Welcome to Survey of Special Needs Unit 8 Seminar Prof. McElwee, MA SpEd 2010

Our agenda for tonight’s seminar is to discuss Assistive Technology and Final Project We will start shortly. Feel free to chat awhile. We have so much to learn tonight, so get ready!

PLUK. (1997). Family Guide to Assistive Technology. Retrieved from PLUK.org website. (The link cannot be included due to the platform for seminars).

What are some examples of low-tech assistive technology? How can low-tech assistive technology be used for young children with disabilities in the classroom? Discuss specific examples.

What are some examples of high-tech assistive technology? How can high-tech assistive technology be used for young children with disabilities in the classroom? Discuss specific examples

The Action Plan For your final project, you will apply this knowledge by interpreting an Action Plan, which can be compared to the IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) that must be developed for many special needs children as required by law. While the Action Plan you will be reading about in this final project is not in the format of an IEP, the information included is comparable. A paraprofessional working with special education students may be expected to provide instruction, tailor activities, and guide and monitor students in accordance with such a plan. Therefore, your ability to accurately read and interpret this plan, and to apply appropriate strategies, is important. To begin, read the Action Plan of an imaginary student named Kelly Billson by clicking here: Kelly's Action Plan. You may want to print a copy of it to refer to as you complete your final project.Kelly's Action Plan

Some specific goals for Kelly Discuss some strategies to use to reach these goals. Consider some goals you might set for Kelly in light of her strengths and weaknesses. Create goals and strategies for each of the areas noted on her Action Plan: – academics, – communication, – emotional/social, and – motor skills. Discuss ethical responsibility-confidentiality issues Some possible issues you might consider as you create goals and strategies for Kelly are:

Academics: What seems to be hardest for her? What can the para or the teacher do or arrange to help her with particularly weak areas? What are her strong areas? How can you use these to help her in the weaker areas? What modifications can you make for her in light of her disabilities? What strategies might help improve these areas? How might you use technology to help Kelly?

Communication: What are her weak areas? What seems to frustrate her or "set her off"? What strategies can you use to help her make any corrections? How can you be sensitive to social issues related to her communication problems? How might you use her strengths to address these areas? What accommodations or modifications can be made to help her be more successful in expressing herself and understanding what others tell her? What types of technological assistance or devices might be helpful in this case?

Emotional/Social: How can you improve Kelly's self-esteem? What seems to cause her low self-esteem or frustration? How can you help her build social relationships? What ODD strategies might help her better cope? What strategies can you offer to parents/teachers to help them better cope? How can you use her strengths in this area to make further improvements? What behavioral strategies might be useful for the teacher, paraprofessional, and parents to use?

Motor Skills: Because this is an area of strength for Kelly, how can you use it to build her social/emotional levels? How might you use it to help in other areas (academic, communication)? Are there ways to incorporate these strengths into the other areas?

00 Some other things to remember when completing your paper. Make sure you:  have a title page  write 4 or more full pages (length) for the body of your paper  used Times New Roman 12 font or Arial 12 font only.  double space the text  indent each paragraph  use citations within the body of your paper  PROOFREAD your project, use spell check, make sure you have complete sentences, and your paper makes sense.  included a Reference page Title Page References Page Body of Your Paper

 Incompletes provide students with limited additional time to complete coursework after the term’s end.  To be considered for an incomplete, you should have completed approximately 75% of the coursework.  Please see the Kaplan University catalog for further information.  Whether or not to grant an incomplete is your instructor’s decision.  The deadline for requesting an incomplete for this term is March 7th.  Incomplete coursework is due March 25 th. I will be away at a residency during that time so please do give me until Monday to submit your grade change. You should your work to me.

Thank you for attending tonight! I’ll see you in the discussion boards.