Abstract
The purpose of this research was to study the facilitators and barriers of assistive technology (AT) and the learning environment for children with special needs in special education schools in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The informants were one hundred and sixteen children with special needs, who studied in nursery to Grade 12, or with their caregivers. The instrument was a questionnaire applied by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and examined for content validity by five specialists. The results in terms of AT showed that a majority of children with physical disability needed it for mobility and use of school buildings and those with hearing disability for communication. However, most of the children did not need to use AT for culture, recreation, or sports, while many considered it as a facilitator for education. In terms of the learning environment, most characteristics of the physical environment were facilitators for children with special needs, as were those of the social environment for all groups of such children. The results of this study were useful in providing information for AT and design of a learning environment relating to the varied characteristics of children with special needs in special education schools.
Highlights
Education is an occupation performance area that is meaningful for children, in that the school system can provide direct impact on their occupation [1]
As assistive technology (AT) and the learning environment are considered as both facilitators and barriers in schools where disabled students can participate in learning and social activities, this study is aimed at exploring these factors for providing appropriate AT and setting a suitable learning environment for these people
The results in terms of AT showed that most of the students did not need to use it for communication, mobility, or use of school buildings, except for those with hearing and physical disability
Summary
Education is an occupation performance area that is meaningful for children, in that the school system can provide direct impact on their occupation [1]. Children with special needs require a specific education program and related services that encourage them to learn with peers in schools and participate in social activities as children do in general. Children with special needs include those with visual, hearing, physical, and intellectual disability, autism, and language and communication disorders as well as multiple disabilities. They have various needs depending on severity and context. Some children with disabilities are encouraged to study in mainstreaming schools, where they meet their needs successfully, but others do not. A number of children need more specific help and services in order to be suitable for study in special education schools
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