Teaching aid and

Technology in Inclusive
Pedagogy
Prepared by:
NIRMALA MUNIANDY
Overview
 Children with learning disabilities
 Children with visual impairment
 Children with hearing impairment
Learning Disabilities - Recap
1. Learning Disabilities refers to a variety of disorders that
affect the acquisition, retention, understanding,
organization or use of verbal and/or non-verbal
information.

2. These students are those who demonstrate a significant

problem of oral expression, listening comprehension,
written expression, basic reading skills, reading
comprehension, mathematical calculation, mathematics
reasoning, or spelling.
Specific Learning Disabilities

1. Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

 This is how sound that travels unimpeded through the ear is
processed or interpreted by the brain.
 Individuals with APD do not recognize subtle differences
between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and
clear enough to be heard.
 They can also find it difficult to tell where sounds are coming
from, to make sense of the order of sounds, or to block out
competing background noises.
Specific Learning Disabilities
2. Dyscalculia
 A specific learning disability
that affects a person’s ability
to understand numbers and
learn math facts.
 Individuals with this type of LD
may also have poor
comprehension of math
symbols, may struggle with
memorizing and organizing
numbers, have difficulty telling
time, or have trouble with
counting.
Specific Learning Disabilities
3. Dysgraphia
 A specific learning disability that
affects a person’s handwriting
ability and fine motor skills.
 Problems may include illegible
handwriting, inconsistent
spacing, poor spatial planning on
paper, poor spelling, and
difficulty composing writing as well
as thinking and writing at the
same time.
Specific Learning Disabilities
4. Dyslexia
 A specific learning disability that
affects reading and related
language-based processing skills.
 The severity can differ in each
individual but can affect reading
fluency, decoding, reading
comprehension, recall, writing,
spelling, and sometimes speech and
can exist along with other related
disorders.
 Dyslexia is sometimes referred to as a
Language-Based Learning Disability.
Specific Learning Disabilities
5. Language Processing Disorder
 A specific type of Auditory
Processing Disorder (APD) in which
there is difficulty attaching meaning
to sound groups that form words,
sentences and stories.
 While an APD affects the
interpretation of all sounds coming
into the brain, a Language
Processing Disorder (LPD) relates
only to the processing of language.
 LPD can affect expressive
language and/or receptive
language.
Specific Learning Disabilities
6. Non-Verbal Learning
Disabilities
 A disorder which is usually
characterized by a significant
discrepancy between higher
verbal skills and weaker motor,
visual-spatial and social skills.
 Typically, an individual with NLD
(or NVLD) has trouble interpreting
nonverbal cues like facial
expressions or body language,
and may have poor coordination.
Specific Learning Disabilities
7. Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor
Deficit
 A disorder that affects the
understanding of information that a
person sees, or the ability to draw or
copy.
 A characteristic seen in people with
learning disabilities such as
Dysgraphia or Non-verbal LD, it can
result in missing subtle differences in
shapes or printed letters, losing
place frequently, struggles with
cutting, holding pencil too tightly, or
poor eye/hand coordination.
Assistive Technology (AT) for Students with
Learning Disabilities
What Kinds of Assistive Technology Tools are
Available?
Low-tech Assistive Technology
 Pencil grips
 Graph paper
 Highlighting pens
 Planners
 Audiobooks
 Digital clocks
 Calculator
Assistive Technology (AT)
Mid to Hi-tech Assistive Technology
 Digital recorders
 Digital books
 Graphing calculators
 Portable or adapted keyboards
 Mobile technology, e.g. tablets, iPods, iPads,
smartphones, MP3 players, etc.
What Assistive Technology Can and Cannot
Do
Assistive technology can:
 Minimize the extent to which individuals with LDs need to ask
for help (enabling them to be more independent learners)
 Improve the speed and accuracy of students’ work
 Reinforce effective classroom instruction and strengthen skill
development of students with LDs
 Help students to 'fit in' with classroom learning and routines
 Motivate students with LDs to set high goals for themselves
and to persevere
What Assistive Technology Can and Cannot
Do
Assistive technology cannot:
 Compensate for ineffective teaching
 Make a learning disability go away
 Be expected to provide the same benefits to different users
 Automatically promote positive attitudes toward learning
Learning Disabilities -Teaching Materials
Using visual, auditory, kinesthetic or tactile input together
is highly recommended for children with learning
disabilities.
 flow charts are ideal for explaining procedures.
 visuals, pictograms & graphics help to locate
information.
 use suitable size graphics, images and pictures to
break up text.
 use short, simple sentences in a direct style and give
instructions clearly.
 Make sure suitable font, font style & size, font colour
used for word cards and teaching materials
Visual Impairment
 Assistive technology helps students who are visually impaired
(with and without additional disabilities) increase their access to
the general curriculum and improve their academic
performance.

 It is important to thoughtfully consider what devices, tools and

technologies will be appropriate to meet the student's
individual and unique learning needs.
Teaching Materials -Visual Impairment
Material adaptation needs will vary:
 depending on the degree of functional vision,
 effects of additional disabilities, and
 the task to be done.

Students may use:

 Braille code
 large print books – font legibility and contrasts
 print with the use of optical and non-optical devices,
 quality and clarity of pictures and worksheets
 recorded materials to communicate.
Optical Devices For Near Viewing
 Magnifiers for near viewing are used to increase the size of the
image reaching the eye and can improve the visual functioning
of students with most, but not all, eye disorders.
 Magnifiers will allow access to regular print materials both in and
outside of the classroom, such as books, magazines, labels, price
tags, game boards, time tables, and menus.
Non-Optical Low Vision Devices
 There are a variety of low-tech and mid-tech non-optical devices
will help persons with low vision to access print and complete
activities visually.
 Non-optical devices range from low tech to high tech.
- Acetate or Colour Filters
- Bold Line Paper
- Book Stands & Slant Boards
- Large Print Keyboards
- Reading Guides with highlighters
- Task Lighting
- Typoscopes
Hearing Impairment
 Deafness is a term used to cover the
whole range of hearing loss.
 The RNID (Royal National Institute for
Deaf people) uses the term to cover
people who are: D/deaf, partially
deaf/partially hearing, deafened,
deaf/blind, hard of hearing, or
experience tinnitus.
 Deaf and hard of hearing people vary
greatly in their chosen communication
methods, and the skill with which they
do it.
Hearing Impairment
The main communication is likely to be via:

 Listening
 Facial expression
 Lip reading
 Gestures
 Speech
 Mime
 British Sign Language (BSL) which
has its own structure and syntax,
 Writing
 A combination of these!
Teaching Materials – Hearing Impairment

Make use of visual materials, i.e.

 Clear printed materials and pictures (Worksheets)

 Videos with sub-titles
 Diagrams
 Written instructions
THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND
ATTENTION