By: Tyra Redmond
The advancements in literacy development are soon to be supported by a tool designed to identify and assess learning disabilities.
By 2026 an artificial intelligence sensor will be available at Michigan State University to help students with disabilities. The new device is set to measure how long children interact and connect with other students along with their preferred activities.
Dr.Sarah Douglas is an associate professor at Michigan State. She assists children with disabilities, family dynamics and educational opportunities. Douglas also runs a lab dedicated to Research in Autism and Developmental Disabilities. Through the RADD lab, several projects are funded by various sources, including private donors.
Douglas studies several different facets based on her interests: training and interventions for complex communication needs, the use of paraeducators support with developmental disabilities, and sensor technology to monitor social interactions.
“The idea behind this work is to partner with engineers who have some really great tools that can be utilized in an educational setting to help teachers make better decisions about supporting students' social and communication interactions,” Douglas said.
Even though the intricacies aren’t fully developed, the battery-operated sensor would measure differences in a student's skill level and behavioral patterns. Thus, detecting changes through movement and conversations that’ll synthesize data, and alert teachers via phone.
“Many teachers' decisions in a special ed classroom are based on small snippets of information but if we had tools that could automate some of that combined with personal judgment I believe the outcome is promising,” Douglas said.
Essentially, the idea is working to develop an invention that will support educators.
“We want to create a feasible device for teachers to implement in their classroom both cost-effective but easy to use,” Douglas said.
Currently, teachers tend to decide interventions based on their observations. Yet, this type of evaluation can lead to bias.
“I really believe it can help teachers target certain traits and social interactions early on,” Douglas said.
Similar AI innovations available in the market influence advancements in communication. This is seen with ChatGPT, Siri, virtual reality technology, etc.
“I imagine this to take decades before it becomes widespread use," Michigan State Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Subir Biswas said. “Schools and the general public would have to become more comfortable with machine learning and AI approaches.”
For the future, experts expect AI sensors to be a highly variable tool.
“We have to give these opportunities to ensure students are given the ability to read and become literate,” Douglas said.
There's a common misconception that the inability to read out loud equates to an overall inefficiency in reading comprehension. In fact, most nonverbal students silently know how to read before anyone discovers it.
Kindergarten through second-grade students acquire reading skills, while third to fifth-grade students utilize their reading abilities to facilitate learning.
Literacy in Statesboro
At Julia P. Bryant Elementary School, staff prioritizes improved reading and proficiency. Recently, their Read-a-thon fundraiser raised roughly nine thousand dollars.
“The sponsorship online was promoted to encourage kids to read. It’s really a bonus to support our other book supplements,” Principal of Julia P. Bryant Elementary, Stephanie Compton, said. “The response has been incredible with the families and donations we’ve received.”
Generally, comprehension connects literacy skills.
“Scarborough's Reading Rope is one visual aid I use to promote this understanding, which shows the interwoven connections between word recognition and language comprehension,” Georgia Southern Professor of Literacy Education, Rebecca Rogers said. “This leads to overall skilled reading comprehension.”
There are ways to teach reading to those who are nonspeaking. It involves very systematic approaches.
Research-based reading assessments haven’t changed much over the last decade or so. Although, the way districts require assessments to be delivered, or the types of assessments being required have changed.
“Many assessments are now online/digital and lack teacher interaction,” Rogers said. “In my humble opinion, no computer can effectively assess students’ reading abilities like one-on-one student/teacher assessments.”
The Accessible Learning Program creates a curriculum that allows someone to teach phonemic skills to nonverbal individuals. ALL uses a series of images to understand and bring awareness to the child’s comprehension when decoding the pronunciation of a word.
Typically, students with learning disabilities can correct terms based on the image shown, such as cat vs bat. Hence, words become distinctive. Thus instructors are encouraged to guide the student to enunciate words without articulating.
Generally, at a college level, students with disabilities or who need accommodations must work directly with The Council on Physical Disabilities to complete paperwork regarding their condition.
“In adulthood, it’s very much on them to seek out resources,” Douglas said. “That’s why it’s so critical we prepare individuals in public schools to advocate for themselves along with self-determination….without that it’ll be difficult for someone with a disability to pursue college and do so successfully.”
Even though everyone is at a different stage of learning, critical thinking is an effective strategy for better comprehension for all.
Rogers actively partakes in the USG Science of Reading Higher Education Consortium, where she works with reading/literacy colleagues from across the state to enhance literacy education for all teacher candidates.
“I encourage critical thinking by having students analyze different reading strategies, interpret student reading data, make decisions about reading instruction based on real or fictional data, observe reading skills in students, and monitor their understanding of content and skills learned in my class,” