Assignment 4 - Assistive Technology for Students on the Autism Spectrum

(A classroom designed for students on the spectrum)

Hi, guys! For our assignment this week, I'm looking into assistive technology for students on the autism spectrum, a population of learners that is very near and dear to my heart. Students on the spectrum face many challenges, and although each individual student is unique, there are some common things to overcome. Students can struggle with cognitive processing delays, sensory overstimulation, and social difficulties ("Autism in the Classroom"), and can have trouble with executive functioning and verbal communication ("ASD: Common Assistive Technologies"). This last is one of the most severe challenges facing many students on the spectrum, but also one with some of the best assistive technology.

Many people on the spectrum are often or always nonverbal, due to a variety of reasons, including difficulty with the motor coordination required to speak ("ASD and Assistive Technology") or the aforementioned cognitive processing delays. This is especially challenging in a classroom setting, where students are expected to engage immediately and communicate effectively, and most teachers aren't trained or equipped to help the ones who can't. One solution to this communication gap is to equip nonverbal students with speech generating devices, or SGDs. A SGD is any hardware or software used to create a voice output for people who cannot use their "natural voices" ("ASD and Assistive Technology"). These can range from simple keyboard systems, like the Zytec Proxtalker, to complex, dynamic touch screen interfaces, such as Talk To Me Technology's Nova Chat or Prentrom's Accent series of devices.

(The Nova Chat 8)

(The Zyteq ProxTalker)

SGDs are an element of the Alternative and Augmentative Communication approach, about which you can find more information here ("Why AAC?"). Many parents of children on the autism spectrum are afraid that AAC strategies, whether as simple as sign language or as advanced as SGDs, may delay their children's speech or prevent it entirely; there is a bevy of evidence, however, that this is simply not true ("ASD and Assistive Technology"; "Why AAC?"). In fact, treating SGDs, or any form of AAC, as a last resort could lead to more complex communication issues ("ASD and Assistive Technology"). SGDs are an especially effective form of AAC, as they don't require special knowledge on the part of the listener (unlike sign language, for instance), provide the child with a model of how words sound like when spoken, and can be used without eye contact ("ASD and Assistive Technology"). This allows them to be used flexibly and easily by a wide variety of students.

Over the past decade or so, autism-related assistive technology has made leaps and bounds, as has - quite frankly - our attitude towards autism in general. Fewer people treat it as a problem to be fixed or an illness to be cured, and more people treat it as a simple difference in brain wiring. Even our assistive technology has started moving towards helping the world fit people on the spectrum instead of making people on the spectrum fit the world. The difference between a speech generating device and old "education" that forced students to speak is the difference between an elevator and a wheelchair that climbs stairs. I hope to see more assistive technology like this in the future. I look forward to the day when students on the autism spectrum have buttons to push to let teachers know they're overstimulated, or text-to-image generators that help push through cognitive processing delays, or increasingly advanced SGDs that can carry more complex conversations. I'm thrilled to know that every day, more students are able to truly learn.

(A disclaimer: I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when I was 16. Although I have never struggled with being nonverbal, I have faced some of the other challenges described in this post. The language I use here - "student on the autism spectrum" rather than "autistic student" or "student with autism" - is my preferred form, but should by no means be taken as the "politically correct" way of phrasing things.)

References:

"Autism in the Classroom: Overcoming Challenges," Butterfly Effects, n.d. Retrieved 10 Feb 2018, <http://butterflyeffects.com/advice-column/autism-in-the-classroom-overcoming-challenges/>. Web. 

"Autism Spectrum Disorder and Assistive Technology," Missouri Assistive Technology Advisory Council, n.d. Retrieved 10 Feb 2018, <https://at.mo.gov/information-resources-publications/documents/Autism.pdf>. Web, .pdf.

 "Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): Common Assistive Technologies," University of Illinois Library, 27 Nov 2017. Retrieved 10 Feb 2018, <http://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=515793&p=3526329>. Web.

"Why AAC?" The Center for AAC and Autism, n.d. Retrieved 10 Feb 2018, <https://www.aacandautism.com/why-aac>. Web.