UDL, Technology, and AT in Early Learning - Promoting Participation and Considering Challenges

By: Carrie Portrie, EC-SEAT project coordinator

Mark reads at a 5^th grade level and often sits alone in a corner, avoiding morning meeting. He misses his father who has recently left to fulfill military service in Iraq. Eve loves music, she has complex communication and wears thick glasses. She is removed from the classroom for hitting a peer while trying to get their attention. Matty loves insects, dinosaurs and his new sister Sadie. He uses thick pencils and crayons to write. They help him to see the lines. He pushes another boy out of his seat for making fun of him and is reprimanded. Max just moved to the United States from China. He is a game leader at recess. He works in the main office alone using a white board and markers most mornings because he is rambunctious during morning meeting. 

The observations above describe pre-kindergarten (four-year olds) and kindergarten children learning in public and private classrooms in the United States. The children are wonderfully unique and have different learning abilities and preferences. They are physically included in their classrooms but excluded by adults or by their own choosing because they are misunderstood or have needs that are unnoticed. What might be the solution? One framework to support inclusive practice in early childhood classrooms is Universal Design for Learning. When used along with classroom wide educational technology and individual assistive technology (AT), children can thrive.

What makes UDL an apt framework for young children is the nature of their varying interests and abilities (Dinnebeil, Boat, and Bae, 2013). UDL reflects an ethical practice for removing barriers in the classroom for all children, and it relies upon multiple forms of instruction that are routinely and thoughtfully varied so learners can access their materials and environment (DEC/NAEYC, 2009). The principles of UDL can be applied to multiple settings (home, school, community) and support children’s abilities to participate in activities amongst their family and peers. The Division for Early Childhood (DEC, 2016) includes both UDL, Assistive Technology (AT), and Technology in their environmental recommended practices, specifically:

“E2. Practitioners will consider Universal Design for Learning principles to create accessible environments

E4. Practitioners work with families and other adults to identify each child’s needs for assistive technology to promote access to and participation in learning experiences.

E5. Practitioners work with families and other families and other adults to acquire and create appropriate assistive technology to promote each child’s access to and participation in learning experiences,” (pp. 14-15).

Harte (2013) suggests UDL can help plan thoughtful outdoor learning environments for children. The UDL framework, “helps educators remove barriers and provide supports while also challenging students,” (Harte, 2013, p. 18), and it does not apply to one type of environment or teaching strategy. UDL also does not remove individual supports for children but rather provides multiple avenues for all children in the classroom to represent, engage, and express their learning. Children with special needs can benefit from UDL implementation because now the accommodations they might receive alone are embedded for everyone to try. Therefore, the classroom becomes more inclusive of everyone’s learning needs and styles removing the potential for exclusion. The process is necessarily dynamic and includes: the social and physical environment, time, children, teachers, specialists, administrators, and parents. This approach differs from individual adaptions and interventions that are developed after the curriculum is designed (Sadao and Robinson, 2010). Educators who are used to differentiation and providing individual supports have an advantage and may be able to implement UDL with ease; the multiple ways they make learning accessible for one child can be offered to all children in the classroom (Dinnebeil, et al., 2013). 

Using Technology

Part of supporting children’s participation includes integrating technology into the classroom. When it is used intentionally, technology can bolster functional abilities (NAEYC and Fred Rogers Center, 2012) in children who may not have otherwise been able to engage successfully. Although technology is included in UDL implementation plans, UDL is not technology focused. Parette and Blum (2014) assert technology can support universally designed preschool activities when educators identify instructional methods that connect to curriculum standards and benchmarks. The landscape for using technology with young children is changing; children are digital natives (Blum and Parette, 2015; US DOE and US DHHS, 2016). Deciding how to engage children in learning when many are using technology for entertainment at home may be challenging. UDL can be a guide for early educators to select appropriate technology for the classroom (Blum and Parette, 2015). When the technology chosen promotes children’s ability to engage with content, represent what they know, or express themselves, then it can be appropriate. In fact, it supports building an inclusive classroom. A key component to choosing technology is ensuring there is an interactive element that encourages children and adults to interact and to talk about what they are doing (Blum and Parette, 2015, US DOE and US DHHS, 2016).

AT and Young Children

One way educators provide individual supports for children with disabilities, which aligns well with UDL, is through the assessment and selection of AT. UDL focuses on preparedness in lessons and classroom design. What is AT? The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1998 have brought AT into public awareness (Petcu, Yell, and Fletcher, 2014). AT provides the means for students to access the curriculum and perform at a high level regardless of their disability. AT devices and services are selected by a team working with the individual and/or family to best meet their needs. AT needs to be adaptable to changing environments between school and home. AT categories help determine devices best supporting an individual’s needs. Examples include: communication, vision, hearing, recreation, seating, walking, daily living, and transportation. AT is customized to the individual rather than the disability. 

