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Alternative keyboards assist children by coloring coding and grouping along with limited input choices. 

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Alternative keyboards assist children by coloring coding and grouping along with limited input choices. 

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These programmable keyboards have special overlays that customize the appearance and function of a standard keyboard. Students who have LD or have trouble typing may benefit from customization that reduces input choices, groups keys by color/location, and adds graphics to aid comprehension.

What type(s) of learning difficulty do these tools address?

This type of tool benefits people who struggle with: writing.

Products to Consider:

Resources to help you evaluate assistive technology for your child:
Updated February 2010

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These programmable keyboards have special overlays that customize the appearance and function of a standard keyboard. Students who have LD or have trouble typing may benefit from customization that reduces input choices, groups keys by color/location, and adds graphics to aid comprehension. This type of tool benefits people who struggle with: writing.

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Turn math into an interactive activity using MathTalk, a program designed to help you convey your words into expressions. 

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Turn math into an interactive activity using MathTalk, a program designed to help you convey your words into expressions. 

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About MathTalk.com The Leader in Speech Recognition Mathematics

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Metroplex Voice Computing is the leader in speech recognition mathematics. Our exclusive speech recognition software products are designed to operate without needing the keyboard or mouse.

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Organization is key, try graphic organizers to help students keep track of their reading or classroom notes.  

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Organization is key, try graphic organizers to help students keep track of their reading or classroom notes.  

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Some students may need to hear the directions again. Use this program to create audio instructions that can be accessed at anytime. 

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Some students may need to hear the directions again. Use this program to create audio instructions that can be accessed at anytime. 

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Free Text to Speech Online with Realistic AI Voices

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Convert text into ultra-realistic audio. Have any text read aloud with AI Voices. AI text reader for pdfs, books, documents, and webpages.

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Audio books are a tremendous inclusion for all classrooms and can create a very different environment for all students!

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Audio books are a tremendous inclusion for all classrooms and can create a very different environment for all students!

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Try Audible free for 30 days! Start listening to best-selling audiobooks, exclusive Originals, and free podcasts with the Audible app.

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Group note taking can be made easy with the inclusion of technology in the classroom. Check out Scribe, a collaborative note taking app. 

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Group note taking can be made easy with the inclusion of technology in the classroom. Check out Scribe, a collaborative note taking app. 

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https://scribe.codeplex.com/

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Accroding to APH’s Educational Research Department, Large Print Guidelines for Optimal Readability can be a great modification for the classroom. Click here to find out more.   

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Accroding to APH’s Educational Research Department, Large Print Guidelines for Optimal Readability can be a great modification for the classroom. Click here to find out more.   

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http://www.aph.org/tests-and-textbooks/large-print/

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Student struggling to finish assignments in a given time? Why not provide extra time? Click here to find out why. 

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Student struggling to finish assignments in a given time? Why not provide extra time? Click here to find out why. 

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http://www.queensu.ca/studentwellness/accessibility-services/accommodations-explained/extra-time-assignments

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Accommodations to help students with ADHD

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Accommodations to help students with ADHD

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Reviewed by

Ginny Osewalt is a dually certified elementary and special education teacher with more than 15 years of experience in general education, inclusion, resource room, and self-contained settings.

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At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for ADHD

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Reviewed by Ginny Osewalt is a dually certified elementary and special education teacher with more than 15 years of experience in general education, inclusion, resource room, and self-contained settings.

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Don't get too caught up with the playing of toys in your classroom, those Fidget Spinners may help!

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Minds in Bloom is so very honored to welcome guest blogger Loren Shlaes, a registered pediatric occupational therapist and regular contributor to the special needs blog at Pediastaff (who were instrumental in making this series possible). This is the first in a series of posts from Loren about how to help students, who may be challenged with attention, sensory, or other issues, be successful in the classroom. Most likely, you have at least a few students with these challenges every year, but even if you don't, the information in these posts are relevant to all teachers.

Visit PediaStaff on Pinterest!

This first post focuses on something that most teachers struggle with around this time of the year...helping students to pay attention! I learned a great deal from this article, and I am sure you will too!

