The Benefits of Tablets for Children with Disabilities
Like many forms of technology, tablets were initially viewed as an entertainment device. But it hasn’t taken long for professionals across many different fields to find very compelling use cases for tablets. Educators are the perfect example of a profession that has embraced the benefits of tablets.
As we’ve previously discussed, tablets are changing the future of education. In addition to helping all young learners, tablets are also an especially powerful tool for teaching children with disabilities. We’re going to dig into how this technology can be used as a therapeutic device, along with the types of personalized apps and learning experiences that are available through a tablet.
HOW TABLETS CAN BE USED AS A THERAPEUTIC DEVICE
Many children with disabilities have challenges related to their motor skills. What’s great about tablets is they’re much easier to operate than previous forms of technology. Thanks to their intuitive design and operation, children with disabilities only need to complete very basic inputs to engage in highly immersive learning experiences. Researchers have actually found that using a tablet on a regular basis can help children develop and improve their fine motor skills.
The intuitive nature of tablets has been especially evident for children with autism. Educators have used quotes including “it’s like a fish to water” to describe how autistic children respond to tablets. Estimates peg the success rate for using tablets to educate those with autism at above eighty percent.
TABLETS OFFER A HIGHLY PERSONALIZED LEARNING EXPERIENCE
One of the big shifts in education has been to focus on the individual needs of different types of learners. For special needs children, tablets make it easier than ever to tailor high-quality learning experiences to what will benefit a specific child the most. One of the amazing things about what can be accomplished through this type of personalization is students are able to get instant feedback and have the activities they’re working on tailored to their needs in real-time.
Another way that tablets are able to harness the power of personalization is through voice recognition. Since communication and language skills are a significant hurdle for many special needs children, having a device that makes it possible to practice these skills in a structured way is invaluable. Finally, the availability of so many different apps means there’s generally one that’s focused on helping a child with just about any type of problem.
If you’re excited and inspired about the type of learning that tablets can enable, we encourage you to learn more about our mission and how you can play a direct role in putting these powerful learning devices in the hands of kids who need them most.