special-world-issue-1

for special education teachers, therapists & schools everywhereSeptember 2014 | Issue 1www.SpecialWorld.netCommunication: The eye-gaze revolutionDyslexia: Apps for reading and writingBullying: Are SEN children being targeted online?

CONTENTSCONTENTSFeatures20Regulars4Contributors5Editorial6NewsTechnophonia Queens Hall - Credit Stuart Barrett12My dyslexia dozenTwelve essential apps to supportreading and writing28Scattered skillsPlugging the skills gaps for studentswith visual impairments and multiplespecial needs10In Case You Missed It42Resource File16Let’s make musicTechnology to help students expressthemselves through sound32No place to hideBattling the bullies who are targetingvulnerable students on line20New music for new instrumentsPerformance opportunities formusicians with additional needs35Reclaiming a ‘normal’ childhoodIs children’s normal behaviour beingincreasingly pathologised?23One size never fits allPractical suggestions for creatinginclusive classrooms26The problem with EnglishLanguage barriers to findingaccessible software38The eye-gaze revolutionHow technology is transformingaccess and communication forstudents with complex needs56Bad science?Tinted lenses and colour overlaysspark advice controversy46Bookmarks49What’s On53ReviewsWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 20143

CONTRIBUTORSBACK TOCONTENTSCONTRIBUTORSSpecial World Magazine ispublished byInclusive Technology LtdRiverside Court, Huddersfield RoadDelph, Oldham, OL3 5FZSpecial World, Inc.220 South Orange Avenue Suite 201Livingston, New Jersey 07039Current and back issues available todownload free fromwww.SpecialWorld.netFollow us on TwitterLike us on FacebookEditorial TeamEditorMick ArcherAssistant EditorHannah FitzpatrickResources EditorSal McKeownDesignerPeter Butler© 2014 Inclusive Technology LtdPermission granted to reproduce forpersonal and educational useonly. Commercial copying, hiring,lending is prohibited.The views expressed by thecontributors to Special World arenot necessarily those of InclusiveTechnology Ltd.Lauren Archer is a final year studenton the BA Journalism Studies course atthe University of Sheffield, England. Shewas the winner of the Best Reporterand Best News Story categories at theBritish Student Publications Awards 2014and is Comment Editor of the studentnewspaper Forge Press.Pete Sparkes is Artistic Director ofDrake Music Scotland, the nation’sleading arts organisation providing musicmaking opportunities for people withdisabilities.Sanja Denić is a special educatorin Belgrade, Republic of Serbia andco-author of Obrazovanjem do digitalneinkluzije dece sa višestrukim smetnjamau razvoju (Education by digital inclusionof children with profound/multipledisabilities) published by the University ofBelgrade.Mark Hildred is a musician andtechnologist who has spent the past15 years developing and supportingtechnology that enables people withphysical disabilities to perform andcompose their own music. His co-author,Andrew Cleaton is an accomplishedcomposer, producer and workshopleader. He is a founding co-director ofEpiphany Music Ltd.Susan Zurawski has been a specialistin teaching students with significantchallenges for 20 years. She is currentlyteaching with the Chignecto CentralSchool Board in Nova Scotia, Canada.She has a Masters Degree in Severe/Profound Special Education fromBoston College and a Masters Degreefrom Mount Saint Vincent Universityspecialising in education for DiverseLearners.Jennifer Keenan is a special educator/assistive technology specialist inBaltimore, USA where she works withchildren and young people who are blindor visually impaired, including those withmultiple disabilities. She has over 20years’ experience of working in the fieldof SEN and is author of VICurriculum.Myles Pilling is an ICT SEN specialistwith over 30 years’ experience of workingin the field of special needs. A formerspecial school teacher and local authorityadvisor he now runs his own consultancy,AccessAbility Solutions.Sandra Thistlethwaite, is a qualifiedspecialist speech and language therapist(SSLT) with over 20 years’ experience ofworking in the field of AAC and AT. Shecurrently works for Inclusive Technologywhere, as well as contributing to othersoftware titles and products, she createdand designed the Inclusive Eye GazeLearning Curve and eyeMouse Play.Dave Traxson is a chartered educationalpsychologist in the UK and a memberof the committee of the BritishPsychological Society’s (BPS) Division ofEducational and Child Psychologists. Hecontributed to the consultation on DSM-5from the BPS (The Future of PsychiatricDiagnosis, BPS, 2012) and is a regularcontributor to the website GlobalSummit on Diagnostic Alternatives.4WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSEDITORIALEDITORIALWelcome to this first issue of Special World,a digital magazine for all those concernedwith the education of children with specialeducational needs and/or disabilities.Editor Mick ArcherSpecial World exists for one reason: toprovide a forum where the parents ofchildren with special educational needsand the professionals that work with theirchildren can meet, exchange informationand share best practice. In creatingthis forum we have responded to twocompelling developments: the ever closerintegration of professional practice as aresult of the worldwide web and the needfor the widest possible distribution ofinformation and ideas.Today, researchers and practitionersthroughout the world are searching forthe same elusive answers to what causescertain childhood conditions, whetherthey can be prevented or detected atan earlier age and what can be doneonce they are identified to maximise achild’s lifelong learning. But disrupting thiswork is the well-established disconnectbetween research and practice andthe stubborn barriers that prevent bestpractice being shared. We know thatSpecial World can’t solve these problemson its own but we feel we can make adifference in three ways.First, Special World will beinternational in its outlook and content.We have made a modest start in thisissue by publishing contributions fromEngland, Canada, Scotland, Serbia andthe USA. Wherever in the world you arereading this we want to hear from you.We want to hear your news, knowabout your forthcoming events, beup-dated on your research and hearabout your achievements. Where possiblewe will provide links to original sourcesso that any of our readers wanting toknow more about you and your work canfind you in a click. In this way we hopeSpecial World will become a forum forand a gateway to our global community.Second, while Special World will coverany and every topic to do with specialeducational needs we are especiallyinterested in the transformative potentialof technology. Read the articles in thisissue and you will understand why.But bear in mind that we say,‘potential’. Experience has taught us thatground-breaking technology needs skilfuland dedicated practitioners if it is tomake a difference. We know you are outthere and we want to tell your story.Third, Special World will be availablefree to anyone who registers on ourwebsite. There will be no subscriptionfee and you won’t be asked to join anassociation. Back issues will be archivedand will be downloadable anywhere,anytime. Our hope is that this archivewill become an important resource forparents and practitioners. In time we planto refine this archive so that readerswill be able to search for and downloadarticles that reflect their particularinterests.Finally, I would like to thank ourcontributors and sponsors for this issue.There is always a caveat to the word‘free’ and Special World is no exception.Many hours of work have gone intopreparing this issue and it would nothave been possible without the staff andcontributors listed on page 4, our panelof reviewers (see pages 53-55) and thesponsors who helped offset some of ourproduction costs.We hope they, like us, getsatisfaction in seeing this first issuelaunched and they will be regularcompanions on our journey.WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 20145

REGULARS | NEWSBACK TOCONTENTSNEWSNew framework for SEN inEnglandParents oppose sale ofAustralia HearingChanges to the system to assess andprovide for children with special educationalneeds and disabilities (SEND) cameinto force in England on 1 September2014. Among the key reforms in theChildren and Families Act, made law inMarch, is the introduction of Education,Health and Care (EHC) plans whichspecify an integrated SEND provisionfrom birth until 25 for children and youngpeople with more complex needs.In a phased introduction betweennow and 2018, EHCs will replace existing‘statements’ of special educational needsand the Learning Disability Assessmentsof older students. Under the new systemparents can also choose to control allor some of the funding linked to theirchild’s EHC plan and to specify the typeof school they would like their child toattend. As part of the reforms localauthorities in England are required topublish a ‘local offer’ describing the servicesavailable to children with SEND andtheir families. Local authorities must alsodo more to involve children and familiesin deciding their provision, and provideimpartial advice, support and mediationservices.A new Code of Practice for all thoseworking with children with SEND waspublished in July.READ MORE HEREParent groups in Australia, includingParents of Deaf Children, Aussie DeafKids and Canberra Deaf Children’sAssociation, are campaigning against theproposed sale of the country’s nationalhearing service.Australia Hearing was set up in 1947to provide hearing services to deaf andhearing impaired Australians, includingchildren affected by rubella. The proposalis part of an extensive sale of assetsagreed as part of the 2014 budget.Approximately 1 per 1000 babiesborn in Australia is identified with apermanent bilateral sensorineural hearingloss through newborn hearing screening,around 500 babies across Australia eachyear. As many as 40% of these childrenhave complex needs.READ MORE HEREChildhood trauma or ADHD?Why are there almost six-and-a-half millionUS children currently diagnosedwith ADHD? One possibility suggestedby Dr Nicole Brown, a paediatrician atMontefiore Medical Center in the Bronx,NYC, is that the symptoms cliniciansoften associate with ADHD are in factmanifestations of childhood trauma.According to a report in The Atlantic,Brown tested her hypothesis by analys-ing the results of a national survey aboutthe health and well-being of more than65,000 children. She found that, ‘childrendiagnosed with ADHD also experiencedmarkedly higher levels of poverty, divorce,violence, and family substance abuse.’Moreover, ‘Those who endured four ormore adverse childhood events werethree times more likely to use ADHDmedication.’Interpreting the results is tricky, asthe report says. But it argues that iftrauma is behind a child’s behaviour thenADHD medication is not the answer. AsBrown says, whatever the causal relationship‘We need to think more carefullyabout screening for trauma and designinga more trauma-informed treatment plan.’READ MORE HERE6WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

REGULARS | NEWSBACK TOCONTENTSA Blind LegendA team of gaming professionals atDowino studios in Lyon, France haslaunched a video-less mobile game specificallydesigned for visually impairedplayers. The game, titled A Blind Legenduses a technique known as binauralrecording to create a 3D immersive worldusing just sound.The player embodies Edward Blake, aknight whose wife has been kidnappedby his fearsome foe Thork. On the day ofthe kidnapping, Thork gouged out Blake’seyes. Guided by his daughter, Blake setsoff to confront Thork’s army and to savehis wife.Blake’s movements are controlled usingthe swipe and pinch gestures familiar tousers of smartphones and/or tablets witha touch-sensitive screen.In a further innovation Dowino Studiosused crowdfunding to raise more than€40,000 (£31,000) to develop their functioningprototype.The company’s pitch on the fundraisingsite ulule says, ‘A Blind Legend is aimedequally at non-sighted and sighted playerseager for a novel gaming experience– using their hearing as the only way toorient themselves and take decisions.’Games for visually impaired playershave a potentially huge audience with anestimated 285 million visually impairedpeople worldwide.READ MORE HEREDyslexia in IndiaDiagnosing ADHDBack to School HandbooksA study designed to assess the understandingof dyslexia among elementaryschool teachers in India found that onein six of them (16.6%) were unaware ofthe condition and that nine out of 10 ofthose that were aware (92.3%) felt theirknowledge was ‘inadequate’.The findings were based on an analysisof self-report questionnaires given to314 elementary school teachers in 32schools. Socio-demographic information,such as gender, teaching experience andprior training, was also elicited, to seewhat if any influence this had on teachers’knowledge.Teaching experience and prior trainingwas found to have a significant bearingon knowledge.The majority of teachers surveyed supportedthe idea of providing training programmeson dyslexia and expressed theirwillingness to attend such programmes.A new study by Tel Aviv University mayprovide an objective tool to accuratelydiagnose ADHD. The researchers usedan eye-tracking system to monitor theinvoluntary eye movements of two groupsof 22 adults taking an ADHD diagnosticcomputer test.The exercise lasted 22 minutes, andwas repeated twice. The first group,diagnosed with ADHD, initially took thetest unmedicated and then took it againunder the influence of methylphenidate. Asecond group, not diagnosed with ADHD,acted as the control group.The researchers found a direct correlationbetween ADHD and the inabilityto suppress eye movement in theanticipation of visual stimuli. Researchalso reflected improved performance bytaking methylphenidate, which normalisedthe suppression of involuntary eye movements.Irish autism charity AsIAm has publisheda set of free, downloadable handbooksfor parents, teachers and students(in second-level with HFA/AspergersSyndrome).The charity says it hopes the books‘will provide ideas, knowledge and reassuranceto all parties in education andalso create a conversation within schoolcommunities around how people withautism can be best supported withinthat community’.As well as separate handbooks theset also includes two further books: MyChild and All About Me.My Child enables parents, undervarious headings from communicationsto sensory processing, from anxiety tostrength, to share their child’s story andneeds with teachers. All About Me providesan opportunity for teenagers withthe condition to do the same.READ MORE HERE READ MORE HERE READ MORE HERE8WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSREGULARS | NEWSADHD linked to offendingIndia ratifies Marrakesh TreatyChildren and youth treated for ADHD aremore likely to come into contact with thejuvenile justice system than their non-ADHD counterparts, according to newresearch from the Telethon Kids Institute,Western Australia. Researchers foundthat both boys and girls with ADHD weremore than twice as likely to receive aCommunity Correction Order and threetimes more likely to be in detention thankids without ADHD.Using de-identified linked data fromWestern Australian population databases,the researchers compared the records ofnearly 13,000 non-Aboriginal boys andgirls aged 10-21 with ADHD, to nearly30,000 without ADHD.Only a small proportion of children,8% of boys and 1% of girls with ADHD,had a Community Correction Order andeven fewer had been in detention (1%),but both these justice encounters weremore common than for children withoutADHD.‘Our work clearly shows that childrenwith ADHD are more vulnerable, andraises the question of whether early diagnosisand management of children andyouth with ADHD may help reduce theirover-representation within the juvenilejustice system,’ explained lead authorProfessor Desiree Silva. The full studywas published in The Lancet Psychiatry.India has become the first country toratify the Marrakesh Treaty.The treaty, which was adopted ata diplomatic meeting organised by theWorld Intellectual Property Organisation(WIPO) in Morocco in June 2013,improves access to published works informats such as Braille and allows fortheir distribution across national borders.There are an estimated 285m blindand visually impaired persons in theworld. A WIPO survey in 2006 found thatfewer than 60 countries have limitationsand exceptions clauses in their copyrightlaws that make special provision for visu-Synapses and autismIs a deficiency in synaptic pruning part ofthe explanation for autism?That’s the question raised by recentresearch published online in the journalNeuron. The study, carried out by scientistsat Columbia University, USA comparedthe brains of children and youngpeople with autism with the brains ofsimilarly aged non-autistic subjects.Typically, as a child’s brain maturesthe density of neurons and synapses isreduced through a process known aspruning.But the study found that this processwas typically reduced by two-thirds in thecase of those diagnosed with autism.By late childhood spine density haddropped by about half in the controlbrains, but by only 16% in the brains ofautism patients. The researchers havetraced the pruning defect to a proteincalled mTOR.ally impaired persons.The treaty will take effect after 20ratifications or accessions are presentedto WIPO.READ MORE HEREElection windfall for SENNew Zealand’s electorate will have chosena new government by the time of SpecialWorld’s launch – they go to the polls on20 September – but whatever the outcomeit looks like SEN is set to receiveextra funding.Earlier this month (September)National party leader John Key andeducation spokesperson Hekia Parataannounced they would fund an extra800,000 teacher aide hours for childrenwho have conditions such as dyslexia,ADHD and Asperger syndrome.This followed a previous commitmentto invest an extra $11m over four yearsto help support deaf children, their familiesand their schools. Other parties arealso getting in on the act. Labour, NewZealand First and the Green Party have allpledged greater support for pupils withspecial educational needs – a move welcomedby school principals.READ MORE HERE READ MORE HERE READ MORE HEREWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 20149

