Introduction: This article reports on a study that explored the benefits and drawbacks of using spatially positioned synthesized speech in auditory interfaces for computer users who are visually impaired (that is, are blind or have low vision). The study was a practical application of such systems--an enhanced word processing application compared…

Recent advances in videoconferencing technology have resulted in a substantial increase in the use of live videoconferencing--referred to here as telepractice--to diagnose and treat speech, language, and hearing disorders. There is growing support from professional organizations for use of this service delivery model, as videoconferencing…

For children, the urge to move is a basic need. Movement is essential for the development of physical and mental abilities. Quite often, for children with intellectual and physical disabilities who require special supportive seating, other considerations receive priority over movement in seats. The result is an even greater reduction of their…

This article, intended to inform educators on how to use iPad apps for literacy development for young children with developmental disabilities, briefly reviews the literature on iPad apps for literacy development, examines key apps for literacy development for children with developmental disabilities, and discusses how to incorporate iPad apps…

The Effects of the Language for Learning curriculum (Engelmann & Osborne, 1999) on through-the-air (i.e., signed and/or spoken) English skills for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) were examined by means of a single-subject, concurrent-multiple-probes-across-participants design. Four 11-year-old participants varied in auditory…

A national mail survey of Head Start preschool teachers (N = 500) was conducted to assess their practices, the availability of specialist support, and their views related to emergent literacy instruction for Head Start children who have a disability or developmental delay. The responding teachers (n = 254) reported that (a) nearly one quarter of…

This research investigated the concurrent association between early reading skills and phonological awareness (PA), print knowledge, language, cognitive, and demographic variables in 101 five-Year-Old Children with prelingual hearing losses ranging from mild to profound who communicated primarily via spoken language. All participants were fitted…

In this review, we focus on research that has used technology to provide cognitive training--i.e. to improve performance on some measurable aspect of behaviour--in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. We review technology-enhanced interventions that target three different cognitive domains: (a) emotion and face recognition, (b) language and…

This article relates the story of a first grade teacher and a child who was the only deaf student in the entire school. Because he had no one who could communicate with him--not teachers, not students, no one, this situation tugged at the hearts of a committed team of professionals. A teacher of the deaf, a first grade general education teacher, a…

To address the needs and abilities of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students in different educational settings, it is important to understand who is in which setting. A secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) database was conducted to examine differences in the characteristics of students who attended special…

In affluent societies how people use technology is symbolic of various values and identities. This article investigates the symbolic values and use of assistive technologies from the world of information and communication technology (ICT) in the daily lives of 11 visually impaired young Norwegians. The article draws on a qualitative interview…

Millions of patients are debilitated by hearing loss, mainly caused by degeneration of sensory hair cells in the cochlea. The underlying reasons for hair cell loss are highly diverse, ranging from genetic disposition, drug side effects, traumatic noise exposure, to the effects of aging. Whereas modern hearing aids offer some relief of the symptoms…

This study investigated the potential effects of cochlear implantation and age at implantation on maternal interactional sensitivity. Three groups of dyads were studied at two points over 1 year. The hearing aid (HA) group wore hearing aids throughout the study, the early cochlear implanted (ECI) group were implanted prior to 22 months of age, and…

The latest researches adopted software technology to improve pointing performance; however, Drag-and-Drop (DnD) operation is also commonly used in modern GUI programming. This study evaluated whether two children with developmental disabilities would be able to improve their DnD performance, through an Automatic DnD Assistive Program (ADnDAP). At…

This special education reopening guidance has been developed as a companion resource to "Reopening Washington Schools 2020: District Planning Guide" (ED606044) to provide information and resources for supporting students with disabilities throughout the school reopening process. The intent of this document is to offer guidance for all…