Assistive Technology Use and Young Children
Minibibliography
Service providers, families and early childhood teachers must become aware of the
benefits of assistive technology in promoting the development of young children with
disabilities. Used in natural environments AT can provide supports necessary to help
children independently participate in daily activities. A number of studies have
examined how AT can be used to promote positive outcomes in young children. A
sampling of related works are presented below with abstracted information.
Hutinger, P., Bell, C., Daytner, G, & Johanson, J. (2006). Establishing and maintaining an
early childhood emergent literacy technology curriculum. Journal of Special
Education Technology, 21 (4), 39-54.
Abstract: The three-year Early Childhood Emergent Literacy Technology Curriculum
(ELiTeC) study (E2) was designed to replicate, on a broad scale, the results of earlier
research in which a curriculum model was developed, implemented, and studied in
preschool classrooms for children with disabilities or those at risk. ELiTeC was based on
the assumptions that technologies provide access to literacy activities that benefit
children with disabilities and an integrated curriculum approach offers a meaningful
context for learning. The original study (E1) encompassed 255 children and 8 teachers
over a three-year period. During E2, ELiTeC was replicated in 17 classrooms, with 18
teachers who served 438 children. Both quantitative and qualitative data were
collected. One major goal of E2 was to investigate the implementation and maintenance
of the ELiTeC model in multiple settings. Findings of the E2 study demonstrated the
importance of allowing adequate time for an innovation to be integrated into practice.
The longer teachers used the curriculum model the more positive were the results
related to both model fidelity and children's gains in important aspects of literacy.
Judge, S., Floyd, K., Wood-Fields, C. (2010). Creating a technology-rich learning
environment for infants and toddlers with disabilities. Infants and Young Children,
23, 84-92.
Abstract: Assistive technology offers infants and toddlers with disabilities a set of tools
to assist in achieving developmental goals while interacting with objects, materials,
adults, and other children in their environment. This article focuses on assistive
technology devices that can promote young children's participation in activities and
routines in everyday settings and offers strategies on how to infuse assistive technology
and augmentative and alternative communication systems within natural routines for
young children. A discussion of best practices in early intervention with specific ways to
Compiled 2011
Susan Mistrett MS Ed
make infants' and toddlers' play activities accessible through the use of assistive
technology, computers, and switches is provided.
Hamm, E., Mistrett, S.G., & Goetz Ruffino, A. (2006). Play outcomes and satisfaction with
toys and technology of young children with special needs. Journal of Special
Education Technology, 21 (1), 29-35.
Abstract: This study examined parental preference of play outcomes and selection of
toys and assistive technology used in meeting the identified outcomes for children, birth
to 3, with developmental delays. Additionally, parent satisfaction related to how well
selected materials assisted their child in meeting play outcomes was measured.
Participants included families receiving assistive technology services to support play as
part of an Early Intervention Program. Parents most often stated an interest in
increasing play options as a play outcome for their child. Additionally, parents most
often chose low-tech, off-the-shelf toys that encouraged functional play to help their
child meet identified play outcomes, although no difference in satisfaction levels by type
of toy was noted. Conclusions point to a need for interventionists and parents to
encourage a variety of play through a variety of toys for children with special needs.
Heft, T.M. & Swaminathan, S. (2002). The effects of computers on the social behavior of
preschoolers. Journal of Research in Childhood Education,
The purpose of this research was to study the impact of computers on the social
behavior of preschoolers. Fourteen preschoolers were observed while they worked at
the computer over the course of two months. Data were collected through nonparticipant observations, informal interviews of the children, and interviews of the
teachers. Results found a total of 91 peer interactions and 33 teacher interactions over
the course of the study. The interactions included children acknowledging each other,
children commenting and being ignored, and children sharing or helping each other.
Gender variation was found in frequency of use, with the boys using the computer more
often than the girls. Implications of the study underscore the educational value of the
social environment at the computers, the value of using developmentally appropriate
software, and the need for teachers to teach such cooperative learning behaviors as
sharing of ideas and group problem solving.
Kling, A., Campbell, P.H., Wilcox, J. (2010). Young children with physical disabilities:
Caregiver perspectives about assistive technology, 23, 169-183.
Abstract: Caregiver reports of problematic activities/routines with their young children
with physical disabilities and types of assistive technology used as solutions were
Compiled 2011
Susan Mistrett MS Ed
investigated in this study. In addition, caregiver competence with assistive technology
use and ways in which caregivers received information and training were also examined.
A subset of 164 caregivers who identified their children as having physical disabilities
was retrieved from an archived database and used for analysis. Results indicated that
children experienced various problems when participating in daily activities/routines. An
average of 60.4% of their caregivers found solutions to these problems and 64.5% of
these solutions involved the use of assistive technology. Only a small percent (13.4%) of
caregivers reported feeling very competent at using assistive technology and 68.2% of
those had received information from an early intervention provider. This research
exemplifies the importance of both using assistive technology interventions for children
with physical disabilities and ensuring that early intervention providers are sufficiently
knowledgeable to train caregivers so that their children gain maximal opportunities to
participate and learn.
Lane, S. J. & Mistrett, S.G. (1996). Play and assistive technology issues for infants and
young children with disabilities: A preliminary examination. Focus on Autism and
Other Developmental Disabilities, 11 (2), 96-104.
Abstract: This article examines the impact of "low tech" assistive technology options for
positioning, communication, learning, mobility, and self-care barriers for infants and
children with disabilities, focusing on play activities. Combined low- and high-tech
assistive systems are described. Policy issues interfering with inclusion of assistive
devices in early intervention are addressed, with recommendations for overcoming
these barriers.
