One of the most deep-rooted misconceptions about developmental disorders is equating it with mental deficiency.

Children may experience difficulties in demonstrating their intellectual abilities- however, with the introduction of modern day technology, children who have special needs are learning how to utilize their abilities to the fullest.

One of the recent and the most obvious examples happens to be the use of tablet PCs.

Tablets have become an essential tool in the classroom, all over the US. They have considerably helped in fostering communication skills, learning, and literacy in such kids.

In fact, according to a recent research, the usage of tablets in classrooms of special education schools has improved the reading proficiency levels in kindergarten students by as much as 40 percent.

Use of tablet PC’s has heralded a new era of teaching in special education schools, but at the same time the use of such a technology has limited the extent to which special needs’ students can be independent.

This is the point where interactions with gadgets become redundant and alternative methods are needed- methods, which can be used to supplement the use of screens in special education classrooms.

In order to make sure that students with developmental issues can engage more, it is essential to help them. We must make use of technologies which can be of assistance in real world applications, rather than being just a mere tool for rote learning.

Here is a list of ways by which technology can be of immense assistance in special education classrooms –

Motor Skills and Movement

There are toys which can help children with developmental disorders in bettering their motor skills.

There is a discrepancy when it comes to using interactive technology for such children. Most of the tablets, for instance, have games that can be played just on the screen, rather than in the wider general environment. This gap can be filled in with the use of robotic toys.

Social and Emotional Recognition

Children with developmental issues such as Autism experience difficulties in understanding emotions, and here, robotic toys can be of immense help. For instance, there are androids available which have been programmed with facial and voice recognition.

Many researchers are of the view that such robots can help children who need special education to focus on one aspect of communication at a time. This helps such kids to react according to their comfort, without getting overwhelmed by multiple forms of communication, together.

Such social and emotional learning is essential as it helps in making the kids independent.