http://www.closingthegap.com/lib/pdf/2008/Dec-Jan/Spotlights/SocialSkill.pdf
I read the article A preschooler joins the world with a little help from his friends. I chose this article because the topic of early intervention is very interesting to me. I was also very interested in this particular article because the title really captured my attention with the words "joins the world." This article discusses how the use of a computer software program, Preschool Playtime, helped a preschool boy with a diagnosis of Semantic-Pragmatic Disorder (on the autism spectrum), develop appropriate social skills and increase appropriate communication. The Preschool Playtime software was successful for the little boy in the article. He was able to take the information learned from the software and generalize into real life situations. The world of autism is very interesting to me. There is SO much I don't know about it. I have one little boy in my class with a diagnosis of autism, and almost all of my ten students could use practice on social skills and appropriate communication. I have a book of social stories, but the concepts and connections in the stories are too advanced for my Kindergarten and 1st grade students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities. Something similar (to the software program mentioned) may be appropriate with my students. They enjoy the computer, and it seems more appropriate for my level of learners versus social stories.
This article also briefly discussed the importance of early intervention the importance of parents understanding developmental milestones. I strongly support early intervention and therapies. Early intervention is critical in helping to close the gap between typically developing children and children with developmental delays.
2 comments:
Nydia,
The article you read sounds really interesting to me! We often talk about the use of assistive technology in elementary, middle, and high school, but not in early intervention or preschool. As our world becomes more technology dependent, however, I think we will begin to see more and more technology used with younger children. I am also interested in Autism in children, but I have only had experience working with a 22 year old young man. He loved to play on the computer and I believe that if a computer program could have been introduced to him at a younger age, he would have less trouble communicating in the present.
I think your article must have been very interesting and informative. We have heard only a few times (which is surprising) that early intervention is important, which I fully agree with. Eventhough I am not the best with computers, I think it is amazing the software they have available for use now. We only learned about a small fraction of what is out there, but what little I saw was great. I think in your situation, you have one child that could potentially benefit greatly from the software and also the other children in your class could benefit from the software.
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