IS TECHNOLOGY DEPRIVING STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES OF NEEDED REMEDIAL TRAINING?

Jennifer C. Zvi and Lee H. Axelrod
California State University, Northridge

Web Posted on: December 8, 1997

When preschool children are evaluated and found to have potential for school failure, a remedial program is initiated. This is appropriate. Many school difficulties are due to developmental lags, cultural differences, psychological or physical problems. It is imperative that all children master the basic skills as well as necessary subject matter. The approach to teaching, however, differs with the nature of the problem. Children with learning disabilities can be effectively taught using a variety of remedial techniques to raise the deficit areas without undue demand on the disability.

Eventually, students with learning disabilities need to utilize techniques which circumvent the disability itself; the time when these techniques are introduced varies from individual to individual. Technology has become one of the preferred compensatory strategies used by older children and adults. No matter how appealing one finds the motivational aspect of technology, it remains critical to tie strategies to diagnosis.

A student with a verified learning disability has been diagnosed through a neuropsychological assessment. This assessment is based upon an evaluation of the various sensory channels, and processing mechanisms that the brain is required to perform in order to stimulate learning, storage, and retrieval of information. The neuropsychological testing includes cognitive/intellectual assessment, receptive and expressive vocabulary assessment, visual-motor/visual-spatial assessment, visual and auditory memory assessment, and academic assessment. The academic testing includes reading decoding and reading comprehension, pencil/paper math calculations, as well as applied problems in mathematics, written language assessment of spelling, punctuation, grammar, and ideation, and general knowledge in basic areas.

Based on the diagnostic neuropsychological and educational test results, an individual's profile of strengths and weaknesses can be identified. This profile can provide direction for remedial and compensatory strategies leading the individual with learning disabilities to academic success.

At the post-secondary level, remedial training is considered to be inappropriate. However, compensatory strategies, either individually created or through the use of assistive technology, are intended to aid the individual with learning disabilities to compensate or circumvent the disability, and thus perform at a level commensurate with his/her cognitive ability. Due to the heterogeneity of the learning disability population, specific compensatory strategies may be initiated for specific areas of weakness or type of disability. Compensatory strategies can offer an effective means for future survival because they may be employed as lifelong ways to work around the disability.

The compensatory strategies may be as simple as a "talking calculator, book on tape, or a Franklin Speller. Further, the utilization of mnemonic strategies may produce a well developed method for recall of names, dates, faces, information, and ultimately assist in organizational skills. One of the most often utilized compensatory strategies in a postsecondary setting is the use of testing accommodations involving extra time, most often up to "double time".

Currently, there has been a growing interest in the use of technology to help students with learning disabilities compensate for their difficulties. Recently, there has been a surge of both hardware and software technological breakthroughs that have gained increased attention for their use with the learning disabled population. Most notably they are: speech recognition in conjunction with word processing, speech synthesis/screen review, and optical character recognition with speech synthesis. In addition, the utilization of specific software which includes spell checkers, grammar checkers, abbreviation expanders, and outlining programs have all shown to be beneficial with the language learning disabled. Interestingly enough, through the use of these compensatory strategies, basic skills of written language, increased vocabulary, and improved spelling ability have emerged as secondary benefits.

In an effort to determine the efficacy of technology as a compensatory strategy for postsecondary students with learning disabilities, controlled research must be completed and formally investigated.