REGULARS | IN CASE YOU MISSED ITBACK TOCONTENTSIN CASE YOU MISSED ITOur round-up of some of the key disability/SEN stories you may have missedBilateral Versus Unilateral Cochlear Implants in Children: AStudy of Spoken Language Outcomesrespondents who reported they had been physically abused duringtheir childhood or adolescence also reported being diagnosed withdyslexia in comparison with 7.2% of those who did not report beingphysically abused. ‘Our data do not allow us to know the directionof the association,’ says Stephen Hooper, professor of psychiatryand pediatrics at University of North Carolina School of Medicineand coauthor of the study. ‘It is possible that for some children, thepresence of dyslexia and related learning problems may place themat relatively higher risk for physical abuse, perhaps due to adultfrustrations with chronic learning failure. Alternatively, given the knownassociation between brain dysfunction and maltreatment, it could bethat the experience of physical abuse may also contribute to and/orexacerbate such learning problems, secondary to increased neurologicburden.’Detecting Infant Hearing Loss in IndiaA five-year study carried out by researchers at the University ofMelbourne, Australia, has found that children who are fitted withbilateral Cochlear Implants (CIs) at an early age achieve significantlybetter vocabulary outcomes and significantly higher scores on keyvocabulary tests than do comparable children with unilateral CIs. Thestudy, published in Ear and Hearing, the official journal of the AmericanAuditory Association, was conducted across Victoria, New SouthWales, Queensland, South Australia, and New Zealand, and involvedcochlear implant clinics and early intervention centres with more than160 children. The effects of some parenting practices (family readinghabits and child screen time) that had not previously been investigatedin any studies of language outcomes in children with CIs and theirrelationships to language outcomes were also examined.The Association Between Childhood Physical Abuse and DyslexiaA study carried out by researchers at the University of Toronto, Ontario,Canada and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, ChapelHill, North Carolina, USA to determine the relationship between ahistory of dyslexia and childhood physical abuse in a large populationbasedepidemiological sample found that one third (34.8%) ofRolex Awards/Ambroise TézenasIndian designer Neeti Kailas has won a prestigious 2014 Rolex Awardfor Enterprise after she and engineer husband Nitin Sisodia createda battery-operated, non-invasive mobile device to screen babiesfor hearing loss. The device works by measuring the child’s auditorybrainstem response. Three electrodes are placed on the baby’s headto detect electrical responses generated by the brain’s auditory systemwhen stimulated. If the brain does not respond to these aural stimuli,the child cannot hear. A patented, in-built algorithm filters out ambient10WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSREGULARS | IN CASE YOU MISSED ITnoise from the test signal. The device is still a prototype, and RolexAward funds will allow Kailas to start clinical trials later this year. Anestimated 100,000 hearing-impaired babies are born in India eachyear.Assistive technologies to enhance the quality of life of peoplewith intellectual disabilities and autismThe European Union has launched ASSISTID, a €9 million, Irish-ledresearch programme into the development and application of assistivetechnologies to enhance the quality of life of people with intellectualdisabilities and autism. The ASSISTID programme, which will fund 40post-doctoral fellows, is co-funded by the European Commission andthe charity RESPECT, and is coordinated by the DOCTRID ResearchInstitute. The DOCTRID Research Institute includes the Daughters ofCharity Disability Support Services, all of the universities on the islandof Ireland, RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland), Dublin and TraleeInstitute of Technology and the US universities Michigan State Universityand the University of Massachusetts.The Correlation Between Reading and Mathematics Ability at Age12 Has a Substantial Genetic Componentthese tests was combined with DNA data, showing a substantialoverlap in the genetic variants that influence mathematics andreading. While mathematics and reading ability are known to run infamilies, the complex system of genes affecting these traits is largelyunknown. The finding deepens scientists’ understanding of how natureand nurture interact, highlighting the important role that a child’slearning environment may have on the development of reading andmathematics skills, and the complex, shared genetic basis of thesecognitive traits.Gene Mutation Linked to Distinct Type of AutismThe UK’s NHS Choices provides a valuable service in debunking someof the ‘imprecise’ reporting around major health issues, includingthose linked to conditions like autism. On this occasion its target wasa tabloid story headlined ‘Have scientists found the autism GENE?Breakthrough as specific link between DNA and the condition isdiscovered’, which appeared in the Mail Online. The story was basedon a genetic study originally published in the journal Cell that foundchildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were more likelyto have a mutation in a gene called CHD8 than children without thedisorder. Researchers sequenced the DNA of 3,730 children withdevelopment delay or ASD looking for variations in the CHD8, a genepreviously associated with ASD. They looked to see if any geneticvariations were associated with being diagnosed with ASD overall,but also for any links to specific characteristics of subsets of peoplewith ASD. The genetic analysis revealed 15 different and independentgenetic variations (mutations) in the CHD8 gene in the childrenwith development delay or ASD. Specific CHD8 mutations were alsoassociated with distinct characteristics, but as this aspect of theresearch only involved 15 people with ASD, the results ‘cannot beviewed as reliable’.A UK-led study into the genetic basis of cognitive traits has foundthat around half of the genes that influence how well a child can readalso play a role in their mathematics ability. The collaborative study,published in Nature Communications as part of the Wellcome TrustCase-Control Consortium, used data from the Twins Early DevelopmentStudy (TEDS) to analyse the influence of genetics on the reading andmathematics performance of 12-year-old children from nearly 2,800British families. Twins and unrelated children were tested for readingcomprehension and fluency, and answered mathematics questionsbased on the UK national curriculum. The information collected fromWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014Re-envisioning Reading with 3D-printed Picture BooksVisit any education show these days and there is a good chanceyou will come across a booth/stand demonstrating the wonder thatis 3D printing. But for a team of researchers based in the Sikuli Labat the University of Colorado Boulder the challenge is how to use thistechnology to make books more accessible to visually impaired preschoolage children. The project is the brainchild of lab leader Tom Yeh,who conceived the idea while reading Goodnight Moon to his threeyear-oldson. The goal is ‘to represent 2-D graphics in a 3-D, tactileway, and on a scale that’s appropriate for young children’s cognitiveabilities and interests’. By combining these factors into computationalalgorithms, Yeh and his team hope to develop an interface that willallow parents to print their own customised books at home using a 3-Dprinter. ‘Every kid needs a special book that provides the experiencehe or she needs,’ says Yeh. ‘It is impossible for mass productionprinting to do that so that it’s easy to make changes and customise.With the price of 3-D printers coming down, it’s not out of reach for aschool classroom or a parent to print books. For a child, being able toread together with a parent is very important.’ You can find out moreabout the Tactile Picture Books Project here.11

FEATURE | DYSLEXIABACK TOCONTENTSMy dyslexia dozen12 iPad apps to help dyslexic learners with their reading and writingBy Myles PillingiPads are the mobile technology of choice in education,and schools are fast seeing their potential to boost learning.Some Android devices may be friendlier on thepocket as regards size and cost, but when it comes to therange of available apps the iPad wins hands down. iPadsalso lead the field in antivirus protection and mobile devicemanagement, both crucial criteria for schools when makingpurchasing decisions. And when it comes to their awardwinningdesign the verdict is universal: iPads are cool.For dyslexic learners using iPads puts them on parwith their non-dyslexic peers. The device’s ubiquitousnessmeans it doesn’t spotlight a learner’s dyslexia or specialneeds. The iPad’s battery life means it can easily be used asa recording tool throughout the school day and its portabilitymeans it can be carried from classroom to classroom.Most importantly, iPads can effect better educational outcomesand help raise students’ self-esteem.For the dyslexic user the iPad’s ability to supportrecording features such as word prediction (to aid spelling)and text to speech (so that printed material can be accessedand heard back by the user) is a big plus. The screen readingfeature of apps like IntoWords (see below) mean theiPad can be used to read documents downloaded onto aschool’s network, giving students ready access to sourcematerial. Having control over the way their work is displayedon screen also helps with decoding texts. Differentcombinations of colours for background and text are a hugehelp to dyslexic users. So, what can help in terms of apps?Here are my top 12 choices.Clicker Sentences (iOS, £19.99, Crick Software) is a tool forprimary age learners or older learners struggling to acquirebasic literacy skills. Its beauty is that if you have Clicker6 you can use it to create resources and these can then beClicker Sentences, Crick Softwareaccessed by the students on their iPads using Dropboxor via their school server/network using WebDAV. Gridscan also be made directly on the app by using the standardCrick menu. Clicker Sentences can also be used as a talkingword processor using a lower-case keyboard, somethingnot possible using the iPad’s own on-screen keyboard.Clicker Docs (iOS, £21.99, Crick Software) is a step further onfrom Clicker Sentences. This app gives word prediction andsubject word lists in grids. It’s especially useful for 7- to11-year-olds (KS2 in England and Wales) where more subjectvocabulary is being used. Having a type face that is primaryfriendly with the correct a and g formation is a bonus.As is a lower-case keyboard that is clear and easy to use.SwiftKey Note (iOS & Android, £FREE, SwiftKey) is an alternativesolution for those that want to introduce word predictionat a basic level. Based on the hugely popular Androidapp SwiftKey it can be used with younger children to help12WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSFEATURE | DYSLEXIAdevelop their word-building skills. The original Androidversion, which currently boasts more features than its iOSoffspring, has recently been given a make-over. Rebadgedas SwiftKey Keyboard it is now available free on the GooglePlay Store and this enhanced version will also be availablefor Apple devices running its new mobile operating systemiOS 8 (expected in September).WriteOnline (iOS, £21.99, Crick Software) is similar to ClickerDocs as a word predictor but adds a wealth of topic gridsthat tabulate on the screen. Ideal for dyslexic users fromnine years of age upwards. it can be used in conjunctionwith its PC version to create Wordbar grids, which canbe exported to and accessed via Dropbox or your ownWebDAV (local) school server. Grids can also be made onthe app so it is not dependent on its PC counterpart.And the integration is two-way: SwiftKey Note draws onyour Evernote files to refine the accuracy of its word prediction.Google Keep (iOS & Android, £FREE, Google) does a similarfunction but has to contend with the fact that many schoolsblock Google. But I like the way information can be storedon coloured stickies, which helps pupils to organise theirwork, and that their work doesn’t get lost as they canaccess it on any device anytime, anywhere: home, school orcommunity. I see it being used for making short notes forhomework or lists of jobs to follow up later.ClaroSpeak (iOS, £1.99, Claro Software) offers a rich mix offeatures at a give-away price including word prediction,speech and audio conversion. Also, pupils can add to theword prediction list. An additional feature, Capture Textfrom Photo, is available as an in-app purchase or comesincluded in ClaroSpeak Plus for £4.99.WriteOnline, Crick SoftwareIntoWords (iOS, £FREE trial then £8.99, MV–Nordic) combinesseveral tools: talking word processor, word prediction andOCR (the ability to copy and convert printed text to anelectronic format). A good scanner or camera with suitablelighting conditions is needed to make the last of these trulyuseful. It will also read out PDF files and text within images.Hence it covers most of the study functions for older (11-16) students. It will also be the focus of academic researchinto the effective use of writing apps for supporting dyslexicusers that I am hoping to conduct soon. Watch this space!Evernote (iOS & Android, £FREE, Evernote) lets the user collectand store notes, images, web clips and audio files, makingthem accessible from any device with an internet connection.If you are using SwiftKey Note you can even opt tohave the notes you make seamlessly stored in Evernote.WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014ClaroSpeak, Claro SoftwareiReadWrite (iOS, £19.99, Texthelp) provides excellent wordprediction and text to speech among its features. It’s agreat tool for users of Texthelp’s Read&Write Gold. Witha simple, clear interface it has good options for presentinginformation to dyslexic users in ways they prefer includingdifferent coloured backgrounds, text colour and font combinations.Also, the text-to-speech display colours can becustomised making tracking words a lot easier for the user.Writing can also be saved to Dropbox.Co:Writer (iOS, £13.99, Don Johnston) is a word predictionand text-to-speech app that works in conjunction withyour day-to-day writing tools. One of its strongest featuresis its range of Topic Dictionaries, which include specialistvocabulary a student may need, and its ability to create a13

