Several years ago my role in a school for pupils with special educational needs included the responsibility of ensuring all pupils had appropriate access to IT.
As part of this specialist role I supported pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties and their support assistants or teachers. I implemented a bespoke learning plan that addressed each child’s specific needs and would develop their early ICT skills. During this process I made use of a huge variety of software and hardware. In particular utilising a simple, accessible and free resource that was provide by the Northern Grid for Learning.
The excellent resource SEN Switcher is a suite of programs designed to develop early ICT skills for pupils with PMLD, pupils who need to develop skills with assistive devices and young children new to computers. You can download the software or access it online and it come reinforced with a comprehensive set of teachers notes. The teaching notes guide you through the ICT development path and include a number of case studies to reinforce the method of progression. Assessment guides give direct links to P Levels and a comprehensive standardised assessment method is provided too. SEN Switcher has always proven to have a deep impact on the pupils I have introduced it to and has engaged and motivated many of them.
There are a wealth of other brilliant accessible software programs and resources available from inclusive technology, which I hope to talk about soon.
Bright Circle Learning 