Lau, C., Higgins, K., Gelfer, J., Hong, E., & Miller, S. (2005). The effects of teacher
facilitation on the social interactions of young children during computer activities.
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education Winter 2005 vol. 25 no. 4 208-217
Abstract: This group study investigated the impact of teacher facilitation on the social
interactions of young children during computer activities. The study compared 18 dyads
comprised of children with and without disabilities who received teacher facilitation
during computer activities to a group of children who did not receive teacher
facilitation. The sessions were videotaped for the purpose of analyzing the social
interactions and behaviors of the children. Pre-and post measures of the children's
social skills with the Teacher Impression Scales and systematic observations of their
social interactions using the Social Interaction Observation System were analyzed.
Results indicated that children in the study exhibited few negative social interactions
regardless of their age, disability status, or intervention group assignment. The children
with and without disabilities in the teacher-facilitated computer group had more
Compiled 2011
Susan Mistrett MS Ed
positive social interactions and demonstrated more effective social behaviors than the
children in the computer-only group. This study shows that children with and without
disabilities benefit from social skill instruction, and practitioners may use a structured
computer activity as an alternative to free play for promoting social interactions among
children.
Lee, Y. & Vail, C. (2005). Computer-Based Reading Instruction for Young Children with
Disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 20 (1), 5-18.
This investigation examined the effectiveness of a computer program in teaching sight
word recognition to four young children with developmental disabilities. The
intervention program was developed through a formative evaluation process. It
embedded a constant-time-delay procedure and involved sounds, video, text, and
animations. Dependent measures were the percentage of correct responses during full
and daily probe conditions. A multiple probe design across four word sets, replicated by
four participants, was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Findings
indicate that all children acquired the target words. They also learned incidental
information (i.e., word definition) presented in an antecedent event and generalized
sight word recognition across modes and materials.
Light, J. & Drager, K. (2007). AAC technologies for young children with complex
communication needs: State of the science and future research directions.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 23, 204–216.
Abstract: Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies offer the
potential to provide children who have complex communication needs with access to
the magic and power of communication. This paper is intended to (a) summarize the
research related to AAC technologies for young children who have complex
communication needs; and (b) define priorities for future research to improve AAC
technologies and interventions for children with complex communication needs. With
the realization of improved AAC technologies, young children with complex
communication needs will have better tools to maximize their development of
communication, language, and literacy skills, and attain their full potential.
Parette, H.P., Blum, C, & Boeckmann, N.M. (2009). Evaluating assistive technology in
early childhood education: The use of a concurrent time series probe. Early
Childhood Education Journal, 37 (1) 5-12.
Abstract: As assistive technology applications are increasingly implemented in early
childhood settings for children who are at risk or who have disabilities, it is critical that
Compiled 2011
Susan Mistrett MS Ed
teachers utilize observational approaches to determine whether targeted assistive
technology-supported interventions make a difference in children's learning. One
structured strategy that employs observations and which has powerful child progress
monitoring implications is the concurrent time series probe approach. Requiring
multiple performance measures of a child engaged in a targeted task over time--both
with and without a specific assistive technology device--the concurrent time series
probe approach can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of assistive technology tools
in supporting skill acquisition in the classroom. This approach is described in the context
of a case study, with accompanying explanations of how to interpret data and make
decisions regarding the effectiveness of the technology.
Romski, M. & Sevcik, R. A. (2005). Augmentative communication and early intervention:
myths and realities. Infants & Young Children.18 (3), 174–185.
Abstract: The use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services and
supports with infants and young children has been limited, owing to a number of myths
about the appropriateness of AAC use with this population. This article will provide an
overview of some of the myths that have hampered the inclusion of AAC into early
intervention service delivery and refutes them. It will then examine some of the realities
that must be considered when delivering AAC services and supports to young children.
Wilcox, M.J., Dugan, L.M., Campbell, P., & Guimond, A. (2006). Recommended practices
and parent perspectives regarding at use in early intervention. Journal of Special
Education Technology, 21, (4), 7-16.
Abstract: It frequently is suggested that parents underutilize assistive technology (AT)
for their young children with disabilities despite wide spread recommended practices
for providing optimal AT interventions (i.e., devices and services). However, neither
parent perspectives of AT underutilization or families' experiences with AT have been
reported in the literature. The purpose of this article is to provide information about
families' experiences with AT for their infants and toddlers who are receiving early
intervention services. Computer assisted telephone interviews were conducted with a
sample of 924 parents or other family members of children receiving Part C early
intervention services. Participants were asked about various aspects of their
experiences with AT, including devices, success rates, and resources. Results indicate
that for the most part, families identifying, using, and paying for various devices do so
without professional assistance. Further, most devices they have tried, or are trying, are
perceived as having limited success. When these results are considered with regard to
previous research addressing provider perspectives in relation to families, substantive
differences are apparent. To maximize early intervention outcomes using AT in early
Compiled 2011
Susan Mistrett MS Ed
intervention, families may benefit from increased collaboration with their early
intervention providers.
Weikle, B., & Hadadian, A. (2003). Can Assistive Technology Help Us to Not Leave Any
Child Behind? Preventing School Failure, 47(4), 181.
Abstract: Although there is excellent evidence for the efficacy of using various
technologies to enhance emergent literacy skills in young children with disabilities,
society, including parents and professionals, has been slow in acknowledging these
positive findings. This article demonstrates the dichotomous position that places
preschool children with disabilities at risk for not becoming literate members of
communities along with their typically developing peers. There are profound
implications for children with disabilities who do not develop literacy skills. Practical
recommendations enable parents and professionals to enhance their literacy-related
activities using assistive technology.
Compiled 2011
Susan Mistrett MS Ed