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Strategies that Work for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Inclusive Classrooms

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Strategies that Work for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Inclusive Classrooms

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When talking about UDL I think it is very important to discuss the autism population as seen in an inclusive setting. The specific learning instruction targeted towards students with autism can be very helpful for all students. Specifically this article points out wait time and the importance of giving students a chance to answer a question when asked. This resource also talks about the prompting hierarchy and the importance of fading prompts in the classroom setting. Incorporating visual prompts can not only help children with autism but all students in the classroom. For example if a student has dyslexia it can take them a longer time to read in general. However, it is not standard practice to provide visual schedules as an accommodation. But, if a student struggles with reading wouldn't it make sense to provide them with visuals to improve their processing time with class tasks? Let alone the various students with undiagnosed disabilities who may be silently struggling in class. It is so important to provide all students with accommodations in the general ed setting in order to lead them to success.

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UDL For Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Students In Lesson Planning (Teresa Capella)

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UDL For Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Students In Lesson Planning (Teresa Capella)

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I found this resource with explanations of UDL and tips for applying UDL in the process of lesson planning for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and I thought that it was such a fantastic, succinct resource! I really appreciate that the author included a hypothetical student experience in the beginning of this resource, because I feel like this really highlights what struggles  students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing face in the classroom and with learning, as well as the emotional burden they may carry that can also affect their ability to learn and enjoy school. Tony, the imagined student, is nervous to go to a new school because of the prospect of having to explain why he needs certain accommodations and uses certain technologies, as well as if his fellow students will accept him. This short story, I feel, really highlights why it is so important for teachers to not only provide necessary accommodations in the classroom, but also to be a strong support system for students who need accommodations. This resource then goes on to explain the need for and importance of UDL - there is no "one size fits all" student experience, and there are many ways we can change the formatting of our classrooms and lessons to be more malleable for different needs of different students. There are then 5 tips offered for teachers in lesson planning to implement UDL for deaf and hard-of-hearing students which I think are a great start to using UDL in the classroom. The 5 tips offered are: (1) Establish flexible seating, (2) find, create, and use visual representations, (3) allow access to quiet locations, (4) present the content in multiple ways, and (5) allow multiple options for expression of knowledge. One of the great things about UDL is that, while it can first and foremost help ensure equity for students with disabilities (in this case, deaf and hard-of-hearing), it can also be generally beneficial in the classroom, i.e. aid even more students. While there are many more supports that can and should be offered for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, these 5 considerations can be a great start for teachers to ensure they are creating a beneficial and supportive environment for learning from the very beginning of their lesson planning.

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Supporting Language in the Classroom though UDL (Emalyn Duvall)

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Supporting Language in the Classroom though UDL (Emalyn Duvall)

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UDL is an approach used in classrooms that is meant to meet the individual and unique needs of all students. The universal design for learning can be used to support a variety of needs in the classroom. For this discussion, I will focus specifically on how UDL can support students who have challenges with comprehension. When researching about UDL, I found the website cast.org, which is a Boston-based nonprofit, educational research and development company that created the UDL guidelines. Their mission is to recreate the design of education and ensure that the needs of all students are being met. They provide great ideas for supports and resources in the classroom for different types of needs. Regarding specifically comprehension, they outline different checkpoints to keep in mind for students who struggle with comprehension. Comprehension relies significantly on how well people process information, and when there are deficits with this, that is where UDL comes in. Some of the ideas provided on the website align with what we learned in class, such as pre-teaching vocabulary or relevant information, using graphic organizers, connecting prior knowledge, and more. Connecting prior knowledge and pre-teaching are two extremely important strategies, because knowing concepts ahead of time allows the lesson content to be more accessible. Students have longer time to process the information and make connections. In my future classroom, if I have students who have comprehension challenges, I will be sure to use these UDL strategies to best support their learning.

