Is there a long setting up time with AT

I’m not sure what you mean by “a long set-up time.” Do you mean that it takes the technology staff in your district a long time to install new software? Why was word prediction and text-to-speech recommended and by whom? If your child needs it for a free, appropriate education, you want to ensure that the software programs are installed prior to the start of school and that there are educational staff trained in the use of the software.
As part of the federal law, AT consideration includes training for staff, student and parents if necessary. See section e and f which follow:

Key Provision in IDEA Regulations 1997
Key Definitions:
• 300.5 Assistive Technology Device.
As used in this part, Assistive technology device means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(1))
• 300.6 Assistive Technology Service.
As used in this part, Assistive technology service means any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. The term includes:
a. The evaluation of the needs of a child with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the child in the child’s customary environment;
b. Purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by children with disabilities;
c. Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing assistive technology devices;
d. Coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;
e. Training or technical assistance for a child with a disability or, if appropriate, that child’s family; and
f. Training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education or rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of that child. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(2))

It is more like the teacher thought it would take to long to set up and use it in the resource class room. The school OT” recommended access to a computer with the word prediction program, CoWriter and Write Outloud installled on it. Then at some point the software program WNN could be introduced as a tool to scan in text which could read aloud and be edited in the writing mode of WYNN. If appropriate the software program Inspiration could be used to help with pre-riting process of organizing work before writing.”also” Within a 5 minute limitation my child produced 36 words with 11 spelling errors while printing. With Co writer and Write Outloud she produced 46 words with 2 spelling errors and because of the read outloud component her sentences seemed to flow more easily in a more organized manner.” The wording (recommended, at some point, and if appropriate) in the AT assessment make me wonder if I will have a hard time getting the AT services,but the IEP does have 5 minutes a week with an OT for AT services.

First off, No, AT doesn’t take long to set up if they have the programs available. What can take a little time is the training.

Has an assistive tech assessment been done? What were the recommendations? If the recommendation states that she use these programs, then the programs should be made available, she should get training and it doesn’t matter how “long” it takes to do it. I would also ask what the 5 minutes a week of OT is for.

If they are thinking of moving to WYNN by Freedom Scientific, you might want to check it out at http://www.freedomscientific.com/LSG/products/wynn.asp
you can download a demo version for her to try at home. Another similar program, but more comprehensive, is Kurzweil 3000 - http://www.kurzweiledu.com - its more expensive but is more integrated than WYNN, which would require a second program, TestTalker, if she is using it to fill in worksheets. Oh, and TestTalker does not allow Word Prediction. You can request a demo disk from Kurzweil, also.

I’m getting to know the programs myself, as my dd requires both word prediction and text-to-speech. For her, Kurzweil seems to be the better program but I really recommend trying both. Each child has different needs. :)

Yea, like sifi said, the big problem is that AT isn’t a magic pill.

Hey, at least somebody is realizing that something takes time.

HOWEVER, the fact that it takes time to set up **and** continued time to implement, execute, and continue to teach and develop the skills should not mean that you don’t bother.

I would see what would have to happen in order to get the resources to make the set up and training happen… unfortunately a halfway job can be worse than nothing - among other things, it can make people reluctant to use technology later.

Sue said
<<Yea, like sifi said, the big problem is that AT isn’t a magic pill. >>

But for some kids, it truly can be. Three examples, I got a call fron a mother yesterday so excited about something that I had recommended to her son. He just started his second year at Sl. Lawrence University. He has significant learning disabilities, has had years of structured remediation and tutoring (LIPS, Seeing Stars, etc). He is a “gifted dyslexic” who uses Kurzweil and Dragon Naturally Speaking.
He is disorganized as well and I recommended that he use the calendar and task features in Microsoft Outlook. Well, he had never used them before and started using them at the beginning of this semester and he says it is unbelievable how beneficial it is for him. He can visually keep track of his time, break down assignments into parts, set timers to remind him when things are due or he needs to be somewhere (which has been very difficult for him due to poor time concepts). He already feels much more independent and successful at the beginning of this second year of college and he doesn’t know how he survived last year.

Second example is from my own son. He enjoys reading books now that he can listen to them on his iPod, set at a speed that works for him as he follows along in the book. He is in 10th grade, has a language-based learning disability and has had remediation (Wilson). The book he had to read this week for English is not available in electronic format so he has asked me to read with him. His reading rate, fluency and accuracy have all improved tremendously as I have him read a page, then I do, etc. But he asks me to read with him because he know that he reads so much slower and he said his mind drifts when he reads to himself. So, the use of the iPod makes him independent and successful with accessing the text. AND, he believes that reading with technology is the reason why his reading has improved. He is exposed to vocabulary that he never was exposed to when he read at the reading level that was more successful for him.
Third example is a 10th grade student who had a stroke a year ago and is unable to use his dominant right arm for writing. He uses word prediction (WordQ) and is learning voice recognition (Dragon Naturally Speaking v. 8) to help him demonstrate what he knows. The teachers had pretty much written him off last year but he is highly motivated to make this work. It is incredible to see him take off with the technology!

But, using technology does take work and persistence and can work best when there are trained people around to help or when the student is so highly motivated that they teach themselves once they see the possibilities.

Those are great examples of the power of bothe technology and appropriate interventions :-) :-) you GO :-)

Generally when it’s a magic pill it’s after years of other not-so-magical treatments that built up the internal infrastructure to be able to make something a magic pill. That work you were talking about :-)

Far too often, a student has been compensating (not getting the remediation that your examples all include - the stroke fellow being an exception… but he didn’t need remediation so he was being appropriately educated for those first many years, which laid that same groundwork).
Then the beleaguered teacher thinks that when this kiddo is in sixth grade, Co:Writer will mean that those years of not experiencing sentence structure will evaporate. WHen it doesn’t, they tend to write off the technology and/or the student. Takes dedicated advocates and/or parents and/or … somebody… to prevent it, as well as the time and resources to make it possible.

Love it when it happens!