One of the trends in instructional
technology that I found applicable to my field of study is wearable technology,
particularly in the context of wearable technology for young children. Wearable technology includes clothing and/or
accessories that have embedded sensors.
These sensors are able to connect with devices to record or exchange
data. One typical example includes
activity trackers such as smart wristbands (i.e., Fitbits) that record
physiological information that can be downloaded to provide feedback during
exercise.
Wearable
technology impacts learning and education in the field of early childhood
special education in two specific ways.
First, it is used to provide mechanisms for children with cerebral palsy
to use specific head movements to indicate or “point to” letter board responses
for the purpose of communication. Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common
causes of childhood disability, and often children with CP have typical
cognitive abilities yet do not have the motor muscle control to produce
speech. Wearable technology in terms of
head-worn pointing sensors results in the opportunity for these children to
communicate with the rest of the world using computer-generated voice software.
Another example of wearable technology in the field of
special education relates to young children with attention deficit disorder
(ADD). Children with ADD have been
fitted with belt-worn ambulatory monitors that collect information about
various activity measures including sleep, hyperactivity, and dysregulation of
circadian cycles. These data can help
physicians, teachers, and parents monitor the effects of medication as well as
other interventions on the child’s physiological markers.
As an instructional technologist, in order to keep up with
this trend, I need to interface with manufacturers, teachers, allied health
professionals, parents, and the children themselves. I need to understand the range of devices
that are currently available and I need to understand the needs of the target
child and his/her family. I need to
understand the needs of the child in the school setting as well as other social
settings that are important to the family.
Often at technology conferences there are assistive technology
representatives who can provide me with the most current devices available so
that I can subsequently pass on this information to schools and families.
Three
resources (an article, web url and a video) that provide more information on
this trend include the following:
I
enjoyed reading this blog/article as it introduced some uses of wearable
technology for premature infants (breathing patterns regarding apnea and a
waking-up device), for children with night terrors (a device that senses
breathing patterns and will vibrate to wake a child before the bad dream
starts), and a variety of ways that parents can keep track of where their
children are “out in the world”.
Faedda,
G., Ohashi, K, Hernandez, M., McGreenery, C. (2016). Actigraph measures discriminate pediatric
bipolar disorder from attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder and typically
developing controls. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
57(6), 706-716.
This
article is the one that gave me so much information about apps of wearable
technology for children with disabilities.
Sometimes in this very young population it is difficult to make a
correct diagnosis based on typical symptoms, so having this activity data would
prove invaluable.
The
Future of Wearable Technology
This video speaks to the possibilities of wearable technology as
enhancing our social awareness, conductive yarn as part of the digital
environment, sensors that measure our medical and heath states, as well as a
presentation on DIY wearable technology that allows individuals to customize
their “outer skin” for their own needs.
One activity using this trend that can be applied for learning
for young children with physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy includes
monitors (i.e., Lumo Lift Posture Coach) that provide feedback during physical
therapy relative to body positioning.
The younger that a child with a physical disability can begin to learn
to monitor body positioning, the fewer secondary disabilities will develop.
Re-use of
information shared in my main post in the discussion forum:
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