M.I.N.D.ful Learning on Trial
From September 2005
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Molding Young Minds
“Early intervention makes a huge difference in kids,” she says. “We are talking about molding the brain, and you can mold the brain in a lot of different positive directions. But, you’ve got to intervene in childhood, and the earlier the better.”
Easier said than done, Hagerman says, pointing to shrinking school budgets and the state’s shortsightedness in not providing more money for early intervention. With limited budgets, schools are taking a hard-line approach toward adopting unproven methods, says assistive technology team member Kerrie Lemons Chitwood.
“Schools will ask, ‘Is that proven with this group? Is that proven with this diagnosis? Is that proven with this age?’ And sometimes just having one good study to show, ‘Yes, these are the outcomes; this was a good controlled study,’ really makes a difference, versus things that remain anecdotal, which we have buckets and buckets and buckets of. You can understand where they’re coming from,” she says.
“The state spends much more money with institutions (than on intervention),” Hagerman says. “If you go into our jails, you’d be surprised at how many individuals are learning disabled. If you could put the money into this kind of intervention to make these kids (with neurodevelopmental disabilities) successful, they’re not going to turn to drugs and bad behavior. If you can build their self-image, build their success, this is all interrelated.”
The five-year trial is one of the largest of its type. The study team, and families such as the Villaseñors, are hopeful it will bring increased comprehension and communication into the lives of the participants: kids with autism, fragile X syndrome and chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome, and ultimately, others with neurodevelopmental disorders — so named because neurological problems with the brain cause developmental delays. From a research perspective, the goal is to accumulate hard data about the effectiveness of assistive technology that will spur further interest and funding.
The study will test the effectiveness of two software programs, Write:OutLoud and Co:Writer, from Don Johnston Inc. of Volo, Ill., which has been providing learning intervention resources for 25 years.
“Write:OutLoud is a simplified word-processing program with speech feedback that allows students, once they type, to hear their sentences aloud,” explains Jennifer Bujak, Don Johnston marketing communications specialist. Hearing their work read aloud has been proven successful in helping students improve their writing, she says.
Co:Writer is a word prediction program that integrates with Write:OutLoud to suggest the next word in a sentence based on what has already been typed, or a phonetic equivalent. It is particularly beneficial for students with physical disabilities because it cuts down on the number of keystrokes required, Bujak says.
Continued...
“Early intervention makes a huge difference in kids,” she says. “We are talking about molding the brain, and you can mold the brain in a lot of different positive directions. But, you’ve got to intervene in childhood, and the earlier the better.”
Easier said than done, Hagerman says, pointing to shrinking school budgets and the state’s shortsightedness in not providing more money for early intervention. With limited budgets, schools are taking a hard-line approach toward adopting unproven methods, says assistive technology team member Kerrie Lemons Chitwood.
“Schools will ask, ‘Is that proven with this group? Is that proven with this diagnosis? Is that proven with this age?’ And sometimes just having one good study to show, ‘Yes, these are the outcomes; this was a good controlled study,’ really makes a difference, versus things that remain anecdotal, which we have buckets and buckets and buckets of. You can understand where they’re coming from,” she says.
“The state spends much more money with institutions (than on intervention),” Hagerman says. “If you go into our jails, you’d be surprised at how many individuals are learning disabled. If you could put the money into this kind of intervention to make these kids (with neurodevelopmental disabilities) successful, they’re not going to turn to drugs and bad behavior. If you can build their self-image, build their success, this is all interrelated.”
The five-year trial is one of the largest of its type. The study team, and families such as the Villaseñors, are hopeful it will bring increased comprehension and communication into the lives of the participants: kids with autism, fragile X syndrome and chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome, and ultimately, others with neurodevelopmental disorders — so named because neurological problems with the brain cause developmental delays. From a research perspective, the goal is to accumulate hard data about the effectiveness of assistive technology that will spur further interest and funding.
The study will test the effectiveness of two software programs, Write:OutLoud and Co:Writer, from Don Johnston Inc. of Volo, Ill., which has been providing learning intervention resources for 25 years.
“Write:OutLoud is a simplified word-processing program with speech feedback that allows students, once they type, to hear their sentences aloud,” explains Jennifer Bujak, Don Johnston marketing communications specialist. Hearing their work read aloud has been proven successful in helping students improve their writing, she says.
Co:Writer is a word prediction program that integrates with Write:OutLoud to suggest the next word in a sentence based on what has already been typed, or a phonetic equivalent. It is particularly beneficial for students with physical disabilities because it cuts down on the number of keystrokes required, Bujak says.
Continued...
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