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The purpose of education is not to make information accessible, but rather to teach learners how to transform accessible information into useable knowledge. Decades of cognitive science research have demonstrated that the capability to transform accessible information into useable knowledge is not a passive process but an active one. Constructing useable knowledge, knowledge that is accessible for future decision-making, depends not upon merely perceiving information, but upon active "information processing skills" like selective attending, integrating new information with prior knowledge, strategic categorization, and active memorization. Individuals differ greatly in their skills in information processing and in their access to prior knowledge through which they can assimilate new information. Proper design and presentation of information-the responsibility of any curriculum or instructional methodology- can provide the scaffolds necessary to ensure that all learners have access to knowledge.

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The purpose of education is not to make information accessible, but rather to teach learners how to transform accessible information into useable knowledge. Decades of cognitive science research have demonstrated that the capability to transform accessible information into useable knowledge is not a passive process but an active one.

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Language Support in the Classroom (Lauren Brett)

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Language Support in the Classroom (Lauren Brett)

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CAST is an organization I had already heard about a decent amount in some of my classes during undergrad here!  I have always enjoyed exploring their site and seeing all of the different things that they have to offer.  They have such an incredible resources and ways of explaining their thoughts and ideas.  Their extensive information encompasses learning diversity and versatilely across virtually every platform for learning imaginable.  From online, to professional learning, to workforce and career centers, CAST has supports and guidelines for making sure that any learning a person might be asked to do in life is accessible to all.  In thinking about how UDL can best be used to support language and communication in the classroom, the resource linked above seemed quite applicable, as well as the other resources linked on the bottom of that page.  I have a few CDL students in my classroom and making sure that all students have access to content based information in their home language is quite important to ensure equity in information distribution.  Explicit teaching of words and vocabulary and linking words to pictures or objects will be beneficial not only for the CDL students in the room, but most students in the room.  This is just one of many examples of how UDL can be used to ensure that all students are receiving a complete and equitable education.

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The language of curricular materials is usually monolingual, but often the learners in the classroom are not, so the promotion of cross-linguistic understanding is especially important. For new learners of the dominant language (e.g., English in American schools) or for learners of academic language (the dominate discourse in school), the accessibility of information is greatly reduced when no linguistic alternatives are available. Providing alternatives, especially for key information or vocabulary is an important aspect of accessibility.

Make all key information in the dominant language (e.g., English) also available in first languages (e.g., Spanish) for learners with limited-English proficiency and in ASL for learners who are deaf

Link key vocabulary words to definitions and pronunciations in both dominant and heritage languages

Define domain-specific vocabulary (e.g., "map key" in social studies) using both domain-specific and common terms

Provide electronic translation tools or links to multilingual glossaries on the web

Embed visual, non-linguistic supports for vocabulary clarification (pictures, videos, etc)

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UDL: Promote understanding across languages

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The language of curricular materials is usually monolingual, but often the learners in the classroom are not, so the promotion of cross-linguistic understanding is especially important. For new learners of the dominant language (e.g., English in American schools) or for learners of academic language (the dominate discourse in school), the accessibility of information is greatly reduced when no linguistic alternatives are available.

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The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an inclusive framework of education that provides all individuals the tools to succeed. Originally created to support individuals with disabilities, the UDL has now been accepted as a universal curriculum tool to improve access to efficient learning for all students. Their main object is to consider the hurdles and inequalities that could be harming their students, and then to actively remove them to promote more accessible, successful learning. When thinking of individuals with communication disabilities or hearing loss, it is super important for their classrooms to reflect a conducive learning environment that enhances their learning. Specifically, when thinking of students with hearing loss, a variety of tools can be integrated into a classroom to promote inclusive learning such as: instruction in sign language, visual aides, instructions and lessons that are written out, and technology usage.