FEATURE | DYSLEXIABACK TOCONTENTSdictionary on any missing topic using web-scraping. Thepresentation is simple and the output options includeprinting, copying and cloud storage (via Google Drive andDropbox) as well as email. Emailing homework is often thepreferred option when using an iPad in a school setting asprinting can be difficult on a large school site. Also,work is stored in the cloud by the app itselfmeaning you can upload to other similardevices and still access your work, a powerfulfeature if your iPad breaks down oryou need to use another device.Thesaurus App (iOS, £0.69, Piet Jonas)Simple apps can be the best choice if youwant a single job done well. Thesaurusmanages to does this with panache. Asingle word search will reveal a range ofalternative words for a dyslexic user to userather than the usual ones that they can spell.Definitions are given along with a range of words thatwill expand the user’s vocabulary.Voice Dictation (iOS , £1.49, Quanticapps) If you have a laterversion of the iPad 2, an iPad3, Air or Mini, chances arethat you will have Siri, Apple’s voice directed personalassistant activated using the microphone button on yourkeyboard. Voice Dictation works on older iPads and is veryaccurate in converting your words into text which can thenbe copied and pasted into other applications, includingFacebook and Twitter. This reduces the time spent switchingbetween apps, simplifying the process.This has just been a quick taster of someof the great iPad apps available for thoseworking with students with dyslexia.All are available from the Apple Storewhere you will find more informationand testimonials to help you makethe choice that meets your needs.Increasingly, we need to be evaluatingand mapping good apps so that our bestand worst experiences can be shared. Ihave made an attempt at this at with myown app mapping database. There you candownload lists of apps that are matched to a skill or aspecial need and what skill might be needed next. This isfree to anyone and you can add your own favourite appsto the list. Remember, we can achieve more by workingtogether than working separately. Which is what SpecialWorld is all about. ·14WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

FEATURE | MUSICBACK TOCONTENTSLet’s make musicMany children and young people with profound disabilities have a natural and sophisticated understandingof sound and music. But how do you get them involved?By Mark Hildred and Andrew CleatonI’m not a musician – I’m a drummer! I make this confessionnot just to reinforce an old joke (we drummers areoften the butt of musicians’ humour) but to illustrate animportant point. Give me pair of sticks and somethingto hit and I can express myself freely and musically, usingtechnique acquired through years of practice. However,give me a violin or sit me down at a piano keyboard and Iwill struggle to communicate anything with any coherence.I believe that everyone is inherently musical. Anecdotalevidence (and a great deal of research) shows that manychildren and young people with the most profound disabilitieshave a natural and sophisticated understandingof sound and music. They have the capacity to respond tomusical stimulus and are often motivated to reach out andattempt to express themselves through sound even whenother forms of communication (eg language) are nonexistent.It’s often just a case of finding the right tools forthe job – the drum sticks instead of the violin.In this respect, music technology can be an enormouslyuseful resource. This article is meant as a starting pointon a road of exciting possibilities. I’m joined on this byAndrew Cleaton, a ‘proper’ musician who also works extensivelywith children with a range of additional needs to helpthem make music. His experience in workshops and withmusic making is balanced by my more technical overview.Between us we hope to provide some inspiration.One thing to make absolutely clear is that this is neitheran exhaustive list of devices or a competition with a single16WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSFEATURE | MUSICwinner. No one instrument will suit everybody – there isn’ta single magic controller that will enable everyone.Also, rather like having an orchestra made of just oneinstrument (apologies to the ukulele orchestras out there),the interesting music is made when you mix acoustic and avariety of electronic instruments together.Soundbeam This instrument is a veteran of the musictechnology world, having been around since the late 80sin various forms. Using a method similar to the way thatbats can ‘see’ in the dark, the basic controller (a red ‘torch’)sends out an ultrasonic pulse that when broken by movementis turned into musical sounds.Soundbeam isn’t just about beams. The system alsohas a switch box to which you can attach standard assistivetechnology switches. These switches can also be usedto trigger sounds, allowing several people to make musictogether.Although a great deal of customisation is available,one of the great things about Soundbeam is that it comeswith a well-chosen palette of preset activities. This meansthat it’s possible to immediately start making interestingmusic, secure in the knowledge that everything played willfit together and sound ‘right’ without the need for a crashcourse in music theory.The latest Soundbeam (version 5) needs only a pairof speakers to get up and running, with a built-in soundmodule, sampler and amplifier. This comes at a hefty cost,but you’re buying over 20 years of design refinement andeducational evidence.Before you rush off and buy one though, check yourstorerooms. Many older Soundbeams are to be found languishingat the back of cupboards and can be up and runningwith the addition of a few cables and a bit of training.Skoog By contrast, Skoog is a quirky newcomer. Visuallydistinctive, Skoog is an attractively simple and tactile controllerthat plugs (via USB) into any Apple Mac or WindowsPC computer. The user plays the Skoog by hitting, pushingor squeezing the cube’s sides while the work of producingthe actual sounds is done by specialist software on thecomputer.The main selling point is the sensitivity of the controlleritself, which can respond to the slightest touch or turn onits surface. Each side of the cube can be allocated a differentnote or chord, meaning that tunes can be played andsimple colour-coded scores (or Skores!) produced. Youcan use it with MIDI instruments or with its own ‘virtual’instruments which provide an additional level of musicalcontrol.The downside is the USB lead that keeps it tethered tothe computer. It’s also our experience that the soft, spongySkoog, whilst ideal for its intended use, can prove tootempting to children wanting to explore it orally. We wouldtherefore not recommend its use with children prone toputting things in their mouths.Beamz The new kid on the block? Well, not really. It’s beenaround in various forms for quite a few years but it hasrecently relaunched in the UK and been aimed squarely atthe special needs market.For those of us brought up watching Jean Michel Jarrewith his laser harp, this is the 21st Century reality. Fourlaser beams intersect the trident shaped controller, whichcan be broken to trigger sounds and loops. Like the Skoog,the Beamz is a USB controller which relies on software runningon a computer to do all the work.From a musical point of view the Beamz software keepseverything in time, meaning that pretty much everythingyou do sounds right. This makes it an extremely encouragingtool for engaging children in active music making.However, when everything is so easy we would questionwhat potential such a device offers for learning and progressionin the longer term.Although the controller is the main selling point, thesoftware can be used on its own; with switches; and (via thespecial version sold by Tobii) with eye gaze. There is also aniPad app for download from the Apple App Store.BeamzThere are several different Beamz packages, includingan ‘Education and Health Care’ version that comes withsuitable content, so you can be up and playing in a veryshort space of time.You’ll need to watch that heads (and specifically eyes)don’t get too close to those lasers. We also found that theplastic was quite flexible and sometimes the lasers went outof alignment. It’s easy to bend it back, but with childrensometimes grabbing the Beamz unit this ended up happeningmore than we would have liked.WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 201417

FEATURE | MUSICBACK TOCONTENTSApollo Ensemble A combination of software and varioussensors make this more of a musical exploration kit thanone single instrument. You can use various wireless sensorsand interfaces, other MIDI instruments and even Xboxgames controllers with the PC software to trigger sounds.Drag-and-drop PC software allows you link cause andeffect on screen, with access to MIDI sounds, audio clips,video, image and even lighting control for those who wantto add multimedia feedback.The downside of the flexibility is that, unlike Soundbeamor Beamz, you don’t get any precomposed content so youneed to put in the groundwork from day one. The upsideis the sheer flexibility and range of controllers available,meaning that after getting to grips with the software you’llbe able to customise this instrument to a range of differentabilities.iPad/iPhone AppsOK, so we’ve cheated a bit as these aren’t really musicalinstruments – or are they? The combination of somesuperb apps and Guided Access make these great touchscreenand movement-based controllers. Guided Accessis a little known, but extremely valuable, feature built intoiPads and iPhones since iOS 6.ThumbjamBloom – devised by Brian Eno, this app produces characteristicallycalming and beautiful ambient music. Againsta pleasing background wash of sound, the user can touchthe screen to trigger piano notes accompanied by bloomingcircles of colour. It’s possible to build up layers of musicalsounds, even if just playing one note requires great physicaleffort.Garageband – Apple’s own flagship music-making app containssome fabulous sounds and extremely realistic instruments,everything from string orchestras to rock bands andworld music ensembles.With some of the more daunting and complex featureslocked away by Guided Access, Garageband is an engagingexperience for all. Also, don’t forget to equip the idevicewith a suitable case to protect it from drops and bangs.It enables you to lock the screen so that the playersdon’t accidentally exit the app or enter a settings screen.To set it up, you’ll need to go to Settings > General >Accessibility > Guided Access (under the ‘Learning’ title).We could fill a whole article with a list of useful apps,but for the moment we’ll stick to recommending just three:Thumbjam – some fantastic musical sounds laid out acrossthe screen. Just dragging your fingers (or thumb!) acrossthe screen produces a very musically rewarding performance.GaragebandAlthough we’ve highlighted the devices aimed specificallyat SEN, there is no reason not to make use of any instrumentthat is appropriate for a player’s needs. The KorgWavedrum Mini and Numark Orbit are both mainstreamdevices but also work just as well as accessible instruments.As I said at the start, if it can enable a drummer like meto compose it can help anyone. ·18WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

FEATURE | MUSICBACK TOCONTENTSNew music for new instrumentsDrake Music Scotland is bringing together young musicians with different abilities and experience levels toperform specially commissioned pieces incorporating music technologyBy Pete SparkesIt is Tuesday evening, The Scottish Storytelling Centre inEdinburgh is full with 100 expectant guests. The quartetof musicians are ready. Rhona plays a dark and lowbrass chord, Antony joins in with deep string sampleson iPad. Emma on Skoog and Stephanie on iPad wait fortheir entry before the audience hear all four players in thequartet for the first time.The Deep takes the listener on a 10-minute journeyfrom the depths of the ocean to the tumultuous surface of astormy sea and up into the air where birds swoop and dive.The quartet play music they have composed, performinglive, with independent control.This performance by the Digital Ensemble was oneof the highlights of my career so far with Drake MusicScotland. I was delighted to see the young musiciansworking together as an ensemble, producing music thatwas impressive, moving and accomplished – music worthhearing, and worth sharing with the widest audience.Although there has been a welcome increase in theprovision of quality music opportunities for young peoplewith Additional Support Needs there are still relatively fewchances for young musicians with disabilities to have regular,progressive, musical training. Over the last two yearsDrake Music Scotland has created new ensembles, bringingtogether young musicians with different abilities and experiencelevels, to perform specially commissioned new music.We are gradually building up a repertoire of new piecesthat incorporate music technology and this short articlelooks at one such group of musicians, The Digital Ensemble,and one of the large scale projects, Technophonia.Click here to watch the Digital EnsemblevideoThe Digital EnsembleEach member of The Digital Ensemble has a passion formusic and a commitment to rehearsing and performing,but their disabilities mean that they cannot access mainstreammusical opportunities performing on conventionalacoustic instruments. This is where Drake Music Scotlanduses over 18 years of experience to develop and refine solutionsfor disabled musicians to make music to an extremelyhigh level. The Digital Ensemble is not about music therapyor about music education; it is about performing new musicfor new instruments in professional venues. The ensemblemeets every week for rehearsals at our Edinburghbase and recent performances venues include the Scottish20WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSFEATURE | MUSICParliament, University of Edinburgh and theScottish Storytelling Centre.Meet the ensemble. Emma loves music ofall kinds and she performs using a Skoog.This tactile and expressive instrument appealsto her because she enjoys interacting with thephysical object in order to play and controlmusical sounds. We have used both the Skoog’sown sounds through its software programmeand have also used it to control libraries ofsampled sounds on Logic. The fact that Skooghas only five sides also helps Emma to feel lessdaunted when she improvises – she is drawn tothe Skoog and really enjoys playing it.Rhona performs using a music programmecalled Notion. She triggers her part using asimple switch to determine the rhythmic shapeand pace of the music and is part ‘conductor’,part ‘performer’ of the score. Although hermovement and fine motor control is limitedshe has a musicality and presence that is clearlyconveyed through her control of Notion using aswitch. We are developing extra expressive controlpotential to her performances using touchbasedinterfaces such as iPad and iPhone.Stephanie and Antony both perform usingiPad and a fantastic app called Thumbjam.This app is very versatile and can be set up to suit eachindividual musician. Stephanie particularly likes the soundof a flute and she can perform music with this instrumentby using one, two or more fingers on the simple bars ofThumbjam. Antony loves the electric guitar on Thumbjamwhich is extremely responsive to touch and has a greatsound. The notes can be set to match any scale or key, thesize of the bars can be adjusted to suit different hands andthere is a huge range of instruments that are instantly available;all these features make it an ideal tool for us to giveour musicians instruments that are responsive and suitedto their own ways of playing.Emma by Ken DundasRhona by Ken DundasStephanie by Ken DundasChris by Ken DundasDrake Music Scotland.The first step was to work closely with the composerwho joined me for a series of exploratory workshops. Iintroduced him to a variety of music technology includingSkoog, Soundbeam and Brainfingers. Each of theseTechnophoniaIn 2012 we were delighted to be part of the New Music20x12 Commissioning programme funded by the PRS forMusic Foundation. The aim of the programme was towork with composers, musicians and organisations from allover the UK to ‘put new music at the heart of the CulturalOlympiad’ by creating 20 new pieces. We devised a newcommission working with composer Oliver Searle andyoung musicians from Edinburgh including pupils fromthe City of Edinburgh Music School and participants fromClick here to watch the Technophonia videoWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 201421