AT devices and AT services are different according to U.S. law 

§ 300.5 Assistive technology device. Assistive technology device means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability. The term does not include a medical device that is surgically implanted, or the replacement of such device. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(1))

§ 300.6 Assistive technology service. Assistive technology service means any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. The term includes— (a) The evaluation of the needs of a child with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the child in the child’s customary environment; (b) Purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by children with disabilities; (c) Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing assistive technology devices; (d) Coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs; (e) Training or technical assistance for a child with a disability or, if appropriate, that child’s family; and (f) Training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education or rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of that child. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(2))

Selecting AT. Individuals often gain benefits from and are better able to participate in life’s activities when using carefully selected AT. Acquiring AT means navigating systems and laws for proper assessments and funding (see Petcu et al., 2014; Davis, Barnard-Brak, and Arredondo, 2013). Students under the IDEA (2004) hold the right to have AT considered as part of their individual education plan (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP). However, the vagueness of the laws surrounding AT implementation for students qualifying for special education (Lee and Templeton, 2008) and lack of knowledge many professionals possess regarding AT (Dyal, Carpenter, and Wright, 2009), leaves many challenges for effective selection and consistent use of AT in schools and in early intervention settings. The large number of devices ranging from low to high tech, coupled with a lack of expertise in their use among practitioners and family members in the field leads to miscommunication and implementation issues. Professionals and families must work together.  It is important AT meets the child and family needs. Parents need to agree to use and learn about AT (Parette, Meadan, Doubet, and Hess, 2010; Sadao and Robinson, 2010). They along with the child's teachers will be the ones who make sure the solution transfers to home, and ultimately whether the child will be successful with the device.

Conclusions

Educator’s beliefs and attitudes play a role in changing educational settings. Educators who focus on children’s strengths, approach curricular design seeking to challenge learners, and set up the classroom to remove barriers can build social and physical spaces so all children are valued and have equal opportunities to learn (Blum and Parette, 2015). How technology, AT, and differentiated instruction are included in UDL as well as many other early childhood recommended practices (e.g., blended approaches to intervention, activity-based intervention, tiered interventions) depends upon collaborative efforts at school, home, and in the community; not to exclude transitions between these places. As organizations, researchers, and practitioners committed to young children with disabilities and those without disabilities move forward research exploring intentional technology usage, UDL principles, and critical pedagogy is needed to better understand the diversity in human learning. UDL is not a simple solution but rather a generative, dynamic process that requires a commitment to inclusive practices and children’s natural inclination toward curious exploration and discovery. 

References

• Blum, C., and Parette, H.P. (2015). Universal design for learning and technology in the early childhood classroom. In K.L. Heider and M.R. Jalongo (Eds.), Young Children & Families in The Information Age, 165. New York, NY: Springer. 
• DEC/NAEYC. (2009). Early childhood inclusion: A joint position statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, FPG Child Development Institute.
• Dinnebeil, L.A., Boat, M., and Bae, Y. (2013). Integrating principles of universal design into early childhood curriculum. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 41(1). 
• Division for Early Childhood (DEC). (2016). DEC recommended practices with Examples. Retrieved from http://www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices. 
• Davis, T.N., Barnard-Brak, L. and Arredondo, P.L. (2013). Assistive technology: Decision-making practices in public schools. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 32(4), pp. 15-23. 
• Dyal, A., Carpenter, L.B. and; Wright, J.V. (2009). Assistive technology: What every school leader should know. Education, 129(3), pp. 556-560.
• Harte, H.A. (2013). Universal design and outdoor learning. Dimensions of early childhood, 41(3), 18-22. 
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004). 20 U.S.C. 1401(1) §300.5. 
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004). 20 U.S.C. 1401(1) §300.6.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College (2012). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth to age 8: A Joint Position Statement. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PS_technology_WEB2.pdf. 
• Parette, H. P. and Blum, C. (2014). Using flexible participation in technology-supported, universally designed preschool activities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(3), 60-67. 
• Parette, H.P., Meadan, H., Doubet, S and Hess. (2010). Supporting families of young children with disabilities using technology. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 45(4), pp.552-565. 
• Petcu, S.D., Yell, M. and Fletcher, T. (2014). Assistive technology: Legislation and legal issues. Exceptionality, 22(4), pp. 226-236. 
• Sadao, K.C. and Robinson, N.B. (2010). Assistive Technology for Young Children: Creating Inclusive Learning Environments, Baltimore, MD: Paul B. Brookes Publishing, Co. 
• U.S. Department of Education (US DOE) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS). (2016). Early learning and educational technology. https://tech.ed.gov/earlylearning/.

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