This study examined the effect of a technology-based Literacy by Design (LBD) on the reading achievement of students with significant intellectual disabilities. LBD is a type of Universal Design for Learning (ULD). A ULD is a set of guiding principles when designing curriculum. These principles include “using a variety of methods to present information, providing a range of means to support, providing learners with alternative ways to demonstrate what they know, tapping into learners’ interests by offering choices of content and tools, and motivating learners by offering adjustable levels of challenge” (Pisha & Coyne, 2001).
The use of assistive technology coupled with this approach was highly correlated with the successful results of the experimental group. “There is a growing body of research on the ways in which technology can be used to provide scaffolds directly within digital text to support reading” (Coyne et al., 2012). The authors provided students with a range of assistive technology, including: LBD e-books, WiggleWorks …show more content…
Alternatives that can provide this and a various range of assessment options for my students may exist in pockets like the technology-based Literacy by Design approach mentioned in this article. Technology based initiatives can provide time saving alternatives that provide appropriate scaffolding for students with special needs. For example, the authors note that the e-books used as a tool in their study could embed agents that provide instructional scaffolds that print texts cannot deliver. I have witnessed the effect that programs, such as Reading A-Z, has on the development of reading skills in emergent readers. Students that receive special education services learn and feel successful because they can follow the text while listening to the reader model supplementary skills such as tone, speed, pausing, and the effects punctuation has on