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Universal Design for Learning: Meeting the Needs of All Students

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides the opportunity for all students to access, participate in, and progress in the general-education curriculum by reducing barriers to instruction. Learn more about how UDL offers options for how information is presented, how students respond or demonstrate…

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UDL for Linguistically Diverse Learners (John Kacher)

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UDL for Linguistically Diverse Learners (John Kacher)

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Universally Designed Learning encourages schools and classrooms to reach high in terms of their ability and latitude to educate all students in an accessible and equitable way. Achieving the tenets of UDL can be daunting, but by utilizing some effective general strategies, educators can successfully create universal classrooms and curricula. One of the general education classes I provide accommodations in has a range of students who require unique support surrounding language-based issues. Between three students with dyslexia, two students who are new English language learners, and one non-verbal student, the class requires careful consideration for all learning styles. Collaboration between the general education teacher, myself, and the broader special education team enables us to anticipate possible barriers and situations where serious adjustments need to be made to accommodate everybody. Aspects of everyday classroom routines such as group/partner work, extended reading and writing assignments, and class presentations, as a few examples, will need significant and specified modifications. To effectively do this, careful planning beforehand that predicts and assumes certain hurdles in the classroom will allow me and the general education teacher to be prepared when running the classroom.

Additionally, constructing realistic goals and frameworks to assess the effectiveness of these changes will be needed. Through my research on UDL, I focused on an article surrounding "Language Accessibility In The Classroom" for linguistically diverse learners by Patricia Doran. The article discusses the fundamental ideas behind UDL in the context of diverse language learners. Doran says, “UDL is built on the principle that good instruction for these students goes beyond accommodations or modifications; it starts with ensuring maximum accessibility in all areas of instruction and assessment...” (Doran 2015, 4). Doran highlights the need to think deeply about how we approach modifying classrooms to be more accessible to diverse language learners. This makes me think about the difficulties the general education teacher and I encountered attempting to achieve UDL. Doran recognizes the complexities and challenges of achieving UDL and asks educators to meet these issues head-on. She can illustrate this idea when discussing language accessibility in the classroom. Doran explains that “Special educators must build in language accessibility as a foundational element of all instructional decisions.” (Doran 2015, 5) By incorporating broad modifications like increased language accessibility through more diverse mediums, we can ensure the classroom and curriculum are effectively ready to accommodate our ELL students. The UDL framework provides a roadmap to reduce the burden of instructing a diverse classroom by enabling educators to build overarching supports and plans beforehand. Doing this allows educators to be more aware and on top of more aspects within the classroom, adjusting and modifying all the time. Doing more significant research on UDL in terms of language accessibility will allow me to continue thinking further about how the general education teacher and I can better accommodate the learning style of our ELL students.

Rice Doran, Patricia. “Language Accessibility in the Classroom: How UDL Can Promote

Success for Linguistically Diverse Learners.” Exceptionality Education International 25, no. 3 (2015). https://doi.org/10.5206/eei.v25i3.7728.

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UDL for Hearing Loss and Support (Lucy Rubenstein)

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UDL for Hearing Loss and Support (Lucy Rubenstein)

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The section of this presentation about Hearing Loss hit close to home because my younger cousin has severe hearing loss. He was doing poorly in school and no one could figure out why, and it wasn't until he took a hearing test that they realized he had hearing loss that was not fixable via hearing aid because it was too late. He was too shy to speak up in class to say he could not hear the teacher, and he also felt embarrassed because no one else seemed to have that problem. As soon as he was given a 504 Plan his teachers used an amplification systems, which gave him a receiver and the teacher used a microphone. These systems help students like my cousin differentiate important sounds such as the teacher's voice from surrounding noise that can be distracting. He instantly began to do better in class and he also referred to the fact that the teacher always had closed captioning on the videos they watched in class which was helpful to him, and also to other students who are more visual learners to like to read better than listen. Also, in the article linked above, the teacher said that she put an amplification system put in her classroom to help a student that had hearing loss, but her students without hearing loss reported that it made a huge difference in their ability to pay attention and follow along in class.
This helps us realize that solving a problem for one student often becomes an improved practice for the rest of the class, which is a central part of UDL.

