Do you have students with dysgraphia? If so, you know that they can often struggle with written expression. While dysgraphia accommodations and modifications can be very helpful, it’s important to select the right ones for each student. Here are some examples that be appropriate supports for your students. Be sure to discuss these options with […]
Schools continue to increase the amount of work that is expected of students. For students who struggle to keep pace or understand the material, assistive technology can sometimes be a game changer. As school based therapists (OTs, PTs and Speech therapists) we must always be learning and developing new skills to help students access technology. […]
We asked and 264 of you responded on what effects you think tablets and smartphones have on the overall development of young children. Here are the highlights: 61% of the respondents were pediatric OTs. 53% of all respondents think that tablet/smartphone use delays social development in 0-5 year old children. 36% of all respondents think […]
I came across an excellent FREE resource on adaptive equipment and rehabilitation technology. I was reading the Rifton Newsletter (which is also a great resource) at http://www.rifton.com/adaptive-mobility-blog. In one of the articles, the author referred to a digital magazine article from the NRRTS – National Registration of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers. The first article I read was […]
Have you ever heard of Fitt’s Law? “Fitts’s Law allows to predict a time it takes a user to point at an object using a specific pointing device (such as a mouse, trackball, trackpad, or even a finger)”. At a website about Fitt’s Law – http://fww.few.vu.nl/hci/interactive/fitts/, you can collect data on how long it takes a […]
Once a piece of adaptive equipment is put in place to use with a student, therapists need to follow up frequently. Whether the adaptive equipment is a pencil grip or a tablet, on going assessment is needed. Here are 5 follow up questions to answer after implementing adaptive equipment:1. Is it being used at all? […]
Do you sometimes feel lost when it comes to assistive technology? The UC Davis Mind Institute offers a collection of FREE webcasts that were previously recorded. Check out the website. There are various topics such as app recommendations for individuals with disabilities, SLP and OT collaboration and technology and autism. These videos can be found […]
I wanted to share this fun, easy animation tool that some students may enjoy – PowToon. It is really fun and pretty simple to create animated presentations. Perhaps a tool to add to your therapy bag to entertain the school staff for professional development. Or suggest to an older student instead of a traditional pen […]
A recent study indicates that tablet computers may interfere with programmable shunts. The researchers discovered the following when exposing programmable shunts to the iPad2: at distances between 0 and 1 cm, the settings had changed in 58 percent of the valves. after exposure at distances between 1 and 2.5 cm the settings had changed in […]
Gait and Posture recently published two articles on the use of the Wii and the Kinect. The research indicated the following: When compared to multiple camera 3D motion analysis, the Microsoft Kinect was able to validly assess kinematic strategies of postural control. The forward reach, lateral reach and single limb stance eye closed were used […]