Assistive Technology for Young Children with Disabilities

Assistive Technology for Young Children with Disabilities

Introduction

Assistive technology refers to products used by people with disabilities to gain access to the environment and activities that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to use. It allows people to carry out the daily tasks of regular life, like dressing or eating, facilitate communication and offers greater access to education, employment and entertainment. Examples of assistive technology include wheelchairs, hand controls to operate vehicles and equipment limitations help speech or hearing.

Care products specifically related to IT accessible (known as adaptive technology) are those that allow people with disabilities to operate computers, software, Internet, telephones and other types of information technology. If a person has limited hand use and wants to operate a computer, you can use a keyboard with larger keys, or mouse (mouse) special people who are blind or have difficulty reading programs can be used to announce aloud the text on the screen, and people with limited vision can use screen magnification programs. The hearing impaired or deaf can use the TTY telephone systems / or text telephone to communicate by phone, speech impaired persons may use a device that loudly announces the text what the person writes using a keyboard.

The limited capacity of the child - not so much a medical diagnosis, involving long-term treatment, but it is also a search for his place in society, the need for education. Traditional learning technologies provide the required level of education only for children enrolled in educational institutions.

Discussion

Children with disabilities, who cannot attend educational institutions because of restrictions on health, deprived of many opportunities to receive quality education. The problem with these children is one of the most important among the many challenges facing the domestic education. Acquisition of knowledge in the usual way for the sick and disabled is limited or impossible. Expand access to educational programs disabled and feasible work can be widely introducing new information and educational technology. Systematic use of a computer at home or in hospital will acquire an initial, vocational training, as the basis for a future profession for children with chronic diseases, contribute to the development of creative abilities, and enhance the learning process.

Workplace equipment and a variety of disabilities assistive technology for partial or full compensation restrictions connected with the violation of physical, sensory or neuropsychiatric functions, provide them with the necessary computer access, as well as minimize the communication and psychological problems.

Dedicated devices for children with cerebral palsy effects

Today in most countries, the consequences of cerebral palsy, depending on the type of motor disorders, classified into the following forms:

cramping when muscles are stretched (spastic), increased muscle tone, but at the same reduced muscle strength

hyperkinetic, dyskinetic, or when the child has involuntary movements, which he cannot control

ataxic - sweeping movement of the child, uncoordinated and awkward

Mixed - a child can be spastichnosg and ataxia, or spasticity and athetosis.

Therefore, for each case has to create its modification of the ICT system or set up in accordance with its capabilities ...