Assessing Student's Needs for Assistive Technology (ASNAT)

Chapter 5 – Assistive Technology for Reading, Studying, and Math
Assistive Technology for Reading, Studying, and Math
Penny R. Reed, Ph.D., Judi Cumley, and Paula Walser
This chapter focuses on assistive technology applications in the academic areas. It contains three
separate continuums: Reading, the more generic area of Learning/Studying, and Math. Several things
grouped into the Learning/Studying continuum can be used to help support students as they learn across
many subject areas.
There are many students who have difficulties with reading regardless of the specific disability label
they may have been given. While there are only a small number of assistive technology “devices” for
this population, there has been a proliferation of software developed in the last few years that can be
extremely beneficial.
Considering the number of students identified as having a disability which includes difficulties with
reading, this area is one where school districts can impact a large number of students for relatively little
money. Nearly all of the assistive technology described in this section can be obtained for $300 or less
(assuming that the district already owns computers that could be utilized).
The first item in this section is the continuum of alternatives to be considered for students who are
struggling with reading. Brief descriptions for each of the items in the continuum are included in this
section. This is followed by a summary of an article from the Reading Teacher by Erickson and
Koppenhaver (1995) that describes the development of a literacy program for students with severe
disabilities. Immediately after that is a section that uses charts to organize a variety of assistive
technology and children’s literature to develop an effective, comprehensive literacy program for
children at different stages of literacy development. The last item in the section on reading is a summary
of an article by Heller, Fredrick, & Diggs (2000) on Teaching Reading to Students with Severe Speech
and Physical Impairments using the Nonverbal Reading Approach.
The second continuum is a variety of items that can support students as they learn and study. This
section contains a description of handheld computers and applications that could assist students with
disabilities. The final continuum contains items that can assist students with math.
Assessing Students’ Needs for Assistive Technology (2004) 109