Supporting Young People with Additional Support Needs
There are many websites/apps that can young people with additional support needs and their parents/carers when studying at home.
Assistive technology can make it easier for young people with additional support needs to use a computer more effectively and efficiently and enables pupils to access online information more readily.
Most devices and programmes have built in assistive technology including dictate and immersive readers, however this can become confusing as all different programmes have different steps to access the technology. One option is to utilise the ‘My Study Bar’ from CALL Scotland. This gives a floating toolbar with a suite of operations effective across various programmes:
Click the questions below to see the answer.
How can I turn text into speech?
Turning text to speech allows students to have words read to them. This can support comprehension and/or allow pupils to focus more on the task set. The programme used to do this will depend on the type of operating system used (laptop, ipad etc) and the programme the text is presented in (Word, PowerPoint, webpage etc).
The link below provides more information and a list of several free programmes. If you are not sure how to use each programme, YouTube has lots of very handy explanations and tutorials.
Text to Speech (callscotland.org.uk)
Please note: Ivona mini reader is no longer available and NaturalReader has a daily time limit if using the free version.
How can I turn speech into text?
For some young people typing is laborious, slow and frustrating. Turning speech to text can be a quick way of getting your thoughts down on paper. In order to use a speech to text programme you will need to have a microphone on your device. The programme used depends on the type of operating system you are using (laptop, ipad etc). It is also important that you remember to proof read anything you have dictated and try to put the correct punctuation in; some programmes expect you to do this as you speak and others will allow you to add it in after you have finished talking.
The link below gives the name of several free programmes. Again, If you are not sure how to use each programme, YouTube has lots of very handy explanations and tutorials.
I use a coloured overlay to make reading easier, what are my options?
Using a coloured overlay can alleviate visual stress and improve symptoms commonly related to dyslexia such as low reading rate, accuracy and comprehension. nOverlay is a Chrome extension which allows users to tint the screen to a preferred colour. Click the link below to learn more about nOverlay and install the extension. To find our more about installing and managing Chrome extensions, click here.
Using an iPad - what apps can I use to support my learning?
The following posters give a number of suggestions of apps which might help young people with their learning.
iPad apps for learners with dyslexia (callscotland.org.uk)
iPad apps for learners with dyscalculianumeracy difficulties (callscotland.org.uk)
Using an Android device - what apps can I use to support my learning?
The following poster gives a number of suggestions of apps which might support young people with their learning.
Android apps for learners with dyslexia (callscotland.org.uk)
Using a Chromebook/laptop - what apps can I use to support my learning?
The following poster gives a number of suggestions of apps which might support young people with their learning
Chromebook apps and extensions for learners with dyslexia (callscotland.org.uk)
How can I support a young person with dyslexia?
There are lots of websites offering advice and support. A pupil friendly site with lots of relevant content is Dyslexia Unwrapped.
Some of the most useful articles for home school include:
- Mental health and self esteem | Dyslexia Unwrapped (dyslexiascotland.org.uk)
- Build your own learning toolkit | Dyslexia Unwrapped (dyslexiascotland.org.uk) (this has lots of ideas for supporting aspects for learning)
- Learning and support during Coronavirus | Dyslexia Unwrapped (dyslexiascotland.org.uk)
Please also check out the other links above about assistive technology and apps that will support your ability to access home learning. These should help to make learning as stress-free as possible.
All young people will find different things work for them these are just some ideas. If you are very concerned please contact the appropriate house team.
How can I support my child with ASD?
Scottish Autism has a number of resources aimed at young people and families.
National Autistic Society also has a parent and pupil page filled with tips.
All young people will find different things work for them; these are just some ideas. If you are very concerned contact the appropriate house team.
How can I support my child who has numeracy difficulties?
Numeracy difficulties can impact on learning in various subjects. It is often helpful to support understanding with visual tools. There are a number of apps aimed at supporting numeracy.
CALL Scotland's website is also full of interesting information.
Other key supports include:
All young people will find different things work for them; these are just some ideas. If you are very concerned contact the appropriate house team.