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Most teachers will agree that student brains are as diverse as their fingerprints. Each student is compelled by different interests, aided by different strengths, and hindered by different struggles.

Universal design for learning, or UDL, provides a framework for embracing the neurodiversity that exists in all our classrooms. It asks teachers to create flexible learning environments and practices to support a broad range of learners. It might seem like you have to be an expert to start employing UDL principles in the classroom-but in fact, you can start laying the groundwork as early as tomorrow.

What Is UDL?

UDL is predicated on the simple belief that designing lessons based on our conventional learners ignores the instructional needs of the outliers. Most importantly, UDL suggests a fundamental shift in how we understand learning challenges. It puts an emphasis on remediating the classroom rather than the student.

Think of it this way: When you put a wheelchair ramp in an airport, it helps people in wheelchairs, of course. But it also helps many other people, including those with roller bags and strollers and sore legs.

UDL is meant to work the same way-it helps lots of different students and in lots of different ways. With UDL, teachers can reduce barriers to learning by providing accommodations, different modes of instruction, and alternative assessments to help all students achieve their learning potential.

In order to design learning environments based on our students' diverse interests, needs, and abilities, it helps to know more about them. That might involve simply surveying our students-or talking to others who know them, like their parents and former teachers. This information helps identify our builders, poets, inventors, and illustrators. It is also valuable to know if our students think in numbers, pictures, or words. Maybe most importantly, knowing their history of problems at school: Identifying which students have struggled to read, write, or connect with their classmates will inform necessary adjustments to instruction.

Different Ways to Read and Write

My understanding of how UDL can work in my 5th grade classroom has been gradual but steady over time. Initially, my instructional shifts were attempts to develop singular strategies to help individual students. However, when I adapted the delivery of my content, introduced assistive technology for school work, or granted an assessment accommodation for one student, it usually became a helpful practice for many.

For example, I recently had an amplification system put in my classroom to assist a hearing-disabled student. But many more students with normal hearing reported that it made a dramatic difference in their ability to attend to instructions and explanations. This served as an important reminder that solving an issue for one student often becomes an improved practice for the rest of the class-which is a central tenet of UDL.

The growth of assistive reading technology has made it easier than ever for teachers to adapt texts for different learning needs. Students who struggle to read need to find a different way to access words and ideas. Many students can understand audio information that they are unable to consume and comprehend in text form. Providing subject content via audiobooks, podcasts, videos, and text-to-speech apps helps to address the gap between students' reading ability and their intellectual abilities. Additionally, certain reading supports, like Learning Ally's VOICEtext and the Voice Dream Reader app paired with Bookshare, allow students to read along with the audio content while the words are being highlighted on screen. This can help strengthen and support students' decoding abilities while allowing them to consume information.

Lately, I've been trying to make written text in my classroom available digitally as much as possible. Students can enlarge font size and use text-to-speech apps to read digital content (Voice Dream Reader can vocalize text from almost any digital platform, including Dropbox and Google Drive). Digital material is also easier to locate for my less-organized students.

Meanwhile, dictation apps and software can help students who struggle with the mechanics of writing by allowing them to speak their ideas into a device instead. Students are often stunned when they can swiftly evolve from three poorly composed sentences to several thoughtfully composed paragraphs. And when the playback option is employed, students who struggle to edit their own work can catch mistakes they would have otherwise missed.

Steady Goals, Flexible Modes of Assessment

When our teaching objectives are clear, we can be more flexible about how we measure student understanding. For example, if I'm trying to determine whether my students understand the three branches of the U.S. government, I can have them write out an explanation, tell it to me orally, perform a rap, design an infographic, or create an iMovie. The mode of expression is not what I'm measuring. Furthermore, if I don't set strict rules, some of their demonstrations of understanding will likely exceed my less imaginative assessment structures and make the task infinitely more personal and engaging.

