Assistive Technology

Student Needs	IPRC Exceptionalities	Diagnosed Conditions
Aggression Management Anger/Frustration Management Anxiety Management Articulation Skills Attendance Strategies Attention Skills Assistive Technology Skills Blind/Vision Impaired Bullying Management Skills Central Auditory Processing Deafness Depression/Sadness Management Disengagement/Motivation Strategies Eating Disorder Strategies Emotional Regulation English Language Skills Executive Function Fine Motor Skills Gambling Disorder Grief Management Gross Motor Skills Hearing Intellectual Ability – High Intellectual Ability – Low Listening Comprehension Skills Low Vision Memory Skills Mental Health Strategies Metacognitive Skills Mobility Skills Non-Verbal Reasoning Organizational Skills Personal Care Personal Safety Phonological Processing Processing Speed Self-Advocacy Skills Self-Esteem Self-Harm/Suicide Management Self-Regulatory Skills Sensory Integration Skills Sequencing Skills Social Skills Substance Abuse Strategies Task Initiation Time Management Skills Transition Skills Verbal Ability Visual-Motor Skills Visual-Spatial Processing	Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Behaviour Blind and Low Vision Deaf and Hard of Hearing Developmental Disability (DD) Giftedness Language Impairment Learning Disabilities (LD) Mild Intellectual Disabilities Multiple Exceptionalities Physical Disability Speech Impairment	Acquired Brain Injury Alcohol-Related Neuro-developmental Disorder (ARND) Angelman Syndrome Anxiety Disorders Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Auditory Processing Disorder (Central) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Bipolar Disorder Blind/Vision Impaired Brain Injury Cerebral Palsy (CP) Conduct Disorder (CD) Concussions Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Deafness Depression Disorders Down Syndrome Eating Disorders Epilepsy Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAS/FAE) Fragile X Syndrome Gambling Disorder Intellectual Disabilities Klinefelter's Syndrome Learning Disabilities/Specific Learning Disorders Muscular Dystrophy (MD) Neurological Disabilities Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTS) Prader-Willi Syndrome Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) Seizure Disorders Selective Mutism Spina Bifida Tourette Syndrome Turner Syndrome (TS) Usher Syndrome William's Syndrome

Key Special Education Practices
Accommodations Alternative Programming Assistive Technology Board Special Education Plans Community Resources Differentiated Instruction Create an Inclusive & Positive Class Climate Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) Individual Education Plan (IEP) Ministry of Education Resources Modified Programming Non-teacher Professional Assessments Teacher Assessments Safety/Emergency/Crisis Response Plan Professional Development Reporting on IEP Progress Tracking/Documenting Transition Plans

Characteristics notebook pencil

• Low level technology examples: Colour-coding systems (highlighters, pens, coloured paper), colour transparency overlays, stress-balls, manipulative counters.
• Mid level technology examples: Tape recorders/Dictaphone, timers, magnifiers, reaching aids.
• High level technology examples: Computers, specialized hardware and software.
• Common types of software: Speech to text, text to speech, writing organizers, symbols to text, modified keyboards, wheelchairs.

Assistive Technology

What it is

Assistive Technology (AT) is any piece of technology that helps a student with or without a disability to increase or maintain his/her level of functioning. These often include lap tops with specialized programs, like speech to text, text to speech, graphic organizers and word prediction software.

Strategies

• You will need to complete a Special Equipment Amount (SEA) application to acquire funding from the Ministry to provide the assistive equipment prescribed by a non-teaching professional to help a student. For more information, see Special Equipment Amount (SEA) Ministry Funding Guideline

• You may want to conduct a trial of the equipment before purchasing.

• Ensure the equipment is available and used by the student as often as possible.

• Establish time and a goal for the student to learn computerized programs.

• Document the use of technology in the student’s IEP.

Additional Information on Specific Assistive Technologies:

Graphic organizers
Speech to text
Text to speech
Word prediction programs

Resources

• Assistive Technology Basics	• Clicker 5
• Free On-Line Typing	• Google Read and Write
• Misunderstood Minds - Resources	• Misunderstood Minds - Writing
• Natural Reader - Text to Speech	• Ontario Software Acquisition Program (OSPAC) Free Software for publicly funded schools
• OSAPAC List of Programs	• Special Education Funding for AT – See SEA section

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Assistive Technology

Additional Information on Specific Assistive Technologies: