Early Childhood Special Education and Assistive Technology Blog

By:  Caitlyn Pagnottaro, ECSEAT Scholar There’s a lot of things that children tell us every day and a lot of messages that they send us, even if we don’t receive those messages verbally in a way that we can understand. That’s why as educators it’s important for us to have the ability to recognize whether a child can’t do something simply because it’s too difficult, or because we haven’t provided them an environment where they’re comfortable and capable of doing the work. That’s the whole idea behind flexible seating. More and more educators in grades K – 3 are adding this into their practice where children get to choose their own workspaces. Traditionally, children would be introduced to their desk space labeled with their name, but instead teachers are introducing them to spaces that they can choose to work from such as crate chairs, exercise balls, kneeling tables and much more. It’s up to the student to choose where they think they’re going to do their best work. For a lot of ch...

Assistive Technology (AT) supports children of all different abilities and ages. Sometimes, we may not realize what AT is or how it can be found and then used effectively by the child and supported by family, community, and school. Below is a video about a boy named Daniel who had an arm designed for him. The  video and focus on a story  is from Daniel's and his sister's perspective. It is a story that shows Daniel's personality, needs, interests and the work of engineering students who designed an arm just for him (and included him in the process). This video emphasizes so many important aspects of designing and building AT for children. Also, A useful list of short videos and resources about assistive technology can be found by visiting the 5-Minute Film Festival: The Power of Assistive Technology This playlist of videos and resources explores how assistive technology can contribute to an inclusive classroom and empower students with special needs. by: Amy Erin Bor...