Likewise, when I assign an essay, if my goal is for students to support a meaningful idea in a clear and organized manner, whether they speak into a laptop or type with their fingers is not relevant. For my students who do not struggle with dysgraphia, a learning disability that affects one's writing, combining composition and keyboarding can provide helpful practice with integrating both skills. However, insisting on making my strugglers combine the task of writing an essay with keyboarding practice will certainly backfire when it comes to the quality of their output.

Oral expression can also be designed to be more inclusive of different personality types. I have recently committed to punctuating our full-class discussions with more frequent "think-pair-shares," during which students explain a concept to a partner. These more intimate conversations let my introverted, or less boisterous, personalities stay engaged and practice sharing their thinking with their classmates.

'A More Inclusive Learning Environment'

As with many educational evolutions, staying updated about the landscape of UDL best ideas, practices, and assistive technologies can seem daunting. But one does not have to personally do all the discovery and vetting. I recommend leveraging the existing (and generous) expertise that exists online and in our own school faculties. Creating ways of sharing instructional practices in your school community and allowing assistive tech experts to keep you updated on different apps are simple ways to offset feeling overwhelmed.

Ultimately, in the same way the wheelchair ramp also helps all passengers, I have witnessed how my own (inexpert) shift toward UDL has helped all my students, not just the ones with the quirky learning profiles. Allowing students to access and express knowledge in multiple ways has allowed all abilities to more effectively optimize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

Creating a more inclusive learning environment has involved no unique expertise, just a shift in instructional thinking and practice. Maybe you want to ease into UDL by rethinking classroom seating or discussion techniques. It may make more sense to explore alternative assessment techniques or simply make your existing ones untimed. Incorporating transformational assistive tech is another way to level the playing field. I guarantee that you will never regret time spent investigating how to get your struggling readers connected to Bookshare or Learning Ally.

Although-each UDL adjustment I have made has improved my instruction, I did not make these changes all at once. And, of course, I am not finished.

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When It Comes to Universal Design for Learning, Don't Wait to Be an Expert (Opinion)

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When teachers create flexible learning environments, they support all different types of learners, Kyle Redford writes.

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SIAS Process for inclusive learning and participation(Breaking language and communication barriers)

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SIAS Process for inclusive learning and participation(Breaking language and communication barriers)

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There may be several reasons why students experience barriers to learning and participation, which can be addressed when the education system and schools are responsive to the needs of each learner. We need to look at what the learner can achieve and do well and build on the learner's strengths while providing support for areas of challenge. Neurocognitive differences, physical disabilities, socioeconomic challenges, language and communication difficulties, and cultural differences are only barriers to learning and participation if the school system does not provide an enabling environment for effective teaching and learning. Schools need to create a positive and welcoming environment with sufficient resources, positive attitudes, effective teaching methods, and a curriculum that engages and supports all learners.
The Screening Identification Assessment and Support(SIAS) process is designed to support teachers in helping learners with barriers to learning and participation adapt to the learning environment so that successful learning can occur. This process ensures that learners' teachers, parents or caregivers, school-based support teams, and district-based support teams are all working together in the best interest of the learners. This process begins by identifying individual learners' experiences in the classroom. The SIAS process starts with identifying individual learners' experiences in the classroom, and official forms assist teachers step by step with screening, identifying, and assessing barriers. The screening starts when the student enters the school, and the teacher interviews the child and completes a learner's profile. Identification occurs when the teacher determines the learner's strengths and needs and develops an awareness of the additional support the child may need. The assessment identifies the extent and severity of the barriers to learning and participation and the type of support that is required. Then support will detail the measures to meet the student's needs, including teaching and learning strategies and adaptations, assistive devices, therapeutic interventions, and accommodations. The SIAS protocol starts with filling out a support need assessment form that will prompt and assist the teacher in building a learner profile, including strengths and needs in communication, learning, behaviors, and social competencies in class and at school, as well as the learner's family and community situation.
The SIAS process matches the UDL process, which is about adding responsiveness to teaching by offering students multiple options within three broad categories: engagement, representation, and expression. In providing language and communication support for students with difficulties in these areas, steps like the above are needed for full participation and learning with multiple tools and media.

