Enhancing Learning Using the iPad 1 Title Page Enhancing ...

Enhancing Learning Using the iPad 1

Title Page

Enhancing Learning with the Use of Assistive Technology for Children on the Autism Spectrum

Tin Fan

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Education

School of Education and Counseling Psychology Dominican University of California San Rafael, CA May 2012

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Acknowledgements I would like to thank everyone who has supported me through this process. Thank you to my professors Dr. Madalienne Peters, and Dr. Rande Webster at Dominican University for their continued support. Thanks to Suzanne Roybal and Dale Heffernan for their efforts to finish last minute details. Thank you to Dan Phillips at the Technology Resource Center for center offices of education with his expertise and insights with the use of technology. I also want to thank my classmates and my colleagues who encouraged me to keep on going. I would also like to extend my appreciation to those willing to participate in the research portion of my paper. My deepest thanks go out to my family and fianc? for invaluable support and belief that have encouraged me to cross the finish line. This research is dedicated to all the parents, educators, and students who are empowered by autism.

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Table of Contents

TITLE PAGE ...................................................................................................................... 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT........................................................................... 3

ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ 5

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 6

PURPOSE STATEMENT ...................................................................................................... 7 RESEARCH QUESTION ...................................................................................................... 7 THEORETICAL RATIONALE............................................................................................... 8 ASSUMPTIONS .................................................................................................................. 8 BACKGROUND AND NEED ................................................................................................ 9 KANNER'S SYNDROME -CLASSIC AUTISTIC DISORDER .................................................... 9 PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER (P.D.D) ........................................................... 9 ASPERGER'S DISORDER .................................................................................................... 9 RETTS DISORDER ............................................................................................................. 9 CHILDHOOD DISINTEGRATIVE DISORDER ...................................................................... 10

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................................ 11

HISTORICAL CONTEXT ................................................................................................... 11 DEFINITION OF AUTISM.................................................................................................. 12 REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS LITERATURE ........................................................................ 13 SENSORY INTEGRATION/PERCEPTION ISSUES................................................................. 13 SOCIAL SKILLS............................................................................................................... 13 LANGUAGE DELAYS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM.......................................................... 14 DEFINE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY................................................................................... 16 WHO CANNOT COMMUNICATE?..................................................................................... 18 STRATEGIES TO EXCHANGE COMMUNICATION .............................................................. 18 VISUAL REPRESENTATION SYSTEMS .............................................................................. 19 TYPES OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY: LOW, MID, HIGH................................................... 20 STATISTICS .................................................................................................................... 21 ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS ........................................................................................... 22 SPECIAL COLLECTIONS .................................................................................................. 23 INTERVIEW WITH AN EXPERT ......................................................................................... 24 ETHICAL STANDARDS .................................................................................................... 27

CHAPTER 3 METHOD ................................................................................................... 28

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 28 SAMPLE AND SITE .......................................................................................................... 28

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ETHICAL STANDARDS .................................................................................................... 28 ACCESS AND PERMISSIONS ............................................................................................ 29 DATA GATHERING STRATEGIES ..................................................................................... 29 DATA ANALYSIS APPROACH.......................................................................................... 29 CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS.................................................................................................. 30 DESCRIPTIONS OF SITE, INDIVIDUALS, DATA ................................................................. 30 OVERALL FINDINGS, THEMES ........................................................................................ 31 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION /ANALYSIS ....................................................................... 34 SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS..................................................................................... 34 COMPARISON OF FINDINGS TO PREVIOUS RESEARCH..................................................... 34 LIMITATIONS/GAPS IN THE STUDY ................................................................................. 35 IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH.......................................................................... 35 OVERALL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ........................................................................ 35 ABOUT THE AUTHOR ..................................................................................................... 36 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 37

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Abstract This goal of this study is to understand the effective learning of the iPad and the use of the system to assist elementary-age students with learning. The research literature promotes different types of assistive technology used for learning and suggests a few applications to use for the iPad.

Four students with autism learned to use an iPad tablet to learn phonics. An empirical approach was used via teacher action research by collecting observation data on students. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of using the iPad in teaching language arts.

The data indicated that all participants began learning more independently after the iPad was introduced. Their performance in communicating and in recognition and identification of letters became apparent. These results are presented in the context of how effective the iPad can aid students who are on the Autism Spectrum.

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