iPads Ease Communication for Special Needs Learners

Digital technology is opening horizons for special needs students in the Bridges community-based school program at Healdsburg High School campus.

The iPads, in particular, have opened windows of communication never before available to some of the students, said Lisa Needham, speech and language specialist with the North County Consortium (NCC), a six-district program that includes the Bridges class in Healdsburg.

“We have a student [who] is unable to communicate his needs and ideas verbally, but [who] is very social and eager to communicate,” said Needham.

“Without an [iPad] device, this student is limited to use of gestures, facial expression, posture, and simple sign language to indicate his needs," she said.

Needham works with both the students in the Bridges program and with preschool students at the Helping Hands Preschool, based at the Fitch Mountain Campus.

“Initially I was a little hesitant to use the iPad with my youngest students, but I quickly realized that most of them had access to iPads or iPhones in their homes and they knew just what to do and it was highly motivating,” she said.

At the Bridges program class on the Healdsburg High Campus, each of teacher Cooper Conrad's 10 students has unique learning challenges, ranging from autism to Down syndrome to global developmental delays.

“We work hard,” said Conrad, “so we can pursue things that are fun.”

Cooper said his students range in age from high school through age 22.

“This is a transitional or prevocational class,” Conrad said. “Everyone has an IEP (Individualized Educational Plan).

During a recent visit to Conrad's classroom, Jesse Taylor, 17, was working on a more complex schedule than many of the students. Taylor’s head was down over her computer as she worked independently.

Jene Doherty, 15, and Juliana Moon, 21, worked with teacher’s aid, Laurie Eakins, on vocational skills. They folded aprons while Alex Homchick worked on two-step skills at another table.

Conrad set up a special iPad holder made specifically for Luis Guerrero’s tray by a tech from the North Bay Consortium. Guerrero finished his certificate of completion last spring; now he's on to prevocational skills.

“The adaptive tech center is great at figuring out what we need,” said Conrad. “They were very inventive to make the iPad work with this tray.”

A number of community organizations work with NCC to provide community-based and work experiences. It is good for the students to work in their own communities.

“I have two children at HES,” said Conrad. “It’s important to them to be part of our community, as it is for these students.”

Conrad’s students volunteer with the Healdsburg High School's culinary class by collecting, washing and folding towels and aprons. They also cook a couple of times with the senior culinary class several times each semester.

Moon and Homchick go to a Windsor work site to wash buses and work in the bus yards.

“I’m not happy with my job, but someone has to do it,” said Alex Homchick, with a smile. “It’s [the bus] not going to clean itself."

“We are always looking for apps,” said Conrad. “Gifts of iTunes cards are always welcome.”

Needham said the gift cards “are great, as we don’t really have a budget for purchasing the apps.”

A plus of the iPad is that it can be adapted for individual special needs learners, Needham added.

“We are using the iPad2 with the TouchChat with Word Power app to give [a student] an expressive means of communication,” Needham said.

“With the use of a communication device, the student is able to participate in conversation, express his ideas, and make requests without relying on the ability of others to guess what he is trying to communicate,” she said.

According to Needham, the iPad has gone from being an “augmentative and alternative communication device,” to offering “endless possibilities for use during speech/language therapy session,” she said.

After their classes and the work days are done, special needs students -- like their mainstream counterparts -- are also able to segue via the iPads into leisure pursuits such as using the iTunes store for music, games and videos.