FEATURE | MUSICBACK TOCONTENTStechnologies has unique potential for allowing individualswith physical disabilities to perform as part of a live ensembleand through playing with settings and sounds I was ableto show Oliver the kind of palette that was available. Hethen worked on first ideas and we began to try them outwith the musicians.One of the new developments that we were able toshowcase as part of Technophonia was Brainfingers. Thisis a system that includes a headband fitted with sensorsthat detect electrical signals from facial muscles, eye movements,and brainwaves. Software converts forehead signalsinto computer controls or’ Brainfingers’. Controls are tailoredto the individual’s needs and can range from a simpleleft mouse click to a complex combination of cursor control,mouse buttons and keyboard keys. We used Brainfingersto control a music score on the Notion software and thisenabled Chris to play a ragtime piano, be an entire NewOrleans Street Band and also control some strange andmysterious chords – all through clicking his jaw.Technophonia Queens Hall - Credit Stuart BarrettThe piece began to take shape over the summer of 2011and we began full rehearsals early in 2012 with a uniqueorchestra that included violins, violas, cellos, piano, guitar,bass guitar, drums and Skoog, Soundbeam, RolandHandsonic and Brainfingers. This orchestra containedvery experienced young musicians from City of EdinburghMusic School who had performed in hundreds of concertsand attended thousands of rehearsals. It also containedthree musicians from Drake Music Scotland who had neverplayed as part of an ensemble before – they had never hadthe opportunity. They learned very quickly how to follow aconductor, how to play as an ensemble and also the importanceof practising and taking responsibility for their ownpart. This aspect of the project was vital as both sets ofmusicians encountered the positive challenges set for themby Searle’s music.Technophonia received its World Premiere in theQueens Hall in Edinburgh in June 2012 in front of a packedaudience. A second performance took place at the RoyalConservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow. We then took thewhole ensemble to London for a memorable performanceat the South Bank Centre as part of the 20x12 Festivalshortly before the London Olympics. it was also broadcaston BBC Radio 3 on Saturday 21 July. These performanceopportunities ensured that the talent and achievement ofall the young musicians involved reached as wide an audienceas possible.As well as the two featured projects we have also commissionedand performed new music for the St MagnusFestival (Orkney) and the Edinburgh International HarpFestival. We have many future commissions in the pipelineand our musicians are likely to be busy in the coming years.Our ambition for the future is that every pupil withAdditional Support Needs will have the same opportunitiesto learn to play music and also take part in band, ensembleand orchestral activities on a local authority and nationallevel.Drake Music Scotland is dedicated to creating opportunitiesfor people with Additional Support Needs to play,learn, compose and perform music. It was establishedin 1997 and is independent from our sister organisationsDrake Music (England & Wales) and Drake MusicNorthern Ireland.Supporting our belief that Everyone Can Play Music wehave also developed a wide ranging programme of activityand resource support using Figurenotes© notation(see www.drakemusicscotland.org/figurenotes/ formore information).Drake Music Scotland gratefully acknowledges supportfrom Creative Scotland and all the trusts, foundations andother funders of our programme. ·Web linksDrake Music ScotlandFigurenotesVideo of Digital EnsembleVideo of Technophonia22WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSFEATURE | INCLUSIONOne size never fits allBasic scaffolding will make your job as a teacher easier and your classroom more inclusiveBy Susan ZurawskiThere is no shortage of studies that support themerits of inclusion. The issue seems to be how toboth effectively implement and maintain inclusionthroughout the educational life of our students.Around the world, countries have varying policies on thepractice of inclusion and even within a country the interpretationsof practice and policies differ from one schooldistrict to another. In spite of these differences, there aremodels of inclusion that everyone can use and there is abasic scaffolding that can be put into place to ensure lastingsupport and effectiveness as students move up the gradelevels.In general, the early years of elementary school (agesWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 20145 to 10 approximately) lend well to an inclusive classroomsetting. Curriculum is more basic, lessons tend tobe interactive/hands on and there is often quite a bit ofgroup work. Elementary schools are for the most part communitybased, smaller in size and have fewer students perclass. As children move on to middle school (ages 11 to 14approximately), class sizes tend to be larger as often severalelementary schools within a district will feed into a singlemiddle school. This is when the curriculum becomes moresophisticated. There tends to be less group work and moreindependent seat work. The gap between the academiccapabilities of students with needs and their peers beginsto widen further. This is where the inclusion models tend23

FEATURE | INCLUSIONBACK TOCONTENTSto break down and students with cognitive challenges startto suffer.Depending upon where you live, the policy of yourschool district and the issues and needs of students withchallenges, the enrolment at the middle school and highschool levels can look like any one of the following, in orderof most inclusive to least:• Enrolled in a homeroom on a full-time basis (with orwithout an educational assistant).• Enrolled in a homeroom on a full-time basis with somelearning support in and out of the class setting (with orwithout an educational assistant).• Enrolled in a homeroom on a full-time basis with parttimeplacement in a Learning Centre Model classroom(with or without an educational assistant).• Enrolled in a Learning Centre Model classroom withpart-time inclusion placement in a typical classroomsetting (with a full-time or shared educational assistant).• Enrolled full time in a Learning Centre Model classroomdesigned for students with significant challenges (with afull-time or shared educational assistant).The terms ‘homeroom’ and ‘Learning Centre Model’may be unfamiliar to some readers, but the former refersto the room where students gather at the start of the schoolday before dispersing to other classes and the latter to amodel where a support unit or base is located within a middleor high school.In all of these models, even within a full-time LearningCentre model, there are some good basic inclusion practisesthat will help support both students and teachers,allowing us to provide our charges with a meaningful wellroundededucation.Structure and Consistency are extremely important to individualsliving in a confusing world. Designing a classroomroutine that is predictable helps to lower anxiety levels.Reviewing a visual schedule with the whole group in themorning along with prepared individual schedules for studentswith more challenges is very reassuring for everyone.Individual schedule types can vary according to levels ofability, ranging from segmented pictorial matching to acomplete written lists including time frames. Colour codingfor subject areas is particularly helpful for more independentstudents.Pre-Loaded Binder Work that is subject divided, and alignswith class work helps in both the homeroom and when studentsleave for other classes. This is not for daily work, butfor times when lesson plans simply do not fit student abilitylevel, when a test is taking place or when there is perhapsan off day and the student prefers to work quietly on theirown with work they can feel successful and independentwith. Personal binder work can also give gifted studentsoptions to work beyond classroom expectations when itlends well to do so.Individual Work Stations are mini offices with an emphasison ‘Take, Do, Put Away’. It is ideally an enclosed areawith a work table with four or five tasks in containers thatstudents take from the left, complete at the desk, and putaway to the right. These are tasks that have been pre-taughtand that students are capable of doing without help. Workstation time should be included in the schedules for a settime daily. It involves task work that will lend to employmentskills and will vary greatly according to student abilitylevels. Typically it involves hands-on work to enhance finemotor skills and basic matching and sorting abilities, butthey can also include file folder work that includes academicwork for higher levels of ability. This gives students anopportunity to be independent and teachers an opportunityto work with other groups.Structured Teaching Work Systems were developed byProfessor Eric Schopler and his colleagues at the Universityof North Carolina. It very much includes the above individualwork stations, but the same idea can be includedin other work tasks by simply outlining what the studentis expected to do for each activity. ‘What do you wantme to do?’, ‘Where do you want me to put myself and mythings?’, ‘How much should I do?’ and ‘What’s next?’. Itshould be arranged in a way that students will have littledifficulty figuring out what to do. How you do this dependson the student levels of ability, it can be exemplar, pictorialor written out or a combination of the three. As long as it isclear and simple and performed from top to bottom or left24WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSFEATURE | INCLUSIONto right. It requires set-up time, but once in place it is goodfor repeated practice of essential skills. Again, it teachesindependence and frees the need for support. Always awin-win situation.The Group Work Model can also be very helpful. It gives peersupport and roles within the group can be tailored to studentstrengths. It’s a nice opportunity for students to supporteach other and appreciate each other’s contributions.have all taken their toll. But all of that does not help usdeal with the here and now of the ever growing diverseclassroom. The key is in learning more inclusive practices.Be it for your student who is three years ahead of the classor three years behind, setting up some scaffolding aheadof time will make your job easier, your students happierand your classroom more creative. One size never fits all,so learn to see every lesson as a multi-layered possibility.Thanks for working so hard for all our students. ·Further readingAlper, S. (1995). Inclusion: Are We Abandoningor Helping Students? Roadmaps to Success: ThePracticing Administrator’s Leadership Series.Corwin Press, Inc., 2455 Teller Road, ThousandOaks, CA 91320-2218.Lesson Planning with Adaptations built in is a useful way toalways keep your mind open to inclusive practices. By creatinga condensed version of the specific outcomes for studentswith Individual Program/Education Plans (IPP/IEP)or adaptations on hand when planning lessons, every lessonwill have a way to embrace all learners in the class. It’sa bit of a chore to set up at first, but is well worth the initialtime. Teachers might even get assistance from learningcentre/support teachers to get this started. For example, ifa lesson was being planned in science for identifying componentsof a cell, a glance through the specific outcomes fora gifted student might have you ask that student to not onlylabel the cell but invent a new cell part with yet anotherfunction. A student with more challenges might receive thesame worksheet with a word bank, or the same worksheetwith matching pictures to cut out, paste on and match, allaccording to the skills listed in the IPP/IEP. Everyone hastheir style in lesson planning, but even something as simpleas a margin set to the side where adaptation tweaks can bejotted down will be helpful.Results from one of Canada’s largest online teachersurveys taken this year, showed that in general, teachersfelt they did not have adequate supports and services toaddress the broad range of special needs in their classrooms,(NSTU, 2014). It’s easy to point out what is NOTworking in our school systems, to plea for more supportand more money for programming, or to find fault withvarious models of inclusion or segregation. Mandates thattake away student support and on-going school cut backsCornoldi, C., Terreni, A., Scruggs, T. E., &Mastropieri, M. A. (1998). Teacher attitudes inItaly after twenty years of inclusion. Remedialand Special Education, 19(6), 350-356.Burstein, N., Sears, S., Wilcoxen, A., Cabello, B.,& Spagna, M. (2004). Moving toward inclusivepractices. Remedial and Special Education,25(2), 104-116.Leyser, Y., & Kirk*, R. (2004). Evaluatinginclusion: An examination of parent viewsand factors influencing their perspectives.International Journal of Disability, Developmentand Education, 51(3), 271-285.Salend, S. J., & Duhaney, L. M. G. (1999). Theimpact of inclusion on students with and withoutdisabilities and their educators. Remedial andspecial education, 20(2), 114-126.(2014, May). Teachers find difficulty meetingneeds of all students in classrooms: nationalsurvey. The Teacher: Nova Scotia TeachersUnion, Volume 52, number 7.WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 201425

FEATURE | ACCESSIBILITYBACK TOCONTENTSThe problem with EnglishPublishers of software for children with special educational needs pride themselves on developingproducts that are accessible. But what if your first language isn’t English?By Sanja DenićIf the title of this article was shown as Проблеми саенглеским језиком for those unable to read Serbian,which is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, it would be justa series of incomprehensible symbols.For professionals working with children with specialeducational needs from non-English speaking countriesthe language barrier they face when trying to use most educationalcomputer games is often the same. A lot of thesegames are now available, to buy or access online, but themajority of them are in English. As I explain below, this isa problem for the professionals working with these childrenand for the children themselves.For professionals the problem is twofold.First, there is the English language and terminology used.Today a working knowledge of English is often assumed.To successfully surf the internet (no matter what the subject)all you need to know is how to write a search term. Ifwhat you write is less than perfect the browser will correctyou and/or suggest possible options. The chances are thatsooner or later you will find what you are looking for.But is this level of understanding of English goodenough when you are trying to find computer games touse with children with special educational needs? Practiceshows that a good knowledge of everyday English is insufficient,because not knowing the terminology that is beingused in computer games makes it extremely difficult to findthe game needed to produce the intended stimulation. Bearin mind that professionals working with children with specialeducational needs are special educators, psychologistsand social workers. They are not professors of ICT.Second, there is the issue of free online computer gamesversus those you can buy. All children find computer gamesgreat fun. Through their use of pictures, sounds, movies,computer games provide a multi-sensory stimulation thatcan capture a child’s attention and promote fast and easylearning. The use of computer games positively influencesthe cognitive, visual and motor development of childrenwith special educational needs, and allows them to masterabilities that will make them more independent andencourage richer organisation of their free time.When working with children with special educationalneeds you can never say with certainty if a child will beinterested in a particular computer game, nor can you predicthow a child will react to specific stimuli. Our task, asprofessionals working with such children, is to try, to represent,to offer, in the course of which the child will showus if it is interested in the specific computer game and if sowhere we should direct our common effort. All this meansthat for the digital inclusion of children with specialeducational needs you have to have a wide range ofdifferent computer games for the child to choose from.On the internet you can find a lot of free computergames that in interesting ways support the learning ofcolours, letters, numbers, shapes… and if they don’t havesound or text, they can be used by just about anyone. Freecomputer games rarely have the option of adaptingsound and text for non-English speakers, hence their use is26WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSFEATURE | ACCESSIBILITYlimited. Another disadvantage of these games is that theycontain a lot of advertising and hyperlinks that can lead achild to unwanted and/or inappropriate content.On the otherhand, the first problemwith computergames that can bebought is their price.But here again wehave a problem withthe predominant useof the English languageand terminology.Computer gamesand software that areintended for workingwith children with special educational needs are invariablypurchased directly from their country of origin, so arrivein non-English speaking countries without any kind oftranslation or manual. And the fact that an expert likes acomputer game does not mean that a child will also likeit. Only when you start to use it can you see if the child isinterested. So again you need a lot of computer games ifyou are going to succeed in digitally including children withspecial educational needs.Overcoming barriers to accessing information, so thatall the members of society can benefit from the digitalworld, is the goal of digital inclusion. Does not knowing theterminology make us (experts from non-English speakingcountries) digitally marginalised? And if those who areworking with children with special educational needs aredigitally excluded, how can we hope to succeed in digitallyincluding the children themselves?For children with special educational needs there is a similarset of problems.In their everyday activity children with special educationalneeds depend on their environment to provide them withinformation. Likewise the digital inclusion of children withspecial needs depends on information and content madeavailable through ICT. A child that can organise his or herown time independently (as far as possible) is a happy andsatisfied child. And why should a child that can do less thanothers, be denied the opportunity of playing the music,computer game, movie of their choice, or of engaging inany of the other activities that internet access allows us todo? Computer games can be used in education, as well asin therapy, which is to say they can be used to stimulate achild’s development. With computer games we can:• Develop and stimulate attention,WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014• Stimulate understanding of cause and effect,• Develop and stimulate visual-motor coordination,• Stimulate and develop speech,• Stimulate learning to read and write, counting, calculating...,• Explore understanding the laws of nature, biology, anatomy...,For children to be able to learn by themselves, so theycan develop and extend their use of computer games, theyneed to understand what the computer games are saying,what commands they are giving.How do computer games communicate with us? Theyuse:• Pictures – through certain animations (eg a picture thatis blinking) computer games can show us a spot wherewe should click or where we need to bring the pointer ofour mouse,• Sound – audio messages,• Text – written messages.Is a child withspecial needs able tounderstand these kindsof message? This is aquestion that can’t befully answered becauseevery child is uniqueand it depends on hisor her abilities andthe computer game inquestion. But we canseek out and use thosecomputer games whose messages the child will understand.A computer game that exclusively uses pictures to communicatecan be used successfully no matter what languageits author has used. But what about a computer game thatprimarily communicates with a child through text or audiomessages that are in English – or any other language thatisn’t the child’s native tongue? These games, to be frank,are unusable. Why? Well, if the goal of the computer gameis to teach colours (and therefore to stimulate and developspeech), and within that game there are audio messages inEnglish, it will be inappropriate, ineffectual and will onlyconfuse the child. For example, the child will learn that acertain colour is called ‘red’ (which is not the name of thatcolour in Serbian, it is ‘crvena’) and a child will proudlytry to use that word when communicating. But will thosearound him understand what he or she is saying? I doubt it.Can these obstacles be overcome? I think so. In the nextissue of Special World I will offer some suggestions. Maybeyou have some of your own… ·27

