Book adapted with the use of digital tecnology: An application with children with special needs

Abstract

Every individual presents the innate capacity to communicate as a way of being a part of the society and the world around themselves, throughout a child's development they learn how to communicate through the interactions that they establish with others. In the case of a child with severe communication problems, such as a child with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the family and colleague's interactions become considerably restrict and conditioned, which has a negative impact to their emotional, social and/or cognitive development. Thereby, it is fundamental to provide these children with the means to express themselves and to understand the individuals around them. In society, the verified existence of poor adapted material to children with communication disorders, in particular of adapted books in Communication Pictographic Symbols (CPS), and these can be materials that facilitate access to information by these children. The developed investigation is centred at the development of teaching resources, more specifically adapted books with CPS symbols, and their application along with children with ASD. It has had the main goal of verifying if these resources have eased the inclusion of these children in reading activities, as well as if it promotes a further development of the communicative skills alongside these children and their peers, in comparison with the original versions of the same books. The adopted methodology consisted in a qualitative research method, in favour of a case study and action-research approach, in an exploratory and descriptive research method. The investigation was based on fieldwork, which involved two children and the adapted books, developed in the scope of the research. During the research process, there were held practical sessions along with the participating children, where the corresponding fieldnotes were gathered. Subsequently, the special education teachers and class directors, from the respective children, were interviewed. After the data collection, process and analysis we concluded that the adapted books have been structurers and enablers of the communication, when facing the original versions of the books. The children's behaviour and communicational reaction towards the adapted books was of increased participation and dynamics when compared with the reaction towards the original versions of the books, promoting an equal the inclusion of the children with ASD in the reading activities.