Access and Meaning: The Keys to Effective Computer Use by Children with Language Disabilities

Abstract

Computers can empower children with disabilities to participate in the normal processes of spoken and written language learning. To accomplish this, teachers must put access to computer-based speech output and text under the control of children with disabilities. Then, teachers must support children's construction of internal grammars by providing the language structure needed to link the computer-based speech and text with the children's personal meaning systems. A research project with children with Down syndrome is reported, supporting the contention that combining access to speech and text through technology with teaching methods that provide the language structure to link the speech output and text with personal meaning results in significantly improved language use compared with implementation of identical teaching methods with computers without speech output, or identical teaching methods with pencil and paper. Implications about the requirements for effective computer-based language interventions and about the role of teachers are discussed.