FEATURE | MULTI-SENSORYBACK TOCONTENTSScattered skillsStudents with visual impairments and multiple special needs require a multi-sensory approach to learningto develop and maintain skills and conceptsBy Jennifer KeenanMany years ago, upon pulling up to a drive-thrubanking machine, my then toddler statedconfidently from the back seat that she wouldlike to order a small French fries. Though tellingof our dietary habits, it made me realise that she waslearning incidentally through routines and experiences.Students with visual impairments and multiple specialneeds do not have these types of incidental learning experiencesdue to their sensory and/or motor impairments. Thisleaves the student with scattered skills and educators tryingto figure out a way to fill in the missing pieces.Each student has their own individual style of learning.This can be a combination of visual, tactual, auditory, olfactory,and movement. Students with visual impairments andmultiple special needs require a multi-sensory approach tolearning to develop and maintain skills and concepts.Educators are faced with the challenge to deliver curriculum,manage physical management plans, stay currentwith the latest technologies, perform assessmentsand complete data. They must set the bar high for studentachievement by believing that the student will not onlymeet this goal, but also exceed it. It is also the educatorsresponsibility to deliver materials that match each student’sunique learning style.Combining materials and assistive technology tools createdthrough the Universal Design for Learning andpresenting content in different formats support the learnerwith visual impairments and multiple special needs.Joy Zabala’s SETT Framework looks at the (S)tudent,(E)nvironment, (T)ask and (T)ools. The student’s team collaboratesto determine assistive technology implementationand its effectiveness on student learning. Informationgathered through the SETT Framework, such as studentaccess method, learning medium, student preferences andlearning environment, give educators a plan for deliveringcurriculum content and life skills.There are two assistive technology tools that I use todeliver curriculum content and functional life skill topicsto students with visual impairments and multiple specialneeds. These are SwitchIt! Maker 2 and ChooseIt!Maker 3 (CM3), both from Inclusive Technology. SwitchIt!Maker 2 is a self-authoring tool used to make switch-accessible,electronic books used on the computer. SwitchIt!Maker 2 also has a print option which is used to createadapted books.CM3 is a subscription-based, on-line program that canbe used on the computer or through apps on an Androidor iPad. This program can be used to assess what the studentalready knows by creating pre-tests taken before eachcurricular unit. CM3 can also be used to make cause-andeffect,choice-making activities, games, and quizzes. Usingthese tools in combination creates a predictable routineand allows the student to focus on the content instead ofthe process.Every educator needs that magic bag of tips and tricksthat turns curricular content into a format that is accessibleand user friendly for students. Read on to find out how youturn all of this…Various items purchased at local budget stores to support thecurricular theme ‘Parts of the Plant’28WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSFEATURE | MULTI-SENSORY…into this!Adapted Book created using the ‘Print Book’ feature in SwitchIt!Maker 2 software; Voice Output Communication device mountedwith velcro on a cutting board with the use of an actual object(seed packet) used as a symbol; High Contrast Number Linecreated with foam core board, laminated number symbols withseeds for tactile numeral representationSwitchIt! Maker 2SwitchIt! Maker 2 software program has the features tocreate a range of print and electronic books relating tocurricular themes. Auditory learners and students thatuse switches to access their world, can independently readcurricular themed books in an electronic format. SwitchIt!Maker 2 offers a variety of features including the use of highcontrast presentation, use of photographs, graphics, symbols,recorded voice, audio and video clips, and large print.Using the ‘print book’ feature, high-contrast, adaptedbooks can be created. Laminate each page to add Brailleand textures for the tactile learner. Binding the book andadding ‘page fluffers’ (foam or other material that addsspace between pages of a book to make pages easier toturn) support physical access needs. Adapted books canbe presented on tilt boards, PVC frames or binders, placedin the student’s field of vision or within reach for tactileexploration.Each student should have their own copy of the bookpresented in the medium that meets their learning style.The content of the book should be broken down to onemain concept per page. For every concept, an object shouldbe presented to reinforce the concept in its actual form orrepresentation. It is suggested to create routines and readeach book every day for at least a few weeks. Repeatedexposure to the materials fills in the missing gaps createdby the lack of incidental learning experiences.‘Rock Cycle’ adapted book created in SwitchIt! Maker 2, printedand laminated. Main concepts reinforced by actual object, sightwordcard, and symbol attached to VO device. Daily repeatedexposure to support vocabulary developmentLiteracy BinsEach page of the adapted book has a main concept (vocabularyword.) Each concept has an object or, when unattainable,an object representation, ie tap light used to representthe sun. For every concept an object from the Literacy Binshould be presented. The Literacy Bin holds objects thatrepresent concepts in each unit book. Each student shouldhave their own book and their own Literacy Bin. Eachtime the page is turned and the content is read, the objectis retrieved from the bin and presented to the student.Repeated exposure helps reinforce that concept. Eventuallythese concepts become prior knowledge.Adapted book created in SwitchIt! Maker 2, laminated andbound with binder rings. Tactile graphic representing thecircle shape of the sun. Tap light used as an object representation.When possible always use actual objects. Objects kept inLiteracy BinsWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 201429

FEATURE | MULTI-SENSORYBACK TOCONTENTSSight Word WallThe main concept (vocabulary word) from each page isalso presented using sight word cards. These cards are createdin each student’s reading medium. This could be largeprint, Braille, photograph, symbol or object representation.During the unit, sight words are kept in the LiteracyBin and are presented to the student by placing them ona tiltboard positioned by the book or computer. Studentsexplore the word each time the page of the book is turned.This is repeated throughout the unit. Upon completion ofthe unit, sight word cards are placed on a wall and are madeavailable when students need a reference to recall priorknowledge.along with games, assessments and quizzes can be madequickly and shared with those that have a subscription.CM3 is used during morning meeting to select calendar andschedule choices and during core curriculum class time.CM3 is used during reading class to answer comprehensionquestions and make choices. Teacher-made activitiescan be pulled up spontaneously through the CM3 App onthe iPad or on a computer/dynamic display communicationdevice. Students make choices by directly selecting theanswer through touch or by switch scanning. This is a valuabletool used to monitor information that is being learnedand evaluate which information needs to be taught.Using a head switch to access programs such as SwitchIt!Maker 2 and CM3 this student actively participates by turningthe pages of an electronic book, making choices and answeringquestions. During maths class the students are presented witha tactile pattern on a contrasting background and are asked‘What comes next?’ Using the scanning feature in CM3 studentscan make choices to answer questionsSight-word wall displaying concept/vocabulary words fromthematic curricular units. Cards are made with recycled itemsor inexpensive items bought in bulk from local bargain stores.Sight-word cards have the vocabulary word in print/Braille,symbol or object representation. Sight-word cards are presentedevery time the concept is presented in the bookChooseIt! Maker 3 (CM3)CM3 is an extremely user friendly electronic, choice-makingprogram. Cause-and-effect choice-making activities,Extension activitiesInclusive Technology also offers a variety of switch accessiblesoftware programs and apps. Many of the apps are usedto support the monthly themed curricular units. Theseapps are switch accessible and can also be accessed throughteacher-made, tactile overlays for the iPad. Teacher-createdprop kits are also used in cooperative turn-taking activitiesto reinforce subtraction skills in apps such as ‘FiveSpeckled Frogs’. One student uses the iPad to play/read/sing each phrase while the other student ‘takes away’ onefrog from the log, using the ‘Frogs on a log’ prop kit. Thispromotes active participation and reinforces skills beingtaught during the core curriculum subjects. ·30WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

FEATURE | BULLYINGBACK TOCONTENTSNo place to hideMobile devices have extended the reach of school bullies and students with disabilities or SEN are amongtheir prime targetsBy Lauren Archer‘They go after me because they see me as a vulnerabletarget. They tied both arms of the sleeves of my sweatshirtbehind me, to the fence posts. They zipped up my jacketand they just watched me struggle and try to get out.’Kevin Kaneta, who has cerebral palsy, was 15 whenhis mother pulled him out of school. He had dealtwith bullying since he was very young, having beentripped up, pinned down and fed dog food by hisclassmates. But it was in late 2010 that he became unableto cope when photographs of the abuse he faced in the playgroundwere uploaded to the internet. Photos of Kaneta,from Colorado, USA, fastened to a fence post and tied up ina hooded jacket were posted on social media site Facebookin an attempt to make fun of the disabled teen.Kevin’s is just one of many incidents of bullying anddiscrimination faced by children and teenagers with disabilitiesand special educational needs (SEN). This kind ofteasing and harassment is a huge issue for them, and it’shappening all over the English-speaking world.Here in Britain, 60 per cent of students with disabilitiesreported being bullied, compared to 25 per cent of the generalstudent population.Although there have only been a handful of Americanstudies into bullying and developmental disabilities, allhave shown that children with disabilities or special educationalneeds are two or three times more likely to bebullied than their peers. The National Center for Education32WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSFEATURE | BULLYINGestimates that 85% of children with disabilities and SENare bullied.In Australia, more than half – 62% - of disabled andSEN children experience bullying once a week or more,far exceeding the 1 in 5 to 1 in 7 of the general Australianstudent population who reported the same.An anonymous lawyer told AbilityPath, an internationalsupport network for parents of children with specialneeds: ‘For over 13 years, I have been a practicing attorneyand advocate for families of children with special needs.There is not a week that goes by where I do not learn of acase of bullying directed toward a child with special needs.’And now, in the age of social media and smart phones,bullying no longer stops at the school gates. Since its inception,the internet has introduced us to an ever-expandingworld of educational and social resources for disabledand special educational needs students. Despite theseadvances, many of those who log on are met with bullying,intimidation and harassment – and none more so thanthe young and disabled. As one child told the UK’s Anti-Bullying Alliance: ‘It takes what’s happening in schoolto a whole other level.’Dan Scorer, head of policy at Mencap, a UK-basedcharity that works with people with learning disabilities,told Special World that bullies exploited some of the commoncharacteristics of young people with SEN.He said: ‘Cyber bullying is widespread, both on theinternet and through mobile phones. Most young peoplewill experience it at some time, but children with specialeducational needs are at a more profound risk as a result oftheir increased vulnerability, tendencies towards obsessivecompulsive behaviour and social naivety. Indeed, pupilswith special educational needs are 16% more likely to bepersistently cyber bullied over a prolonged period of time.WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014‘Cyber bullying can be tackled in a number of ways,from talking to your child about what is and isn’t okay totell people about themselves online, to reporting incidentsof cyber bullying to the school, the phone operator, thesocial network provider, or even the police.‘A big problem for many parents is that they don’tknow where to start when it comes to protecting their childonline. Mencap worked with Cerebra and Ambitiousabout Autism to produce a guide to help parents keeptheir children with special educational needs safe online.It provides information on how to make your home andmobile internet safe, guidance on how to support yourchild to use the internet safely and links to useful websitesand organisations. We hope the guide will help parents tofeel empowered to help their child make the most of theopportunities available to them online.’The bullying experienced by disabledand SEN children, both onlineand elsewhere, is so pervasive andwide-reaching that it has become thetheme of this year’s Anti-BullyingWeek, run by the Anti-BullyingAlliance.Anti-Bullying Week , which willtake place at schools and collegesacross the UK from the17 to the 21 of November2014, will centre aroundthe theme of ‘stoppingbullying for all’, focusingon the disproportionateimpact of bullyingfelt by disabled and SEN children.Acting National Coordinator of the Anti-BullyingAlliance, Martha Evans, said: ‘Existing evidence showsus that children with special educational needs and/ordisabilities are significantly more likely to suffer bullyingthan other children; with 83 per cent of young people withlearning difficulties having suffered bullying and over 90per cent of parents of children with Asperger Syndromehaving reported the bullying of their child in the previousyear. These stark figures demonstrate just how pervasivethe problem is, and show that we must act now in order tostop bullying for all children.‘Ultimately, bullying is a behaviour choice, one whichparents, carers, teachers and the community must worktogether to change at grass roots level; educating the schooland wider community that bullying in any form is wrong,and that any environment that encourages bullying, orshows indifference to prejudice and discrimination is unac-33

