The purpose of this letter to the editor is to comment on several review papers recently published in the current "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Special Issue on Technology: Software, Robotics, and Translational Science." These reviews address a variety of aspects relating to technology-aided intervention and instruction…

Bror Saxberg is Chief Learning Officer for Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of the Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC) and a leading global provider of educational services, offering post-secondary education, test preparation, professional training, and K-12 programs. Saxberg is responsible for the research and development of innovative learning…

This commentary includes a brief discussion of issues raised by the articles and systematic review contained in this special issue addressing technology applications for persons with severe developmental disabilities. Topical areas include a discussion of: (1) a need to compare "high tech" with "low tech" applications, (2) procedural fidelity, (3)…

Jason Ranker argues that struggling students need "opportunities to use print and produce meanings in diverse and multifaceted ways." His case study of two fifth-grade girls who used digital video production to better understand aspects of the civil rights movement reveals ways in which multimodal literacy practices "can create new possibilities…

Although the concept of assistive technology has been around for some time in the fields of study for rehabilitation, communication as it relates to speech and language (Bryant & Bryant, 2003; Church & Glennen, 1992) and medicine (Porter, Haynie, Bierle, Caldwell, & Palfrey, 2001), assistive technology pedagogy is relatively new to the field of…

This article presents the authors' response to Gunther and Diekema's argument about growth attenuation and due process. As a case study, growth attenuation raises complicated issues. The authors address some issues that have not been sufficiently addressed. Those involve family support, assistive technology, constitutional rights to "self," the…

This article describes how concepts related to the use of technology in education have evolved with particular emphasis on their implications for people with learning disabilities (LD). The article reflects the personal perceptions of the author as a "participant observer" in a variety of activities related to technology applications in special…