Helping LD Students with Technology

Chances are when we become teachers, we will come across students that have learning disabilities. Learning disabilities include things that we normally take for granted, such as reading and writing. Sometimes these students just take a little longer to process the information they are learning.

This article provided by the Pacer Center for Children with Disabilities provides some ways we can incorporate technology into the curriculum to help students with learning disabilities thrive.

First, it’s important to know that as a teacher, you will not have the firstl or final say in making the decision to provide these technological aids. Students who have any kind of learning disability will have an IEP, an Individualized Education Plan, that has been created by a team that includes you the teacher, the parents, and other people, such as a social worker or specialist. The IEP can come with solutions or ways to aid the student in learning; This is where technology can come in. As the students teacher, you can suggest some of these tools to help your student. It will be reviewed, and then added if approved.

The article includes the prices of the software or tools available. This is an important factor to consider. The school will be providing the aid, not the parent or you the teacher. Budget issues are always something to keep in mind, as well as creative back ups. If a certain product is too expensive, it would be wise to look into alternatives that offer similar results.

The article mostly provides tools for reading and writing disabilities, but there are much more out there. Luckily, it also provides a list of websites and other resources  for added information about learning disabilities.

Last, if you suspect that a student has a LD, but that student does not have an IEP, do not take matters into your own hands and start diagnosing and treating the student. Talk with the students parents, principal, and school psychologist/social worker if one is available. As educated as you may be, there are professionals in the field to dedicated to situations like this.

Technology is here to benefit all of us, let’s try to make the most of it.