FEATURE | BULLYINGBACK TOCONTENTSceptable. Now is the time for children and young people totake the lead on changing behaviour and to stop bullyingfor all.’Far from being part of a harmless online craze, onlinename-calling and joke-telling can have a devastating impacton children, with studies indicating that cyberbullyingcan significantly damage students’ self-esteem (andresult in the development of negative attitudes towardsschooling and increased absenteeism.In the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s guidelines, the organisationcites school leadership as the most importantfactor in dealing with online bullying. The Alliance advocatesa ‘whole-schoolcommunity’ approach,whereby everyone in theschool understands thedangers and impact ofcyber-bullying and thesteps necessary to tackleit. Focus groups withyoung people suggestedthat many felt theirteachers, parents andcarers were hesitant oruninformed regardingthe issues around onlinebullying.By bringing cyberbullyinginto the everydaydialogue of a school,the issues can be betterfaced and bullyingstopped more quicklyand effectively, theAlliance argues. Furthersuggestions for tackling cyber-bullying at your school canbe found in their guide here.Similarly, AbilityPath’s journal: ‘Walk a Mile inTheir Shoes’, calls for increased classroom awareness,both of online bullying and of different disabilities andeducational needs. Experts seem to conclusively agree thatopen discussion and universal education will be a solid steptowards ensuring that all children feel safe online. Schoolsshould be encouraged, the report suggests, to maintainupdated training that helps children better understand anduse the internet, without putting themselves at risk.AbilityPath teamed up with the Special Olympicsand other organisations to launch the campaign ‘DisableBullying’, which is working towards ending the bullying ofdisabled and SEN children, and specifically targeting thecasual use of hurtful slurs.With new technologies emerging all the time, it canbe difficult to be sure that we’re providing students withthe best, most up-to-date safety information there is. Butas the scope of technology increases, so do the safeguardingresources and our access to the right information. Byembracing the wealth of studies, campaigning groups andevents aimed at tackling cyberbullying of disabled and SENstudents, teachers, parents, carers and support workerscan confidently encourage the children and teenagers theywork with to get online and stay safe. ·Click here to watch the video34WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSFEATURE | OPINIONReclaiming a ‘normal’ childhoodThe ‘medical model’ at the heart of DSM-5 threatens to pathologise the normal behaviour ofthousands of childrenBy Dave TraxsonSince the ‘Psychiatrists’ Bible,’ DSM-5 (Diagnosticand Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5thEdition) was published in May 2013, not a day hasgone by without children throughout the WesternWorld leaving clinics with stigmatising and often unhelpfullabels of mental disorders tied tightly around their necks.But are these labels helpful to these young people? Do theymaximise their human potentials and help them develop asconfident adolescents or adults?Certainly we know from the field of Attribution Theorythat people become more like the characteristics that significantothers ascribe to them in childhood, and over timethis creates a vicious cycle of progressive pathologisation inwhich their self-esteem, efficacy and motivation can plungeto new lows.Many psychologists would argue that making sensitiveand suggestible young people more aware of their potentialstressors could backfire and contribute to a worseningof their situation. Hence, a shy child may become moreacutely aware of being anxious in a range of social situationsafter a psychiatrist has labeled them as having SocialAnxiety Disorder.And the implications don’t stop there. A child who isexperiencing the significant loss of a family member maybe given the label of Temporary Grief Syndrome and beprescribed medication, such as anti-depressants, withindays. This, in turn, could heighten their risk of self-harmand even suicide. This is because DSM-5 has removed the‘Bereavement Exclusion’ clause, which previously protectedchildren and young people for a period of two monthsafter such a loss. Could this new guidance cause long-termpsychological harm and even create psycho-pharmaceuticaldependency?And what about a child who is acutely anxious aboutfamily dynamics and the domestic violence they may havewitnessed? Would they benefit from having the pattern ofWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014presenting behaviours diagnosed as ADHD when the medicationused for that condition is contra-indicated in severeanxiety cases? Sadly in many cases this caveat is ignoredand once again the child’s normal pattern of behaviour ispathologised.‘Medical Model’ explanations that locate the problemas ‘within the child’ are questionable given their limitations.Many mental health workers now believe that whatis important is not a pseudoscientific label but understandingwhat has happened to the young person to makethem behave in a particular way. Dr Lucy Johnstone, aleading clinical psychologist and trainer, who co-authoredthe British Psychological Society’s ‘Good practiceguidelines on the use of psychological formulation’says that mental distress is often the result of early childhoodtrauma in the context of attachment difficulties. Thismuch more socially constructed explanation of a youngperson’s needs and difficulties is more ethically acceptableto many thousands of child mental health practitionersaround the world than blaming undetectable genetic orbiochemical imbalances.Indeed a spokesperson for the American PsychiatricAssociation, which publishes DSM-5, admitted for the firsttime last year that despite 30 years of waiting for biomarkersto explain mental health disorders none have actuallybeen forthcoming for childhood conditions (for a discussionon this see ‘Biomarkers in psychiatry: drawbacks andpotential for misuse’ by Shaheen E Lakhan, Karen Vieiraand Elissa Hamlat here).The majority of psychologists today believe in thisconcept of social constructivism and the fact that patternsof serious behaviour often result from the interaction andinfluence of a range of understandable stressors affectingyoung minds. These stressors include the imbalance ofadult power by those who were trusted to protect childrenin their care, which has played such an important part in35

FEATURE | OPINIONBACK TOCONTENTSthe high profile cases that have dominated our media overthe last 20 years.One response to this imbalance has been to modelanother abuse of adult power called ‘psychiatric diagnosis’when a softer and more collaborative psychologicalformulation is what would be more helpful to client andprofessionals alike. Some argue that this misuse of poweris ‘neo-colonial’ in nature (see Derek Summerfield’s article‘How scientifically valid is the knowledge base of globalmental health?’ available here) and can ‘retraumatise theclient’, a conclusion that seems entirely reasonable whenyou consider the increasing use made of electro convulsivetherapy (ECT) or very toxic ‘drug cocktails’.So what protective measures, procedures and protocolscan be put into place to better safeguard vulnerable groupslike distressed and anxious children? One constructive contributionthat I have suggested to UK colleagues who aremembers of the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) isa practical protocol that confers the ‘ethical legitimacy’ tochallenge medics when we have concerns about the mentalhealth and wellbeing of a young person with whom wejointly work.This ‘Ethical Legitimacy’ is provided by the HCPCCode of Conduct which states, ‘You must not do anything,or allow someone else to do anything, that you have goodreason to believe will put the health and safety of a serviceuser in danger. This includes your own actions and thoseof other people. You should take appropriate action toprotect the rights of children and vulnerable adults if youbelieve they are at risk.’ (Page 8 of the HCPC’s ‘Standardsof Conduct. Performance and Ethics - your duties as a registrant’.The full protocol is available in the ‘Most popular’posts on cope-yp@blogspot.com).The way that many concerned educational psychologistsare putting this into practice is to ring the medic whois involved in writing the prescription, which is usually apsychiatrist or community paediatrician, to let them knowof their concerns. This is a basic step in meeting our ‘safeguarding’obligations. These concerns might include:• That the prescription of psychotropic drugs to childrenwho are under five is against UK medical guidelines,despite being commonplace.• That the behaviour pattern for which the child is beinggiven drugs is not apparent in school (so there is no triangulationof data, as the UK’s National Institute for Healthand Care Excellence recommends).• That no ‘Drug Holiday’ has been given for an extendedperiod of time, which is a clear breach of NICE guidelines.• That severe side effects, eg tremors or lethargy, areresulting from the drug regimen and are causing concernto staff in school or other settings.• That the ‘drug cocktail’ a child is on, ie that the combinationof drugs may be ‘life threatening’. Pharmacists canintervene in these cases.• That there are adverse drug effects of sleep disturbanceand weight loss, which are having an adverse psychologicaland/or physical impact on the child.• That the child has collapsed at school and been hospitalised(not as rare as might be thought - two such incidentsoccurred in one small area in a 12-month period).• That parents are reporting behaviours to access DisabledLiving Allowance or other benefits.• That children who regularly display high levels of anxiety,which is the case with many children we all work with,should not be prescribed psycho-stimulants like RitalinMedics contacted in this way will invariably thank you fortaking the time to ring them and will consequently reviewthe medication.Other constructive suggestions are to establish effectivemulti-professional Pathways, similar to those usedfor a decade with Autistic Spectrum Conditions, so that noone professional can ‘diagnose’ a supposed ‘disorder’. Thiswill greatly protect children from dubious diagnoses ofdisorders and will ensure that information is properly ‘triangulated’from a variety of sources before consideration isgiven to entering a Behaviour Pathway process.To borrow a phrase from Professor Allen Frances, whowas Editor in Chief of DSM-4, our challenge is to ‘SaveNormal’. The broadening bands of inclusive conditions anddisorders in DSM-5 must not be allowed to gradually andinsidiously destroy the concept of a healthy normality, orthat wondrous state of mind we remember as childhood. ·36WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

FEATURE | COMMUNICATIONBACK TOCONTENTSThe eye-gaze revolutionEye-gaze has come of age in a way many of us could have only dreamt ofBy Sandra ThistlethwaiteIfirst became interested in eye-gaze when, as a newlyqualified speech and language therapist, I met six-yearoldDavid. David had quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy.He was the first child I met who couldn’t talk at all, couldhardly move, yet had that special glint in his eye that, to mymind at least, said he had things he wanted to say.We had very little technology to work with in thosedays. We had a BBC computer and raised funds for a speechsynthesiser so that we could have sound. We struggled tofind motivating things that David could do because for himaccess was so difficult. Over his school career we probablytried every type and position of switch imaginable, butnothing worked well enough to be useful on a day-to-daybasis. Our saving grace was the low-tech eye gaze systemwe developed over time.You could use your eyes to move the cursor and spell outyour name! The revolution had begun.When I joined Inclusive Technology in 2007, I hadmany more opportunities to try this new eye-gaze systemwith a range of people. It had clear benefits for many adultsI worked with, but drawbacks too: it had to be plugged in,was hard to position and was still very expensive. A coupleof years later, and things started to change. By now all themajor AAC companies were offering an eye-gaze moduleor add-on to their dedicated systems. These systems wereportable, had long battery lives, loud speakers and suitablevocabulary — ideal for AAC users who had previouslystruggled with other forms of access.SwitchDavid’s low-tech eye-gaze book – known as ‘The Bible’ to hisfamilyGreat, but for it to work well David still needed willingand able communication partners with lots of time andpersonal knowledge of him. If only there was a device thatcould read his eyes…After 12 years of working together, David and I wentour separate ways: I, to work for the ACE Centre and Davidto a specialist college. In my new job, I attended a clinicalengineers’ conference and got my first glimpse of eye-gazetechnology: a large alphabet board accessed using theeyes. The results were amazing, but so too was the price:£14,000. Even so, I was hooked on this new technology andkeen to see how it would evolve. A few years later I heardof Tobii and the P10, a dedicated eye-gaze computer. Wow!Eye GazeDeclan practised using a switch for six months and was able toplay cause-and-effect and some switch-timing games. Declanthen tried eye-gaze for two weeks and was able to play a28-card memory game38WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSFEATURE | COMMUNICATIONMore and more AAC users were finding that eye-gazecould provide a more direct, easier and quicker way to communicationthan other forms of access.But it wasn’t suitable for everyone. At that time my workinvolved travelling around the UK visiting teachers, therapistsand students, all keen to try this new technology.For the ‘straightforward’ cognitively able student with novisual or learning problems, these visits were a breeze. Aquick check that the technology worked with their eyes, adiscussion on vocabulary packages and a try with a few easygames and grids and it was an easy conclusion (except, ofcourse, for finding the funding).But there were many visits that were less conclusive.These usually involved students with more complex learningand sensory needs for whom every other access methodhad been tried without success. One-off visits frequentlysuggested some potential for using eye-gaze but often thestudent was insufficiently engaged to leave us certain. Icame to the view that one of the main reasons why studentsdid not respond favourably when eye-gaze systems weretried with them was the type and appropriateness of thecontent or activities on offer. At the time, most of thesewere grid based, relied on targeting and dwell selectionskills, and AAC readiness. Many students I saw:• Could not, as yet, accurately access a grid of cells witheye-gaze• Were at an early stage of communication• Had visual/perceptual and/or cognitive difficulties• Were not motivated by traditional vocabulary page setsIt was clear these students needed to gain visual skillsto use eye-gaze effectively, but just as importantly theyneeded early learning skills to develop interaction with andeven interest in the screen.Working for Inclusive Technology meant that I couldtry lots of different software with eye-gaze. I explored howit could be used as a mouse pointer tool. This opened uplots more content that was potentially more relevant to thestudents I met. Cause-and-effect activities, songs, storiesand creative programs were engaging and appropriate, andif they could be used with a mouse they could potentially beused with eye-gaze. If I knew the learning level and motivatorsfor a child, I could choose an appropriate software title,fuelling more engagement and interaction.I compiled a list;How to use myGaze with HelpKidzLearn.How to use Tobii Eye Gaze with HelpKidzLearn.Fantastic if you have access to and an in-depth knowledgeof a lot of software; trickier if you are a busy teacheror therapist without either. The feedback from my professionalcolleagues was, ‘This is a great idea, but where do westart? What are the next steps? How do we measure successor progression? Can I justify spending £10,000+ on thischild?’ All good questions.It was in early 2012 that I started researching eye-gaze,visual and learning skills in more depth and developed aprototype software package. I distributed this to interestedteachers and therapists and trialled it with a range of students.I learnt a great deal from this and a specification for afull software package began to take shape. It was time totalk to my managers about making this idea a reality;The Inclusive EyeGaze Learning Curve – Thiscollection takes children on the learning curve fromassessment and cause-and-effect understanding throughto using eye-gaze for communication, learning andleisureAround this time two other important resourcesentered the marketplace. The launch of the Tobii PC Eyeand Sensory Eye-FX helped shape the future of eye-gazetechnology. We now had a small, portable eye tracker,which was half the price of previous eye-gaze systems andcould be used on any Windows device, and a software packagethat gave immediate success and feedback to the userwhile being engaging and appropriate for those with morecomplex needs.Click here to watch Katie playing CountingSongs by just looking at the screenWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 201439

FEATURE | COMMUNICATIONBACK TOCONTENTSToday, there is a growing range of specialist eye-gazetitles, with many more in the pipeline, catering for a varietyof learners, not just competent AAC users. Some of thesemeet many past concerns, such as ease of use for the sup-Having followed and participated in the eye-gaze revolutionfor over 20 years I now have a ‘vision’ that eye-gazetechnology will take its place alongside switch and touchtechnologies as an essential tool for the special needsclassroom or individual. I also believe it will offer us moreinsights about and opportunities for our most complexstudents.Click here to watch the video of InclusiveEye Gaze Attention and LookingNow an easy to use eyetracker with specially designedsoftware to use wth a range of learners is available forunder £1,000. That is what I call progressporting adult and user, a clear starting point and roadmapfor both assessment and teaching goals, and, of course,affordability.My own interest has now turned to what we can learnfrom what children look at when using eye-gaze. From thelate 1800s eye tracking has been used to help us betterunderstand the relationship between vision and cognition.Although we still cannot infer exactly what someone isthinking from what they are looking at — e.g. gazing on aface in a picture may indicate recognition, puzzlement, orsomething else — there is much we can learn from using atool that objectively records looking behaviours. Furtheruse and research using eye-gaze may help us better understandhow our special needs leaners learn and hence howwe can best teach and interact with them.20+ years later … a device that can read my eyesAs for David, I have been following his evolution too — intoa handsome young man of 30 (eek!). His mum contactedme again this year (though I must say I had some lovelyXmas cards and photos in-between) to ask what I knewabout eye-gaze technology. Some time later I watched him,relaxing in his recliner buggy, effortlessly using his eyes toplay a game of smashing bottles. Around him other people’seyes, mine included, were fighting back the tears. ·Inclusive EyeGaze Learning Curve includes powerful,easy to use analysis tools allowing you to record andreview eye-gaze skillsDavid and his puppy, Molly40WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

