ADHD Student Desks?

  What adult can sit still for very long while working? As adults, we fidget, get up and take a quick walk, stretch, cross and uncross our legs, etc. So, why do we expect our children to be able to sit still in class. If you know how hard it is for all students to sit still through an entire class, you know how difficult it can be for students who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  Many teachers are now setting up their classrooms to allow students to move around when needed. I love when my children get a teacher like this because it allows them to get their energy out, while still learning. While at a recent meeting at a local school district, the Director of Student Services talked about these cool new desks, so I just had to look them up. This school bought several to try in a classroom at the high school. The students sign up to use them and they have become very popular.
  So, what exactly are they? Developed by SAFCO, they are called AlphaBetter® desks. Here is why they are so popular with students:
- Students can sit and work (just like any other desk)
- Students can easily raise the desk from 26" to 42" so they can stand and continue working
- Students can use the footrest to swing their legs

  Students no longer have to sit still in their desk all day. Now, they can move, change position, fidget and still be productive. What student wouldn't want this, especially students with ADHD who have to fidget in order to pay attention and focus on a task.

Learning – the Universal Way

You may be familiar with the term universal design (UD). It originated back in 1961 as barrier-free design and eventually became law in 1990 with The Americans with Disabilities Act. UD allows for the design of public buildings, environments and products so that they are accessible to everyone, specifically individuals with disabilities. We use UD everyday and most of the time without realizing it. Curb cuts are needed by people who use wheelchairs, however, mothers with strollers and bicyclists benefit from them as well. Automatic doors, toggle light switches, ramps, closed captioning, lever sink handles are just some examples of universally designed products in our environment.

What about universally designed curriculum? UDL or Universal Design for Learning is the practice of making every lesson in the classroom accessible to all learners. We all know that learning styles differ vastly, but a lot of the time, the lessons presented do not accommodate for each student’s individual learning style.

UDL is made up of three primary principles (taken from http://www.cast.org/index.html):

• “Multiple means of representation, to give diverse learners options for acquiring information and knowledge.”
• “Multiple means of action and expression, to provide learners options for demonstrating what they know.”
• “Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation.”

So, what does this all mean? Well, to put it in very basic terms:

1)      Provide the lesson in many different formats: text (digital and/or print), video, audio, hands-on activities, etc.

2)      Provide students with many different ways to show what they have learned: tests, verbal presentations, papers, blogs, video presentations, etc.

3)      Provide different ways to learn and demonstrate what has been learned: rigid and spontaneous learning opportunities, working in a group or working alone, etc.

Each student has their own preference and interests when it comes to learning and these should be used whenever possible.

Here is an example of a universally designed reading assignment – students need to read a particular book and answer specific questions.

-          Students are provided with the book in both print and digital formats.

-          The digital format has the following features: ability to read on own, ability to have it read to them, additional auditory feedback as appropriate (sound effects related to text).

-          Worksheets with questions are presented in both print and digital format. (Again, the digital format will provide text-to-speech capability.)

A great resource for learning more about UDL is CAST: www.cast.org/udl

CAST also has several great learning tools that I highly recommend. Here are just a few:

-          UDL Book Builder (create your own digital text or use books already developed)

-          UDL Lesson Builder (help make your lessons accessible to all learners in your classroom)

-          WiggleWorks (interactive books)

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words – especially when writing with them

You may have used some of the talking word processing programs available today. You may also know about symbol-word processing programs. This type of program is great for emerging writers as well as students with learning disabilities and developmental delays.

I’ve been having fun with a talking, symbol-word processing program called SymWord by Claro Software. This program probably has the easiest editor that I have ever used. No kidding, I created two different grids in less than 15 minutes without the help files - it is that intuitive.

It allows for the quick set up of separate user profiles with specific settings, such as:

• presentation style (symbols, text, or symbols and text)
• preferred font and background colors
• use of voice for text-to-speech capability
• scanning options for switch users
• use of the word prediction feature
• set up of an email connection

I can very quickly create a customized symbol, text, or keyboard grid to be used in the word processor portion of the program. This allows the student to easily write using multiple modes. For example, the student can start typing and have symbols appear. Or, the student can choose (or access through a touch screen or switch/scanning) a button to facilitate the writing process. See my screen shot below.

Students can:

• incorporate the word prediction feature to assist in finding the words they need to speed up the writing process
• use it as a communication program
• create an email message in SymWord and then export it to an email account (as long as the server information has been set up)

 

SymWord Example



Have Fun and Learn at the Same Time?