Children need to move their bodies in order to be able to stay focused and to learn. A good thing to remember is that a nerve in the inner ear, called the vestibular nerve, serves to tell the body how upright, aroused, and present to be in direct response to movement. The only way to activate the vestibular nerve so that it can do its job is to move.

Normally, a small amount of movement, like a quick stretch and turn of the head, will make the nerve fire and talk to the muscles. When children are fidgeting and finding it difficult to stay still, they are unconsciously attempting to activate that nerve in the inner ear to improve their ability to sit up and focus.

When we are forced to sit still for long periods, we are either in one of two states: the just right state, meaning that our bodies can support our ability to stay present by remaining effortlessly aroused and upright, or in a sensory needs state, which means that we cannot attend because our bodies need something to help our brains stay alert and ready to learn. The just right state doesn't last long when we are forced to sit without moving, unless what is happening in the room is highly interesting and engages our full attention. Attention spans in young children are quite short. Most of the time, they require constant movement and novelty to stay engaged.

Some children don't have responsive vestibular nerves. If a child has had a series of ear infections, for example, and has had tubes placed in his ears, his vestibular nerve may not fire with just a little bit of movement. His vestibular system requires a great deal more intensity before it will respond and tell his muscles to sit up. This child will have an especially hard time sitting for long periods without being allowed to get up.

Think of movement as quick bursts of brain fuel, and try to top off your students' tanks frequently. Transitions should always be accompanied by some sort of structured movement activity as a class. Perhaps a quick "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" with the accompanying gestures, or put on some rhythmic music and lead the class in a round of old fashioned calisthenics, like pushups, toe touches, or jumping jacks. Accompany this with a drink of water and the children will be able to stay much more alert and in the right physical state for learning. You'll feel pretty good, yourself!

If you teach the children to recognize when their attention is flagging and they need to do something for themselves in order to stay present, they will have the tools to recognize when they are drifting out of the just right state and into the sensory needs zone. They can then employ a discreet sensory tool to get themselves back.

Here are some suggestions for things that students can do at their seats to help them pay attention:

play with a fidget toy

suck on a hard candy

stretch

squeeze and relax all of their muscles

rub your hands on your legs

give yourself a big hug

quietly blow out all of your breath and hold it, then let the next breath come rushing in.

For a child who needs to chew to stay grounded, a few inches of clear plastic fish tank tubing on the end of his pencil is easy and discreet. This can be easily and inexpensively purchased in a pet store or hardware store. If the child doesn't like the flavor, you can soak it in vanilla extract for a day or two.

Here is an easy way to make a great fidget toy: take a good, thick balloon, and, using a funnel, put some cornstarch and a big squirt of glue inside. Knot it up and massage it until the cornstarch and glue are mixed.

If the child requires more intensity than what he can get from sitting in his seat, he can get up and get a drink of water or do an errand for the teacher (carrying a box of books to the principal's office is great exercise).

Disc-O-Sit cushions are another very nice way for a child to be able to sit still at his desk and wiggle around at the same time. Making a few cushions available for anyone who wants them will allow the children who really need them to gravitate towards them without feeling singled out.

Want to read more from Loren? Here are the other posts in this series:

Loren Shlaes is a pediatric occupational therapist who specializes in sensory integration, handwriting remediation, and school-related issues. She is also a manual therapist and a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. Her informative site won the "favorite resource for therapists" poll conducted by Your Therapy Source. Her writing has been featured on Parents.com, and she is a regular contributor to the special needs blog at PediaStaff. She is in private practice in Manhattan.

Minds in Bloom would also like to thank PediaStaff for collaborating with Loren to make this series possible. PediaStaff places pediatric therapists in schools, clinics, and hospitals throughout the country. In addition to their highly informative blog, they also have a huge Pinterest presence with over a hundred boards pertaining to education, child rearing, special needs, and various kinds of therapies.

How do you handle wiggly kids? We would love to hear your comments and ideas!

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Advice from the OT: Why It's So Hard for Children to Sit Still and What You Can Do About It - Minds in Bloom

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Minds in Bloom is so very honored to welcome guest blogger Loren Shlaes, a registered pediatric occupational therapist and regular contributor to the special needs blog at Pediastaff (who were instrumental in making this series possible).