Learning Disabilities – Reading

Many resources are available for individuals with learning disabilities.  For example, you may have a child who has difficulty learning to read.  Reading and Literacy Strategies from the PBS Parents advise teaching literacy to children with learning disabilities through systematic phonics-based instruction and comprehension.  They remind parents that you can help your child learn phonics and comprehension skills, but it’s most important that you and your child share in the joy of reading together.

If you are considering Assistive Technology options for your students, the  SETT framework resources by Joy Smiley Zabala, Ed.D.,  the resources from WATI (Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative), and GPAT (Georgia Project for Assistive Technology) will help you to determine your students’ needs in technology.   I included some suggested Assistive Technology Tool options (Low-tech, Mid-tech, High-tech) in Reading from WATI.

Low-tech  Standard text Use reading strategies & tools Color –     Highlighters –     Highlighting tape –     Colored overlays or reading strips Books adapted for access Page fluffers Flip Page Turner –  www.ablenetinc.com Visual Modifications –      Enlargement –      Increased spacing –      Hand-held or bar magnifiers Low Tech Modifications to text –      Modify vocabulary (use Wite-0ut® to replace wording) –      Use visual cues for trouble words, where to start reading, etc. –      Language Master to read  trouble words

Mid Tech Handheld device to read individual words Talking Dictionary – www.franklin.com Reading Pens – www.irislink.com Use of Pictures/Symbols with Text Software – Boardmaker  online https://www.boardmakeronline.com/ – Clicker – www.cricksoft.com/us/default.asp – Classroom Suite – https://www.ablenetinc.com/ – News 2 You – News-2-You – Picture It – www.slatersoftware.com – Writing With Symbols or Symwriter –   https://www.widgit.com/products/symwriter/ Electronic Text Commercial e-books – Leap Frog – www.leapfrog.com – Planet Wobble – www.planetwobble.com – Start to Finish series www.donjohnston.com E-book sites for downloading (free!) – Bookshare – www.bookshare.org (student must qualify with a print disability) – Project Gutenberg – Project Gutenberg – Starfall – http://www.starfall.com/ – Teacher Tap – (comprehesnive resource of e-books) http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic93.htm – UDL editions  – http://udleditions.cast.org/ Electronic Text (E-book sites for downloading – subscription) – One More Story – http://www.onemorestory.com/ – Reading A-Z – http://www.readinga-z.com – Tumblebooks – http://www.tumblebooks.com/ Electronic Text (Modified E-book sites) –  Classic Bookshelf  – www.classicbookshelf.com –  Tarheel Reader – http://tarheelreader.org/ Electronic Audio Text –   iTunes – www.itunes.com –   PlayAway – www.playaway.com –   Players include: iPod, MP3 player, FP3 player –   Convert text to audio using a text conversion program (SpeakAloud, Text-to-Audio, etc.) Handheld Electronic –  Text Readers –  Amazon Kindle – www.amazon.com –  Classmate Reader – www.humanware.com –  Victor Reader Stream – www.humanware.com Modifying Electronic Text – Use word processor to modify Font, Size, Spacing between words, letters, and lines – Margins (increase margins to show   fewer words per line) – Color  – text &  background – Readability – use auto summarize features to cognitively reformat text Create You Own Modified text/books –   CAST UDL Bookbuilder – http://bookbuilder.cast.org/ –   Clicker  – www.cricksoft.com/us/default.asp –   PowerPoint – part of Microsoft Office Modifying Text for Sensory Impairments –   Hearing Impairments –   Sign Language Avatars – http://www.vcom3d.com/language/sign-4-me/ –   Visual Impairments –   Use accessibility features in computer control panel –  Enlarge text on web browser –  Work with teacher of Visually Impaired

High Tech Text Readers as part of the computer OS Spoken User Interface (control panel) Text Edit (application included with Macs) Windows OS Narrator WordTalk plug-in (MS Word 2007 for old MS Word) Free downloadable Text Readers Acrobat Reader – (built into Adobe Reader) – www.adobe.com/AcrobatReader Balabolka – www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm Natural Reader – http://naturalreaders.com ReadPlease – https://readplease.en.softonic.com/ WordTalk – www.wordtalk.org.uk Web based Text readers  CLiCk, Speak (works with Firefox browser)– http://clickspeak.clcworld.net  Read the Words – www.readthewords.com Commercial Text Readers  TextAloud – www.ablereader.com  Read: OutLoud – www.donjohnston.com Scanning Software with OCR and Text Reader ClaroRead – www.clarosoftware.com Kurzweil – www.kurzweiledu.com Premier Assistive Technology – www.readingmadeez.com Read and Write Gold – www.readwritegold.com WYNN – www.freedomscientific.com