REGULARS | RESOURCE FILEBACK TOCONTENTSRESOURCE FILEYour global guide to a range of exciting new resources for those working withchildren with disabilities and/or SENProloquo4Text®Augmentative and Alternative Communication(AAC) is a lifeline for people who do not haveintelligible speech. Recent years have seena move away from bespoke systems to awider use of tablets, smartphones and apps.While this system is not suitable for all AACusers it has transformed life for many people.AssistiveWare® has been in the vanguard ofdevelopments. Their latest app Proloquo4Text®is so intuitive that a user, carer or familymember can set it up for prediction and toWizeFloorImagine an iPad on the floor, controlled bymovement and gesture rather than by touchand you come close to visualising a WizeFloor.This Danish invention consists of a ceilingmountedprojector, a Kinect camera, a vinylfloor mat, a set of audio speakers, plus anApple Mac Mini. Users walk, run, jump, dance,wave, roll, shuffle across the floor to makethings happen. Now H.C Andersen, a children’shospital in Odense, Denmark,is usingWizeFloors as part of its treatment plan bothfor diagnosis and therapy.expand abbreviations. This means the usergets more talk for fewer key strokes. On iOS7it will work with switches or VoiceOver.The WizeFloor is not dependent on languageor age so doctors can observe the childrenand get a clear picture of their capabilitiesand they have also found that if the childrenare stimulated physically and intellectually theyrecover faster.Brain in HandPeople with dementia, those recovering fromstrokes, posttraumaticstressdisorder or drugaddiction, needto regain theirindependencebut also needtimely support.Brain in Handwas createdby academics,business andtechnologyexperts,healthcare andpsychologyprofessionals in the UK. A smartphone-basedsystem devised for people with autism,it is now being rolled out to other groups.Users can call for support when it’s needed,rather than when it’s available and canuse an anxiety monitor with a traffic lightsystem to indicate how they are coping. It isa technological umbilical cord which keepspeople connected while letting them beindependent.Smart GlassesCongratulations to the UK’s Royal NationalInstitute for the Blind (RNIB) and theUniversity of Oxford for winning the public voteand £500,000 in Google’s £3.2M UK ImpactChallenge. As part of their winning projecta team at the University led by Dr StephenHicks researched low-cost and non-invasivewearable technologies based on depthcamerasand see-through displays to enhancethe residual sight of blind and visuallyimpaired people. The glasses use a speciallyadapted 3D camera to capture images,which are then used to separate out nearbyshapes and objects and highlight them clearlyon the inside of small transparent displays.These displays form part of the lenses ofthe glasses, allowing people to use their ownvision as much as possible. The £500,000funding will enable RNIB and Oxford Universityto create 100 pairs of smart glasses andtest them with 1,000 people. This will be thefirst large-scale test of smart glasses andaugmented reality for sight enhancement.42WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

FREE OnlineProfessional Development!AbleNet University is a FREE online resource for professionaldevelopment! Presenters from around the world share theirknowledge on emerging assistive technology and curricularsolutions, implementation best practices, and other trends that mayimpact you or the individuals you work with. Webinars are FREE toview and available 24/7!

REGULARS | RESOURCE FILEBACK TOCONTENTSWe also like…AirCatchiPads are so popular in schools andtherapeutic settings but it can sometimes betricky saving your work to a network. AirCatchgenerates email addresses so users can mailtheir work to group folders on the network. Itwas chosen by Business and Industry Todayas one of their top 20 exhibitors at BETT2014.Interactive CoconutThis Melbourne company has released anapp called Subtitles Viewer 1.1, for iPhone,iPad and iPod touch. Deaf cinema goers candownload subtitles/captions and then viewthem on their iOS device synchronised withmovies at the cinema or on their tablet. It willalso benefit those who want to watch a filmwhere there is no captioning in their language.AmplicomSesame DocumentsThe iOS version of this app offers hands-freeaccess to PDFs, Word documents and images.The Android version allows you to turn pagesby head movement or by voice: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sesame.reader&hl=enThe enPathia HeadMouseThis clever device can be used to navigateand control a PC, browse web sites, inputand edit text or play games. It has beendeveloped by specialist assistive technologycompany Eneso in Spain, together withtherapists and volunteers, and tested bystudents at the National Star and BeaumontColleges, two UK specialist colleges workingwith learners with disabilities.Accessing the Artist WithinProjectThis project hopes to showcase how assistivetechnologies can empower students to createworks of art. Children and young people age5-18 can showcase art they have createdor seek inspiration from the work of others.Click on art works on the site and you get ashort explanation of how they were created.The project also hopes to provide an annualvenue where art created using assistivetechnology can be displayed. This year, atleast 10 pieces of art will be displayed atClosing the Gap, one of the USA’s major ATconferences.The SEND GatewayAn online portal designed for UK professionalsbut open to anyone. It offers free, easyaccess to high quality information, resourcesand training for meeting the needs ofchildren and young people (0-25) withspecial educational needs and disabilities(SEND). To date the Autism Education Trust,the Council for Disabled Children, NationalChildren’s Bureau, Dyslexia-SpLD Trust andThe Communication Trust have all postedresources. While legislation and policy relateto the UK, the ideas will cross internationalborders. Check out the short films aboutdyspraxia and guidance for working withchildren with acquired brain injury.Talking about DyslexiaHearing Direct specialises in products forthose with hearing loss but their Amplicommobile phone is great for people with poorvision too or for older people who are notconfident with mobiles. Users can have loudring tones, turn up the volume so they canhear callers and benefit from extra large textwhen texting. It also has a built-in LED torch,calendar, calculator, alarm clock and an SOSbutton to text and call five pre-selectednumbers until one of them answers.Dolphin’s Wonders of theUniverseClassics, best sellers and regular publicationsare downloaded, enlarged and spoken outloud, so people with sight loss can enjoy theirreading. Make sure you check out their e-bookfor children Reach for the Stars: Touch, Look,Listen, Learn.This is a shameless plug for my own latestproduct. Fink Cards have just launched mytwo, new sets of conversation cards. Dealingwith Dyslexia at Home and Dealing withDyslexia at School are designed to helpchildren take control of their dyslexia andbecome more independent learners. Eachpack is designed to draw out opinions, identifykey problems for dyslexic learners, hint atpossible solutions and let users think morecreatively.44WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

REGULARS | BOOKMARKSBACK TOCONTENTSBOOKMARKSUseful links on the world wide webIt sometimes seems like no-one has akind word to say about Europe but when itcomes to supporting students with specialeducational needs it has made and continuesto make an important contribution. Here are afew reasons why.The AgencyThe European Agency for Special Needs andInclusive Education, frequently referred to asthe Agency, is based in Odense in Denmark.It’s ’an independent, self-governing Europeanassociation established by the Ministries ofeducation in its member countries to act asa platform for collaboration in the field ofspecial needs.’EU (European Union) member states areinvolved, but so too are Iceland, Norway andSwitzerland. Croatia currently has Observerstatus (see panel for full list of members).The Agency’s goal is to improveeducational policy and practice forlearners with special needs. Its policiesand programmes of work are agreed by aRepresentative Board, consisting of membersfrom each of the participating states, andAgency member countriesAustriaBelgium (Flemish speaking community)Belgium (French speaking community)Croatia (Observer Country)CyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanya Management Board, consisting of theAgency’s Chair and five elected memberswho serve for a period of three years. TheManagement Board appoints a Director, who‘must be a person with a broad knowledge ofeducation with specific reference to specialneeds education’.Each member country nominates aNational Co-ordinator to act as its nationalexpert practitioner in the Agency’s work.The Agency has five key objectives:• Providing opportunities for effectiveexchange of information and experienceamong, as well as within membercountries;• Ensuring a reliable reflection of the realityof special needs education across Europewith up to date information that can berelated to individual countries’ nationalcontexts;• The identification of key factors andcontexts that hinder or support positiveexperiences;• The provision of information outputs,activities and events at the European level;GreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItalyLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUK (England)UK (Northern Ireland)UK (Scotland)UK (Wales)• Development and sale of know-how onmarket terms to third parties.The Representative Board agrees aprogramme of work to be undertaken over aperiod of six years, the most recent of whichwas completed in 2013.It included thematic projects onvocational education and training, raisingthe achievement of all learners in inclusivesettings, ICT for inclusion, the organisationof mainstream provision to support inclusiveeducation, and ICT for information accessibilityin education.The Agency publishes detailed reportsof its work, which can be downloaded fromits website. As one would expect, these arepublished in several European languages.A good example of the Agency’s workis ICT for Inclusion (ICT4I). In 2011, Agencymember states put forward this as a topicfor investigation during 2012 and 2013. Thisbuilds on two previous ICT-related projectscarried out by the Agency in 1999-2001 and2010-11.This time it was decided that the focuswould be on ‘the use of ICT to supportinclusion in educational settings’. The projectinvolved contributions from Belgium (Flemishspeaking community), Cyprus, Czech Republic,Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia,Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands,Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia,Sweden, Switzerland, UK (England), UK(Northern Ireland) and UK (Scotland).The project’s main findings can befound in a 46-page report, ICT for Inclusion– Developments and Opportunitiesfor European Countries, which can bedownloaded here. Full reports fromparticipating member states, links to the twoprevious ICT projects, links to international46WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

BACK TOCONTENTSREGULARS | BOOKMARKSresources, and a searchable database ofresources from individual countries can all befound via the project’s website here.In 2011 the Agency also joined withUNESCO’s Institute for InformationTechnologies in Education in publishing ICTsin Education for People with Disabilities, areview of innovative practice. Based on theUN Convention on the Rights of Persons withDisabilities, the review explores the use of ICTin the context of four thematic areas: personalaccess to information and knowledge,learning and teaching situations, personalcommunication and interaction, and access toeducational administrative procedures.SENetAmong the links you willfind under the headingEuropean Organisations onthe Agency’s website is onefor European Schoolnet,a network of 31 EuropeanMinistries of Education,based in Brussels.One of the importantprojects co-ordinated byEuropean Schoolnet over thelast three years is SENnet(Special Educational NeedsNetwork), which has its own website here.This project, which is due to end inNovember 2014, brings together eight partnerorganisations to connect, inform and support‘those using technology to improve accessto learning for young people with specialeducational needs.’Its objectives include disseminatingresearch, enhancing teacher competenceand developing new, inclusive learningenvironments, with particular emphasis on thepotential role of ICT.There is a wealth of resources on thissite or accessible via it, among them theoutput from SENnet’s Work Package 2. Thisincludes short videos and thematic reports,including a 76-page report IntegratingStudents with Special Needs intoMainstream Classrooms: the role of ICT,published in October 2012, and a forthcomingreport on Mobile Computing.The former is split into two parts: one partdocumenting the policies of member states onthe use of ICT to support inclusion; the other,a series of case studies showcasing the useof specific software and assistive technology.We should also mention that you canaccess the report of Towards the InclusiveFuture Classroom, SENnet’s recent seminar,here, in which Sal McKeown, Special World’sResources Editor, took part.SENnet also has a collection of over 600resources on the Learning Resource Exchange(LRE) website, here. LRE ‘was developedin order to provide Ministries of Educationwith access to a network of learning contentrepositories and associated tools that allowthem to more easily exchange high qualitylearning resources that “travel well” and canbe used by teachers in different countries.’Anyone can browse content but you needto register to make maximum use of LRE’sadditional tools.Creative Classrooms LabAnother project co-ordinated by EuropeanSchoolnet in which SENnet is involved isCreative Classrooms Lab. This two-yearproject is looking at how tablets can supportnew ways of teaching and learning in schools.It consists of two pilot cycles includingdevelopment of scenarios, school pilots and acapacity building workshop. Detailed reportsof the work done so far can be found hereunder ‘Deliverables’.There are several ways of following theproject’s progress, including regular Newsupdates, via Twitter (using the hashtag#CCLproject), through videos posted bypartners and teachers, and through anobservational blog based on visits to theschools involved in the project.The project is about to embark on asecond round of school pilots (October 2014– January 2015) which will culminate in acapacity building workshop in March 2015.For teachers the planned outcomes include aCreative Classrooms Lab course, guidelinesfor the successful classroom integration oftablets and examples of good practice.In the meantime the project is hosting aworkshop for those with a specific interestin how tablets might benefit children withspecial educational needs. It takes placeon 21 October 2014 in Brussels. For moredetails email katja.engelhardt@eun.orgMore on this is in our next issue.WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 201447

BACK TOCONTENTSREGULARS | WHAT’S ONWHAT’S ONYour month-by-month guide to some of the key disability and special educationalneeds eventsSeptember 201412 SeptemberTeaching Scotland’s Children; The Role ofEducational Psychology, Edinburgh ConferenceCentre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh,Scotland VIEW14-16 SeptemberCommunication Matters National AACConference, University of Leeds. Leeds, UKVIEW16-19 September6th World Congress On Mental Health AndDeafness, Riddel Hall, Queen’s UniversityBelfast, Northern Ireland VIEW17-19 SeptemberAustralian Association of Special EducationNational Conference, Novotel Sydney ManlyPacific Hotel, Manly, NSW, Australia VIEW24-25 SeptemberThe Scottish Learning Festival, SECC, Glasgow,Scotland VIEW25 SeptemberSight Village Leeds, Royal Armouries Hall,Leeds, UK VIEW26 SeptemberUtah Valley University 3rd Annual ADHDConference, Student Center UVU, Orem, Utah,USA VIEW29 September – Developing Mindfulness inSchools, The British Psychological SocietyLondon Office, London, UK VIEW30 September/1 OctoberChild Clinical Psychology: the application ofscience and creativity to improve the lives ofchildren, young people and their families, CYPFAnnual Conference, Peterborough MarriottHotel, Peterborough, UK VIEWOctober 20141 OctoberWorld Cerebral Palsy Day (see panel on page46)3-4 OctoberSeventh International Conference one-Learning and Innovative Pedagogies, PacificUniversity, Forest Grove, Oregon, USA VIEW10-11 OctoberTES Special Educational Needs Show,Business Design Centre, London, UK VIEW14 OctoberUnderstanding and Supporting ChallengingBehaviour in People with Autism, Aston VillaFootball Club, Birmingham, UK VIEW15 OctoberNew Understandings of ADHD: TeenagersMood and Emotion, Stockport MasonicGuildhall, Stockport, UK VIEW16 OctoberNew Understandings of ADHD: TeenagersMood and Emotion, St Paul’s Church,Hammersmith Broadway, London, UK VIEW15-17 October32nd Annual Closing The Gap Conference,DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington,Minneapolis, USA VIEW17-19 October10th Annual Canadian ADHD ResourceAlliance Conference, Toronto Marriott, Toronto,Ontario, Canada VIEW22-24 OctoberThe 4th Health and Wellbeing in Children,Youth, and Adults with DevelopmentalDisabilities Conference, The Coast Plaza Hoteland Suites, Vancouver, BC, Canada VIEW27 OctoberAdobe Learning Summit, Bellagio Las Vegas,NV, USA VIEWNovember 20143-9 NovemberDyslexia Awareness Week VIEW4 NovemberSight Village London, Kensington Town Hall,London, UK VIEW13-15 NovemberSoaring with ADHD, Children and Adults withAttention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder AnnualInternational Conference on ADHD, HyattRegency O’Hare, Rosemont, IL, USA VIEW17-18 NovemberBETT Latin American Leadership Summit,Sofitel Rio de Janeiro Copacabana, Rio deJaneiro, Brazil VIEW17-21 NovemberUK Anti-Bullying Week (see panel on page 46)WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 201449

