'Agricultural specialisterne': rural employment revolution for those with Autism

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Detour to: interactive whiteboards for work environments where Autistics can thri

Specialisterne (Danish for ‘Specialists’) seeks to harness strengths that many people with Autism Spectrum Disorders possess - good attention to fine details, precision, and high tolerance for repetitive tasks. Their consultants bring the joy of work into areas where it is often missing today. In late 2009, Specialisterne established a special youth education programme (STU) for young people 16 to 24 years old with autism spectrum disorders. These students do not excel in traditional youth education programs. So the purpose of the STU is to create a holistic approach to education which, besides teaching traditional subjects, also focuses on social and cultural understanding, health and well-being, and social behaviours and skills.
(source: specialistpeople.com: Denmark)

Indeed the SMART Board is not the only interactive whiteboard that has been used for Autistic students.

Katie King is a special needs teacher from Millersville Elementary in Millersville, Maryland. She teaches students with Autism by creating lessons that speak to the different learning styles of each student - catering to auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic, global and analytic learners…

“…Having students with special needs, I needed a teaching tool that was both captivating and entertaining,” says Katie. “The [Promethean] ActivBoard and ActivStudio fit that description perfectly and have really enhanced the climate of my classroom!”

Here is a short video showing King using Promethean’s ActivBoard to teach students with autism about short vowels:

Promethean Teacher Feature - Katie King

…She uses a table on the interactive whiteboard with audio clips and graphics to match the vowel letters to their sounds. Another aspect of the lesson allows students to create their own words on the interactive whiteboard using the vowel sounds. A 3rd aspect combines paper and pencil with the interactive board, as they complete a dictation from the board…

Another example is from the Windmill Springs K-8 School in Northern California. The school has chosen Hitachi StarBoards in an effort to create a technology-rich educational environment. The school utilised Hitachi’s FXDUO-77 interactive whiteboard in its special education classes.

Ms. Amy Kolb Tucker is a teacher at the school who teaches a sixth through eighth grade mild/moderate ‘Special Day’ class of 17 students, including children diagnosed with Autism and Asperger Syndrome:

“…I try to follow the same curriculum as our seventh and eighth grade team,” explained Tucker. “Modifications are made to reduce the amount of independent reading and writing, and to make the content more accessible.” According to Tucker the StarBoards play an essential role in critical thinking and learning for her students. “As a class, the students can brainstorm words, thoughts, ideas, facts or even images to use in writing or projects. The interactive whiteboards allow us to update and manipulate ideas and concepts as we move through an exercise.”

“…Student motivation and participation are greatly increased when they know they will get to use the StarBoard,” added Ms. Kolb Tucker.
“Because we utilize the StarBoard in the lessons where special education students are integrated with out inclusion classes, they have become days our students look forward to a great deal. The general education students look forward to utilizing the StarBoard as well. Our classroom is definitely the coolest classroom on campus and the other students know it!”

Here are some links to reviews of the different interactive whiteboards so far mentioned (these should not be viewed as definitive - they are just to give the reader a guide as to differences between the brands and models):
Ultimate IWB Review Site Blog Archive Smartboard
Ultimate IWB Review Site Blog Archive Promethean ActivBoard
Ultimate IWB Review Site Blog Archive Hitachi Starboard FX

(sources: Katie King : Teacher Feature : Promethean Planet; Get Smart! Smartboards in K-3 Classrooms; http://www.hitachisolutions-us.com/supportingdocs/icg/success_stories/Hitachi_Windmill_casestudy1108.pdf; http://troxweb.teamtroxell.com/www/news/Windmill_Springs_School_Breaks_Through_With_Hitachi_Software_Interactive_Whiteboards.pdf)