Today’s schools are far less exclusionary than they were in previous decades when children with special education needs were often excluded from a public-school environment that had little capacity to integrate such students into the classroom. Changes in legislation provided more opportunity for students with special needs to get the education they needed. Such instruction became possible and more readily available thanks in part to the development of special education software programs.
Benefits of Technology in Special Education
Special education has improved leaps and bounds in the 21st century, as the impact of new technologies like special education reading programs have made their way into classrooms across North America. Students with learning differences are now represented in traditional classroom settings thanks to technology and innovations in teaching. Here are a few ways technology has helped teachers, tutors, and educators create a more inclusive learning environment for students.
- Research-based reading programs are one of several technology innovations that have improved the quality of education for students with special needs. Online reading programs allow students to work and learn at their own level and pace while the software automatically tracks their progress. This promotes independent learning, motivates students, and increases desire to learn.
- More clear and transparent communication. Kids who were unable to effectively communicate were often improperly labelled by schools. Teachers mistakenly considered them shy or introverted. With assistive technology targeting special needs students, teachers can better interact with students and help them overcome speech problems. Special education software programs, word-prediction technologies, tablets, smartboards, and other advanced digital communication tools help students with special needs to learn while helping them gain the confidence to speak up.
- Children with special needs who have the benefit of access to education technology can also develop better engagement opportunities with fellow students. Whether that means using adaptive computing devices like e-readers or text-to-speech technologies, student can develop the communication skills they need to feel empowered enough to interact with peers and teachers. Such technology also allows them to work in remote classrooms and learn at their own pace.
- Independence and confidence go hand in hand. Mobile technology and digital devices provide youth with a sense of freedom. Being able to bring their assistive devices with them all over the school means kids with special needs don’t have to sacrifice the comprehension or communication skills and competencies. Once children become proficient with the use of such devices, they may be more likely to use them independently. This may help reduce the anxiety youth with special needs often have when it comes to communicating with others.
- There are many different types of assistive devices and software to help support students with specific challenges. A few prominent examples include screen magnifiers and screen reading software for students with visual difficulty, joysticks, trackballs, and head pointers for students with physical challenges, and automatic transcription software for students with hearing impairments. Headphones are a classic example of a technology that has made learning more accessible for those with hearing difficulty.
Essential Skills Offers Exceptional Educational Software for Classrooms
Cutting edge technology like research-based reading programs and other special education software programs inspire teachers to use tech in the classroom because it improves quality of education and overall outcomes. Integrating such tools and devices into the classroom gives teachers additional elements in their curriculum to empower all kids to learn. With every new innovative tool that becomes available to teachers and educators, more children with unique and special needs can gain the value of a real education. Whether it’s the use of special education reading programs, mobile hardware, assistive devices, or a combination, empowering today’s students can only result in good things for the next generation.