DECODING
Executive Functioning
Executive Functioning, or EF, is the ability to make plans, organize, self monitor, and reflect on errors. While there are no current techs for EF, the broad skill "Organization" is a good place to support children with EF difficulties.
Alertness
Alertness is the subset of attention that includes system arousal and the capacity to notice information
Orienting
Orienting is the specific aspect of attention related to staying focused on a target, discernment, and avoiding distractions.
Attention
Attention is the broad range ability to sustain concentration on a task.
Metacognition
Metacognition is the awareness of one’s own actions and thoughts; the ability to imagine one’s self from the outside perspective in.
AAC
The technologies provide alternative or augmentative forms of communication for individuals who have challenges with speech.
Background Information
These technologies can assist individuals with gathering background information for comprehension.
Word Problems
Word problems present information students must use to find the solution as written text. Word problems are complex to master and involve a number of academic and cognitive skills, including reading, numerical operations and applications, organization, and memory skills, among others. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has identified problem solving as one of the five process standards that are necessary for students to master because without problem solving, students only learn how to compute, rather than why and when to use these computational mathematics skills (Browder et al., 2017). Students with Learning Disabilities often struggle the most with word problems.
Organization and Graphomotor
Graphomotor skills refer to the broad combination of skills that make up the process of putting ideas into written text
Numeric Operation and Fluency
Numeric Operations are core mathematics skills, which include the ability to compute the solutions to a variety of problems including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Self Management
Self-management refers to ways to organize and remember important information related to an individual’s own, personal information.
Time Management
Time management refers to ways to schedule such that the individual has some way of reminding themselves for activity transitions, recording time spent, and or staying on task.
Material Management
Material management refers to ways to organize documents for later access or assignments on which and individual is working.
Information Management
Information management refers to ways to organize and remember important information.
Vision
Assistive technologies exist to help individuals with limited vision or complete vision loss to read text. While users may rely mainly on one of the available assistive technology, many users report using a combination of the available assistive technologies depending on the length, organization, and context of the text file that they are required to read (D'Andrea, 2012).
Hearing
Hearing is the ability to perceive sounds. Individuals’ verbal and social development are hindered by even mild hearing impairments (Jesitus, 2014), therefore it is important to assess for and accommodate for hearing impairment using assistive technologies as early as possible.
Typing
Typing is utilizing a keyboard system to input information. Consultation with an Occupational Therapist is advised.
Graphomotor/Handwriting
Graphomotor skills refer to the broad combination of skills that make up the process of putting ideas into written text (e.g., handwriting). Consultation with an Occupational Therapist is advised.
Mobility
Mobility refers to the ability to physically interact in the world. Consultation with an Occupational Therapist is advised.
Gross Motor
These devices can assist individuals who need assistance inputting information into a computer due to challenges with whole-body coordination. Consultation with an Occupational Therapist is advised.