access to a speech generating device (SGD) allows him or her a way to communicate with friends in social settings and make choices about toys and preferences during play activities. Without AT, it would also be very difficult for the child to participate in the general education curriculum. Adapting a computer station to include more advanced problem-solving software with switch access also enables a child to explore school readiness activities and complete additional practice sessions both individually and with other children. Q: Parents and service providers are often intimidated by their sheer lack of knowledge about AT. What are some good resources for them to start learning more? A: Parents may want to begin with understanding their rights under the law to AT possibilities. Asking local personnel they are working with is one place to start. There are excellent early childhood AT web sites listed in our book where a parent can go to collect additional information about AT. Local and regional parent centers often are familiar with AT lending libraries and assessment centers in their community. The first two chapters in the book provide an overview of AT that would be helpful to review prior to exploring other resources and online avenues of information. Q: Projecting forward 10 years from now, what changes would you like to see in the use of AT among young children? A: We would like to see AT become more of an everyday word in early childhood programs across the world. The merging of AT and new technologies such as the iPad will create technology-savvy professionals and parents who infuse technology supports in the everyday routines of young children with disabilities. We would like to see a philosophical shift in the attitudes of early childhood professionals, both general and special education, about the advantages of full inclusive options for young children by embracing technology to orchestrate universal design for learning in every preschool classroom and home environment. We believe that AT is the answer to realizing the potential of full inclusion and hope that our book becomes the information vehicle to make it happen. |
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