 Today, there are so many fun educational games for children. They get to play fun games and learn all at the same time - wish I had this when I was a kid. My first computer was a TRS80 and if we wanted to play a game we had to program it ourselves. Hmm...I guess I did have fun and learn something at the same time.
 One of my favorite websites for young children and children with a disability who need to use either a touch screen or a switch with scanning is HelpKizLearn.com.
 There are games for just good old fun, games to work on gross and fine motor, games to work on cause/effect, games to be creative (make a card, paint) and games to work on reading skills. I have a few favorite games on this site as well: Aunt Maggie's Recipe, Gophers, Big Bang Bugs, and Early Mouse Movements. Of course, I haven't found a game that I haven't like yet.
 Go have a fun-filled Valentine's Day and check out www.HelpKidzLearn.com.

The Magic of Art

While at BETT, in London, I had the opportunity to see a lot of different software programs. One that stands out is called Grid Magic and is developed by Q4 Technologies. Grid Magic is a fun Windows-based art program. There are two easy to use versions, Junior (ages 4-8) and Senior (ages 8 and up) and can be used with either a touch screen or mouse. Once I test it with a switch and a desktop scanning program, I’ll let you know how it works as I can see this being an incredible art program for switch users.

Jane, the CEO of Q4 Technologies showed me the program but not until I was able to actually play with it did I truly see how fun and addicting it can be. The user starts with a simple grid and fills in squares with different colors. Each of the additional steps (Art Work, Mosaic and Presentation) allows the user to design beautiful patterned artwork that can be saved or printed. In the Senior edition, the students can use their newly created design for websites, greeting cards, textile work and much more.

To read more about Grid Magic go to: www.gridmagic.com and also watch videos showing how it is being used in classrooms in the UK.

Grid Design Page

One of the fun art designs I created using the Junior edition.

TAP∙it™ - European launch at BETT 2011

We had a great time in London last week introducing TAP∙it to Europe. BETT is the largest UK trade show held in London at Olympia Exhibition Centre. Over 30,000 people attend from all over Europe to view the latest and greatest in educational technology.

We spent the first two days sightseeing and visiting the exhibit floor while the contractors were building the vendor booths. To see all of the massive booths and the massive centre was fascinating to say the least.

Wednesday, the show started with a bang. Dr. Heipp and I presented in the Demonstration Zone and then headed back to the booth. Traffic was almost non-stop on all four days of the conference. TAP∙it received a lot of great feedback from teachers, technology coordinators, parents and users.

I also had the opportunity to meet with some software companies and I was definitely impressed. I will be reviewing a couple programs and sharing them with you soon.

To watch fun videos recapping the BETT conference please visit SmartEd TV at http://www.teachsmart.org/About%20SmartEd/SmartEd%20TV/On%20the%20Road.aspx

New Year, New Browser for Kids with Autism

I was introduced to a free browser by a school librarian back in the fall. I was presenting TAP∙it™ at a technology conference in Pennsylvania and she immediately envisioned using ZAC Browser on it.  She explained that it can be used with a mouse, but is great with a touch screen.  So, when I got back to the office, I downloaded the browser and started exploring.  I can see why this is a great program for children with autism but also preschool and kindergarten-aged children.  I also saw why she thought it would be great on TAP∙it – the large 42” touch screen is perfect.

ZAC stands for Zone for Autistic Children and it is a nice self-enclosed browser that was developed by a grandfather for his grandson in 2008.  ZAC Browser allows children to access games, puzzles, music, etc. on the Internet all from one site making it a safe environment for playing on the internet.  The applications that can be accessed are popular ones from PBS Kids, Nick Jr., Playhouse Disney, Starfall, Story Place, Whiz Kids Games, and many more.

The initial homepage of the browser is an aquarium with large icons that link to six activity areas:

-    Television: watch video clips from movies and shows such as Sesame Street, Toy Story, Muppets, Bob the Builder, etc.

-    Games: play games from many different sites including PBS Kids and Nick Jr.

-    Music: listen to songs from sites such as Playhouse Disney, Fisher Price and PBS Kids

-    Stories: listen to stories on Starfall.com and Story Place

-    Daily Item: watch a video or complete a puzzle that changes everyday

-    Draw: have fun in the drawing zone with built-in googly eyes for making funny faces, three pencil width options, several color options and “Windex” for cleaning up the mess

The mouse also gets in on the act. On the Aquarium or homepage, the mouse is a submarine; in Games, a butterfly flutters right behind the cursor; in Music, there are bears that you can click on to create music (Do, Re, Mi);  in Draw, you can choose to make your drawing with a Smiley face; and in Television, create star fireworks on the theater curtains.

ZAC browser is all around fun, but most importantly, a safe Internet browser for children.  Go to www.zacbrowser.com to download and start using today.