Assistive Technology Pack for Students with Down Syndrome
School Name
Center for Advanced Technical Studies
Grade Level
12th Grade
Presentation Topic
Engineering
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Oral Presentation Award
1st Place
Abstract
Children with Down Syndrome have physical abnormalities such as underdeveloped wrist bones, hypotonia, and co-occurring ADHD that can hinder their productivity in both mainstream and special needs classrooms. In order to counteract some of the abnormalities, a pack of Assistive Technology will be created to assemble to the child's desk. If children with Down Syndrome use the AT pack, then teachers will report "corrected" behavior and claim that the pack was adaptable, easily assembled, adjustable, and requires minimal to no assistance to operate because each component of the AT pack addresses the physical abnormalities in children with Down Syndrome. Teachers will assemble and use the pack (that contains a writing slope with a tablet holder, a tactile footrest, and a tactile seat cover) in their classroom for approximately two weeks. The teacher will then complete a survey for each individual student that addresses the effectiveness of each aspect of the desk and the overall success and usefulness of the product in the classroom. Ideally, the results will prove that the AT pack will improve student improvements and "correct" some of the negative effects of their physical abnormalities. The data will be analyzed using Likert scale. If student performance improves and the surveys yield positive results, it can be concluded that the AT pack lead to those improvements. The implications of these findings would suggest that more teachers should use AT packs in their classrooms to improve student performance. In the future, more children and teachers should be tested and/or surveyed.
Recommended Citation
Gepper, Madison, "Assistive Technology Pack for Students with Down Syndrome" (2018). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 229.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2018/all/229
Location
Lassiter 118
Start Date
4-14-2018 9:30 AM
Presentation Format
Oral Only
Assistive Technology Pack for Students with Down Syndrome
Lassiter 118
Children with Down Syndrome have physical abnormalities such as underdeveloped wrist bones, hypotonia, and co-occurring ADHD that can hinder their productivity in both mainstream and special needs classrooms. In order to counteract some of the abnormalities, a pack of Assistive Technology will be created to assemble to the child's desk. If children with Down Syndrome use the AT pack, then teachers will report "corrected" behavior and claim that the pack was adaptable, easily assembled, adjustable, and requires minimal to no assistance to operate because each component of the AT pack addresses the physical abnormalities in children with Down Syndrome. Teachers will assemble and use the pack (that contains a writing slope with a tablet holder, a tactile footrest, and a tactile seat cover) in their classroom for approximately two weeks. The teacher will then complete a survey for each individual student that addresses the effectiveness of each aspect of the desk and the overall success and usefulness of the product in the classroom. Ideally, the results will prove that the AT pack will improve student improvements and "correct" some of the negative effects of their physical abnormalities. The data will be analyzed using Likert scale. If student performance improves and the surveys yield positive results, it can be concluded that the AT pack lead to those improvements. The implications of these findings would suggest that more teachers should use AT packs in their classrooms to improve student performance. In the future, more children and teachers should be tested and/or surveyed.
