Assistive Technology Evaluation and Training

Stephanie Wick, OT/L provides assistive technology evaluations and training for kids that are experiencing difficulties with written output using handwriting.  Sometimes all the handwriting practice and occupational therapy will not make handwriting legible.   As this happens, students lose self confidence and motivation to write. 

There are many simple options to increase written output and most are pretty affordable and easy to use.   I personally like talking dictionaries and electronic note takers. 

Talking Dictionaries are very helpful for poor spellers.  You can actually find talking or quiet electronic dictionaries depending on the student's needs.  The dictionaries allow the children to type in the first letter or two and it gives suggestions for intended words. 

Electronic Note Takers are mini laptop sized computers with very basic functions (as to not distract kids) for writing.   There are many producers of electronic note takers, such as AlphaSmart, Dana, and Fusion Writer.

There are also many add on's for electronic note takers, such as Word Prediction. 

Some students know what they want to write, but have difficulty forming the words or thinking of new words to use. Word prediction programs are used with word processors and available on many electronic note takers  to provide a more efficient way of producing written work. A novice writer can create a complete word by typing one or two letters. The programs reduce the number of keystrokes made by "predicting" the desired word after a student types a single letter. Some programs even include a "predict ahead" feature that anticipates the next word. These programs can effectively improve the quality and level of writing by suggesting new words stored in a customizable dictionary. The parent or teacher of a student can add vocabulary pertinent to different topics or courses. 

The Assistive Technology Evaluation will look at factors that may increase a child's ability to produce better written output and will also determine additional needs such as :

• The ability to speak words and sentences as they are created for review, editing or communication purposes,
• The number of word choices and how they are selected,
• Voice output,
• Scanning features, and
• Screen Display
  

Based on the evaluation results, Stephanie will give parents recommendations regarding which assistive technology may be most appropriate for the child.