ICT and Special Needs

The use of ICT with SEN children has been important since the very first BBC and Research Machines computers appeared and is even more important today. ICT supports children who find it difficult to access curriculum, perhaps due to physical, mental or just concentration problems. ICT can help, sometimes by using modified equipment but sometimes simply by the motivation it offers. But the benefits of ICT go much further than this and extend all the way to providing complete access for children who would otherwise be denied an education altogether.

There are even examples of children and adults who have no movement other than perhaps a single eyelid, yet they can live remarkably full lives thanks to ICT equipment without which they would effectively be imprisoned by their disability. Everyone who works in education will meet SEN issues from time to time and it is well worth keeping an eye on developments in the press and on the web as well as locally in your own school or community.

A history lesson
The first BBC, RM and Sinclair Spectrum computers appeared around 1982. At the time computers were very much an unknown as far as education was concerned. And yet, even in those earliest days the opportunities they offered for children with special needs was recognised. A number of Special Needs Support centres were set up. They were called SEMERCs (Special Education Micro Electronic Resource Centres) and they pioneered ways in which ICT could help SEN children. Concept keyboards and switches, attached to BBC and early RM computers and used with special software, became common as a result of their work. In the 1990s, as funding reduced, the SEMERCs disappeared with the exception of the one in Oldham, which set up as a business and became famous for the continued development and supply of software and hardware to support special needs. It has recently become part of Granada Learning. Prior to the move, some of the original SEMERC staff left and created a new company called Inclusive Technology. Other software houses also focused on children with special needs and became well known. They included Crick, Brilliant, which became part of Semerc and Widgit, which is now part of Logotron. It’s worth being aware of all of these suppliers and looking at their catalogues and web sites.

Getting help
Where do you start when you need information? A good place on the web to begin any education search is TeacherXpress and Special Needs is no exception. Scroll down and you’ll find a host of links to all the major organisations. And don’t forget the BETT Show in London each January. This is the place to see and speak to all the special needs and other suppliers. Another source of information and help is BECTa, the government agency for ICT in education. BECTa is a strong promoter of ICT supporting SEN children. Their information sheets include 10 on special needs and inclusion. The Inclusion section is another good starting point. BECTa also hosts the special needs and inclusion discussion groups. These very successful discussions are the best place to go to ask questions of colleagues and specialists. And perhaps you have the very answer someone else is seeking?

ICT and young children
In many respects, there are similarities between very young children and those who are classed as having special needs when they are older. For example, manipulating a mouse is a tricky skill and young children often get on much better with devices that are primarily designed for special needs support. Switches, tracker-balls and special devices with large roller-balls are all available. They either have a larger wheel or no wheel at all and so can be used by children who have difficulty with the standard mouse. Switches don’t even have a button so are easiest to use. The software manages everything. Other devices do have buttons but they are separate and so aren’t clicked accidentally by inexperienced users. Apart from switches, all of these work with all software and may make ICT more accessible to young children whose manual dexterity doesn’t allow them to manipulate the mouse easily. Even switches, which require nothing more than a single press can work with a wide range of software. And at the other end of the scale you can even get extra small mice and these are popular with some nursery and reception teachers. When it comes to software, many titles which are designed for children with special needs are very suitable for young children. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on the catalogues and attending the BETT Show each January to keep abreast of what’s available and what’s new in this field.