GERALD NEBO.

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Using South Africa’s SIAS process to include all learners

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UDL for Auditory Processing (Lori Barney)

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UDL for Auditory Processing (Lori Barney)

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Planning a classroom with universal design creates many opportunities to support language and communication in the classroom. I focused on how to support students with auditory processing needs. For these students, it is important to choose verbal pieces of the class wisely. This means thinking about what kind of auditory information is present, how fast that information comes, and how that information is supported through other factors. The UDL guidelines highlight how the speed or timing of video and the volume or rate of speech/sound are important variables that can help students better receive the information presented orally. When presenting videos in my future classroom, I want to think about if the video speed can be adjusted, is the speaker clear, is there a transcript of the video, are there closed captions, and does the video provide repetition of the material. All of these pieces can help enhance a student’s comprehension of verbal material in the classroom. When just speaking in the classroom, it is also important to provide visual or tactile equivalents. The UDL guidelines website also suggests using visual analogues to represent emphasis and prosody in speech, like using emoticons or symbols to match the tone of the speaker. With auditory information it is important to consider the demands of the task and make sure they do not exceed the student’s capacity. There are so many pieces working in a person’s head to make sure they receive and comprehend the input of oral information. As a teacher I can help with speaking in phrases that are easier for students to process. I can also follow UDL guidelines and offer multiple representations of this oral information to help all my students succeed.

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Learning is impossible if information is imperceptible to the learner, and difficult when information is presented in formats that require extraordinary effort or assistance.

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Universal design for learning provides tools for educators to implement in their classroom in order to promote more equitable access to curriculum and content, while addressing systemic barriers to inclusive education. These guidelines for UDL aim to provide multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. Honing in on representation, teachers must recognize how learners differ in the way they perceive and comprehend information presented to them. Individuals with language barriers or communication disorders need a range of supports and accommodations in order to engage with language in the classroom. Both linguistic and non-linguistic language need to be made accessible and explicit for a variety of learners. The UDL guideline website recognizes that inequalities form when there is only a single form of representation for language, impacting comprehension and clarity. Some checkpoints that stood out to me within UDL for Language and Symbols include promoting understanding across languages and illustrating through multiple media. Accessibility to information is impeded when information is presented only in the dominant language. Therefore, providing translations to students' dominant languages and embedding visual and non-linguistic cues can provide students with greater access. For students with communication or language disorders, using both audio and visual text and descriptions will help support receptive language. Furthermore, classroom materials are often dominated by text-heavy information which poses barriers for students with language-related disabilities. Illustrating content through multiple media, such as including alternative forms of illustration, movement, simulations, and audio/video can strengthen student comprehension of content. By creating explicit links between between information and language within the classroom, educators can provide supports for receptive language and comprehension in addition to expressive language and communication.

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Learners vary in their facility with different forms of representation-both linguistic and non-linguistic. Vocabulary that may sharpen and clarify concepts for one learner may be opaque and foreign to another. An equals sign (=) might help some learners understand that the two sides of the equation need to be balanced, but might cause confusion to a student who does not understand what it means. A graph that illustrates the relationship between two variables may be informative to one learner and inaccessible or puzzling to another. A picture or image that carries meaning for some learners may carry very different meanings for learners from differing cultural or familial backgrounds. As a result, inequalities arise when information is presented to all learners through a single form of representation. An important instructional strategy is to ensure that alternative representations are provided not only for accessibility, but for clarity and comprehensibility across all learners.