BACK TOCONTENTSREGULARS | WHAT’S ON20 NovemberThe Independent Schools Council SENConference, BMA House, London, UKVIEW20 NovemberThe Assistive Technology Conference of NewEngland, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Warwick, RhodeIsland, USA VIEWUK Anti-BullyingWeekVIEWWorld CerebralPalsy DayVIEW20-22 NovemberThe 2014 American Speech-Language-HearingAssociation Convention, Orange CountyConvention Center, Orlando, Florida, USA VIEW25 NovemberAutism and Communication, Hilton Hotel,Reading, UK VIEWDecember 20143-4 DecemberBETT Asia Leadership Summit, Marina BaySands, Singapore VIEW11-13 DecemberLearning and Teaching Expo, Hong KongConvention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong,China VIEWJanuary 20157-9 JanuaryApplying Creative Psychology to Education,Children and Young People, DECP AnnualConference, Radisson Blu Hotel, Durham, UKVIEW12-15 JanuarySouth Pacific Educators in Vision ImpairmentBiennial Conference, Melbourne Conferenceand Training Centre, Melbourne, Australia VIEW21-24 JanuaryBETT Show, Excel, London, UK VIEW27-31 JanuaryAssistive Technology Industry AssociationConference, Caribe Royale All-Suite Hotel andConvention Center, Orlando, Florida, USAVIEWUK Anti-Bullying Week, which takes place17-21 November, is co-ordinated by theAnti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), a coalitionof organisations and individuals workingtogether to stop bullying and create safeenvironments in which children and youngpeople can live, grow, play and learn.The theme of this year’s week is‘Let’s stop bullying for all’, a reflection ofthe disproportionate targeting of childrenwith physical disabilities and/or specialeducational needs by bullies, which wereport on in this issue of Special World.This Anti-Bullying Week ABA aims to:• equip schools, colleges and youthservice leaders with resourcesto develop youth led anti-bullyinginitiatives and encourage inclusiveattitudes amongst children and youngpeople;• educate those who support and workwith children to recognise children andyoung people who may be particularlyvulnerable to bullying – encouragingan inclusive approach within all antibullyingeducation; and• ensure the school communityunderstand that the use of anydiscriminatory language is wrong andwill not be tolerated and that usingdisablist language is taken as seriouslyas racist, sexist and homophobiclanguage in schools.World CP Day, which takes place on 1October, is a global innovation project tochange the world for people living withcerebral palsy and their families. The dayitself is part of a year-long competitionto gather ideas from people around theworld and make the best of those ideas areality (see the website for more details).The project is led by a group ofnon-profit cerebral palsy charities, andsupported by organisations in over 45countries. There are 17 million peopleacross the world living with CP andanother 350 million people are closelyconnected to a child or adult with thedisability. CP is the most common physicaldisability in childhood. Its impact canrange from a weakness in one hand,to almost a complete lack of voluntarymovement.Cerebral Palsy is a complex disability:one in four children with CP cannot talk,one in three cannot walk, one in two havean intellectual disability, one in four haveepilepsy (Novak I, Hines M, GoldsmithS, Barclay R (2012) Clinical PrognosticMessages from a Systematic Review onCerebral Palsy, Pediatrics, 130:5)WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 201451

BACK TOCONTENTSREGULARS | REVIEWSREVIEWSiPads for Communication, Access, Literacy, and Learning (iCall)(2nd Edition)Craig Mill and the CALL Team - CALL Scotland - ISBN: 9781898042358Free to download from here or available from the CALL Scotland Shop, price £14.00Consumer hi-tech hunger relentlessly drivesiOS device development (iPad, Mini, andTouch), capriciously spinning the dartboardfor writers who try to demystify technology;maddeningly, the bullseye becomes theeasiest part of the target to hit with anyconsistency.The requisite manoeuvre, then, is toteach x-treme darts to beginners (ie, ‘readerswho are not necessarily specialists’ and whoprovide assistive support). Craig Mill and theCALL Scotland Team meet this challenge withthe latest edition of this book.When it comes to User Guides, therelevance of any criticism depends on theauthor’s intention; for example, this book isnot a detailed Settings manual, nor should itbe with such material available elsewhere.The organisation is practical (broadly:hardware, software, apps, accessibility,accessories, further resources, assessment,and management), and coverage is thoroughwithout tedium. Investment advice appearsearly so that you don’t end up with licensesfragmented across iTunes accounts; similarly,there is an early discussion of deviceparameters, such as connectivity type, screenresolution, and the like.iPad/generation/differences, however,are not described in enough detail to helpsomeone using older devices. A third ofthe volume (sub)categorises and reviewsapps (eg, communication, autism, literacy),including accessibility methods. This links toCall Scotland’s lovely app wheels for dyslexiaand AAC.Middle-ground advice/instruction is welldone, including the likes of: Guided Access;screenshots; searching for apps; checking forswitch accessibility before purchasing (genericversus native); iPhones and hearing aids; andscanning with optical character recognition.Only three issues were conspicuous in theirabsence, namely:• Designing a person’s language (beyonda few choice boards) presents a risk ofharm, so amateurs cross ethical and legalboundaries if they develop communicationmatrices in AAC apps;• Some apps, such as Siri, process on thirdpartyservers, which can present privacyrisks; and• Agencies (particularly school districts)should not design their systems withoutpolicies addressing personally ownedcomputational devices/apps.That said, given all of the material thatCALL Scotland managed to cover, anythingelse could be forgiven as too fine a grain forthis book.An iPad veteran, then, can suppress their‘but what about…’ reflex and enjoy the bookas a resource for training others.Now the authors just need to keep upwith the changes.Reviewed by Tracey MansfieldSimple Low-Cost Games and Activities for Sensorimotor Learning:A Sourcebook of Ideas for Young Children Including those withAutism, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, and Other LearningDifferencesLisa A. Kurtz - Jessica Kingsley Publishers - ISBN: 9781849059770 - £14.99 (Pbk)As a mother of a teenager with autism andsevere learning disabilities, this book appealedto me as it contains a huge array of activityideas that are cheap to make… all utilisingeasily sourced materials or objects that arealready available in the home.The contents list clearly directs you toeach section of the book, making it simpleto find the type of activity you require. Withineach section there are numerous activities,each stating the primary learning focus andthe materials you will need. There are alsoclear descriptions of how to make/use theidea, and variations to help individualise someWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 201453

BACK TOCONTENTSREGULARS | REVIEWSof the ideas for use with a wider ability range.In Appendix B: Instructions for HomemadeSupplies, there are some really useful thingsto make, such as weighted tools, which canbe produced at a fraction of their retail price.There are also ingenious edible activityrecipes on pages 148-151, which are a verywelcome addition for children who ‘mouth‘everything!The majority of the ideas could beeasily used In mainstream settings andwould provide excellent learning experiences.However, I feel that some of them would notbe suitable for children with severe learningissues or gross motor difficulties as they arenot easily adapted for less able children.The suggested ’variations’ for eachactivity help overcome this to a degree, butnot sufficiently to make ‘one size fit all’.However, in all fairness, the beauty ofthis book is that it covers several differentsections which promote Fine Motor, GrossMotor, Visual Skills and Sensory Skills, so mytip would be to concentrate specifically onthe sections that will be most useful to theindividual you are working with.Overall, this is an excellent resourcebook to use as and when you need a littleinspiration for new activities, but it wouldequally be useful for forward planning a morestructured timetable. It will be useful toprofessionals as well as parents, and containsmany activities that could be well suited tomainstream and special needs children alike.Reviewed by Lisa RobinsonUnderstanding School Bullying: Its Nature & Prevention StrategiesPeter K. Smith - Sage - ISBN: 9781847879059 - £21.99 (Pbk)How many of us can recall some incident inour school years when we were subject towhat we would call bullying… or where webullied others, stepped in to prevent bullyingor anxiously looked on, feeling helpless tointervene?If there is one central message in thisstimulating book by Peter K. Smith it is thatwhile much has been achieved, bullyingremains problematic, not least because ofthe emergence of variants such as cyberbullyingthat raise new issues of definition andapproach.This is not surprising as the bullyingresearch programme, as Smith calls it, isrelatively new. While its origins can be tracedto the early 1970s serious internationalresearch only got underway in 1989.Twenty-five years on there is still nouniversal definition of what constitutesbullying. Smith refers to its ‘relativelywell-defined meaning’ as ‘behaviour thatintentionally harms another person, typicallywith repetition and an imbalance of power’but cites numerous studies where one ormore of these criteria is missing.Then there is the wide choice of forms ofdata collection – questionnaire, nomination,interview, focus group, incident report/audit,diary/blog, drawings and observation – allwith their own strengths and weaknesses.As the author says, ‘All these issuesoften make it difficult to make comparisonsacross different studies. They also meanthat absolute prevalence figures are rathermeaningless when taken in isolation.’Despite all this the good news is that theincreased awareness of bullying has resultedin effective intervention strategies, severalof which Smith describes: ‘A theoreticaldebate about the relative virtues of moredisciplinary measures or more counsellingbasedapproaches remains unresolved, butin practice many schools now have someversion of initial serious talks and restorativeapproaches, or what in the US might b called“authoritative discipline”.’The descriptor ‘comprehensive’ hardlydoes justice to this book. In 200 pages itcovers every imaginable aspect of bullying,from definition to anti-bullying programmes,drawing on 25 years of international practiceand research. For those who want to delvedeeper there are 27 pages of references toguide your way.It’s an impressive and illuminatingrecord of how far we have come and thecomplexities of the subject. If you arecontemplating research of your own or justthinking of devising a programme for yourschool I would strongly recommend it.Reviewed by Lauren ArcherReader OfferReaders of Special World can get 20% off the RRP of Understanding School Bullying: Its Nature& Prevention Strategies by Peter K. Smith.Simply quote the discount code UK14RE12 when ordering. Offer valid until 31 October 2014 and cannot beused in conjunction with any other discount offer.Click here to orderWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 201455

FEATURE | DYSLEXIABACK TOCONTENTSBad science?Are UK dyslexia charities misleading parents and professionals about the benefits of colour lenses?By Special WorldAn editorial in the prestigious British MedicalJournal (BMJ 2014;349:g5160) has criticisedsix major UK dyslexia charities for ‘giving aninaccurate account of the evidence for the useof coloured lenses and overlays for managing reading difficulties’.Authors Lisa M Henderson, Robert H Taylor, ProfessorBrendan Barrett and Philip G Griffiths, reviewed informationon the use of overlays and tinted lenses provided by thewebsites of 11 dyslexia charities: eight in the UK and threein other English speaking countries. They found that six ofthe eight UK charities provided information about colouredoverlays and lenses in dyslexia and that, ‘in all sixcases the message was one of endorsement’.None of the six discussed the conflictingevidence base.The three overseas charitiesfared much better. DyslexiaIreland includes the use of overlaysunder its section on alternativeor complementary therapies.The International DyslexiaAssociation and Specific LearningDifficulties Australia both providelinks to academic websites that take asceptical view of the existence of ‘visualstress’ (subjective experiences of visual distortionsthat lead to discomfort during reading)and treatment with overlays.Professional bodies whose members encounter childrenand adults with reading difficulties are also sceptical.A recent joint statement from the American Academyfor Pediatrics, Council for Children with Disabilities,American Academy of Ophthalmology, AmericanAssociation for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus,and the American Association of Certified Orthoptistsconcluded that, ’scientific evidence does not support theefficacy of…special tinted filters or lenses in improving longterm educational performance.’Similarly, a review prepared on behalf of the RoyalCollege of Ophthalmologists concluded that, ‘manipulationof the visual system using colour to facilitate readinglacks scientific support.’The BMJ editorial says that the consensus view amongresearchers is that dyslexia is a verbal not a visual disorder,which is best dealt with by interventions that target underlyingweaknesses in phonological language skills and letterknowledge. It adds that while those with dyslexia mayexperience the symptoms associated with ‘visual stress’these are not unique to dyslexia.The authors acknowledge that the proponents of colouroverlays or lenses do not claim that theiruse directly addresses the underlying causeof reading difficulties, but say they doargue that the reduction in visual distortioncolour overlays or lenses bringabout can improve reading accuracyand fluency. The problem, they say,is that, ‘the existing evidence basedoes not support this conclusion.’Yet despite this, and the absenceof any validated diagnostic tests forvisual stress, ‘coloured overlays andlenses have become widespread inclassrooms and higher education institutionsas a core part of the remediation forreading difficulty.’ A number of factors mayexplain this but an important one ‘is endorsementfrom dyslexia charities’.The editorial concludes, ‘Dyslexia charities have animportant role in presenting constructive and helpfulmessages to people with dyslexia and their educators. Ourobservation does not detract from the positive role of thesecharities—advice on coloured overlays and lenses is only asmall part of the information provided. However, an evidencebased approach from UK dyslexia charities educatedby good science would enable the public to make a moreinformed choice.’ ·56WWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014

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