EdTech and FAPE Special Education: Neurodiversity-Friendly Online Tools

All children have the right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and it’s our job as educators to make this happen! Unfortunately, many EdTech sites take a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t allow for accommodation or modifications. This article takes a look at the websites and Google extensions that allow students to get what they need!

FAPE is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It guarantees an appropriate education to all children, no matter their circumstance or ability, at no cost. But what does appropriate mean? 

Ready? It’s deceptively simple: Every child gets what they need! It is not fixing a child, and it definitely is not equal. It does mean everyone gets what they need and we meet students where they are developmentally and ability-wise. We have a responsibility to teach all children. 

EdTech is opening doors and helping to create an equal playing field that wasn’t there before. It’s creating new and fun ways of practicing skills and assessing knowledge. 

But EdTech tends to create for everyone a one-size-fits-all approach rather than allowing for modifications and accessibility. Some companies realize this and are working on creating software that is inclusive. However, not every product is up to par in terms of accessibility.

All of us who work with special education students have experienced this exact picture: you get your neurodiverse student set up and into the latest online math basic fact practice website. The student does their best work but they only complete two problems in the one minute of allotted time. You look into it, and the website doesn’t allow you to change the time constraint. You and the student both know he or she can do the math when not under a time constraint and he or she becomes less and less eager to use it. Now, the student reports they hate math and they think they're behind their peers. The frustration is real for everyone involved.

So what is a teacher who works with neurodiverse students to do? Where can we find neurodiverse-friendly sites we don’t need to worry about?

Here is my list of neurodiversity-friendly places for online learning. The places you can take your students where you can be sure they will get what they need without stigmatization, frustration or disillusionment!

Google Suite and Google Extensions                          

The creation of the iPad and, later, the smartphone created a special education renaissance. Like magic, there were brand-new modifications and accommodations right at our fingertips. Is your student completely nonverbal? They can carry an entire speech system on their tablet. 

Here are some of my favorite Google extensions:

• Open Dyslexic - Changes the font on websites to a research-proven Dyslexia friendly font that is easier to read

• Read and Write - This creates an additional toolbar at the top of the page with 16 different accommodations including: 

• Hover speech (place mouse over a word and it reads it to you!)

• Word prediction; dictionary and picture dictionary (highlight certain words on the page to create a list of words and their definitions)

• Play, rewind and stop will read the entire page or article to you

• Audio maker allows you to say notes and thoughts as you read

• Screen masking is a highlight tool that allows you to zero in on one small section of the page or article at a time

• Talk and type

• Translate, highlighters, vocabulary list allows you to create a list of terms based on what was highlighted

• The simplified page takes the entirety of the text and places it on a simple sheet of paper with no ads or toolbars and lastly, the practice read tool records your reading!

• Clear This Page - declutter/remove adds - makes it easier to see and pay attention to the article or website

• DisruptADHD Task Assistant - helps you stay on task and get done what you need to get done

Websites For FAPE Support

It’s difficult and frustrating to find websites that are engaging and offer skills practice at every level without creating stigma, alienation or frustration in FAPE special education. Well, all of these websites offer just that! These sites offer fun practice opportunities for students of all levels:

• Lexia - Lexia Core 5 learn phonological awareness, decode words and identify sight words through fun games! It starts out easy for everyone and students work on their own going from easy to difficult going up through the levels. 

• EdPuzzle - allows students to engage with their curriculum using user-created video content (Vimeo, Animoto, and iMovie are similar websites!)

• PearDeck - assesses students in a variety of different formats so students can show what they know

• Doodly - make whiteboard content that is interactive for all students

• Flip - a Microsoft app that allows students to create and upload their ideas in video, audio and text

• Quizlet - flashcard and study tool

• Fun Brain - fun games that can be chosen by grade level or by simply what looks like fun!

• Math playground - more fun games!

• Math U See - app that allows you to use manipulatives and write on online whiteboards

• NewsELA - a website of articles containing up-to-date news in the realm of science, social studies, ELA and social-emotional learning. They offer articles at high interest and varying levels. The reading levels are set by the teacher so students only see high-interest text.