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Learners vary in their facility with different forms of representation-both linguistic and non-linguistic. Vocabulary that may sharpen and clarify concepts for one learner may be opaque and foreign to another. An equals sign (=) might help some learners understand that the two sides of the equation need to be balanced, but might cause confusion to a student who does not understand what it means.

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UDL Language Support in the Classroom (Catherine O'Donnell)

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UDL Language Support in the Classroom (Catherine O'Donnell)

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After reviewing the ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) website and clicking on the UDL page, I learned how UDL strategies can be used to support students who struggle with language or communication in the classroom.  UDL's intent is to limit the barriers that disrupt a child's education, and instead maximize on the opportunities for students to be inclusive in their work by having access to multiple means of presentation, expression, and engagement. For the purpose of this discussion, I will focus on a student with a hearing impairment. To provide multiple means of representation, a teacher should turn on the closed-captioning on videos, match vocal directions with printed and visual representations, pre-teach material when appropriate, and use many visual cues in class. As for multiple means of action and expression, an educator should model what is expected (perhaps multiple times) and use interactive elements, such as puppets, that can be used to enact a read aloud. Lastly, multiple means of engagement for a student with a hearing impairment would include self-monitoring checklists to make sure he/she is on track with the rest of the class, the usage of attention-getting techniques that use both auditory and visual cues, and paired or group activities so students are close enough to speak to one another and share ideas. This is an example for how UDL instruction can be implemented into the classroom for students with language or communication impairments or disabilities.

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Communication support in the classroom (Jacob Levitt)

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Communication support in the classroom (Jacob Levitt)

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UDL is an extremely useful tool for supporting a variety of classroom needs, but I wanted to focus on the effective communication side of UDL. On the website, I found a specialized strategy page for utilizing communication strategies through UDL. The burden lies on the teacher to communicate through diverse mediums and to allow students to produce work through diverse mediums. Simply speaking at students and expecting students to produce written products in response is not sufficient to support a variety of student needs. Teachers must hold the expectation that students need audio, visual, and written supports for instructions and prompts, and options should be given for them to produce work in a variety of ways. To do anything less is an active dismissal of students' ability and desire to learn, intentionally disadvantaging them.

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There is no medium of expression that is equally suited for all learners or for all kinds of communication. On the contrary, there are media, which seem poorly suited for some kinds of expression, and for some kinds of learning. While a learner with dyslexia may excel at story-telling in conversation, he may falter when telling that same story in writing. It is important to provide alternative modalities for expression, both to the level the playing field among learners and to allow the learner to appropriately (or easily) express knowledge, ideas and concepts in the learning environment.

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Universal design can be implemented through a variety of simple - yet highly effective - ways to support language and communication in the classroom. I was really curious about this topic so I conducted further research on the Center for Applied Special Technology website. I strongly recommend scrolling through their resources - especially the UDL Guidelines for Engagement, Representation, and Activation/Expression. Part of CAST's mission that embodies the core values of UDL reads, "Like any craftsman, learners should learn to use tools that are an optimal match between their abilities and the demands of the task" (CAST, 2022).

In light of this, one way to implement UDL in one's classroom is to provide students with the option to choose how they would like to express their ideas - whether that be through writing, speaking, drawing, or video recording, for example. In turn, this increases student engagement because they can share their thoughts in a way that is low-risk but also promote autonomy and self-advocacy because the student gets to decide how they learn best. Additionally, they have the freedom to experiment with these different expressive modalities to see which are most effective in each learning setting.

Another way to implement universal design is to provide transcripts to one's students whenever a video is played. Students who require additional auditory processing time are able to refer back to what was said and allows them to focus on the visuals on-screen (as opposed to constantly looking up and down at their paper to jot down notes). An added bonus stems from the fact that having access to video transcripts benefits all students - those with and without language/communication disorders alike. Furthermore, these transcripts can be provided in advance - and previewed in greater detail with the student by the teacher - when needed.

After all, every student deserves the highest degree of accessibility to ensure they can learn and thrive in school alongside their peers.