Preliminary findings from the research conducted for NCSeT during the 2007-2008 academic year on uses of audio text, highlighting, graphic organizers, and electronic text for students with cognitive disabilities.
Listed below are a few preliminary findings from the research conducted for NCSeT during the 2007-2008 academic year.
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That supported audio text does not appear more beneficial than solely audio text for students with cognitive disabilities.
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There was no consistent evidence demonstrating that highlighting words while being read improved a student’s ability to read words correctly.
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There was no consistent evidence demonstrating passage retell increased as a result of highlighting words while the passage was being read.
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Audio support in conjunction with the electronic text appears to be most beneficial for students who are non-readers.
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There does not appear to be a significant difference in story retell across multiple readings of short passages.
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Graphic organizers increased comprehension for retelling and following a recipe presented through electronic text with audio supports.
Listed below are the preliminary findings from the research conducted for NCSeT during the 2006-2007 academic year:
1. Electronic text with digitized speech alone may not be an adequately powerful enhancement for improving literacy for individuals with moderate intellectual disabilities.
2. Electronic text with digitized speech plus video supports appear to promote some improvement in literacy skills over digitized speech alone.
3. Students with moderate intellectual disabilities probably require additional supports in addition to digitzed speech and videos to maximize their gains in literacy-related activities.
4. Retrofitting instructional materials (in the form of text) with current software applications is time consuming and may not be allow teachers to provide all the tools students need to maximize their potential in literacy-related activities.
5. Presentation software that allow students access to highlighting of individual words, an increased variety of digital voices, electronic glossaries, and adjustments of speed of electronic text presentation may need to be available for students with moderate cognitive disabilities to gain meaning from text.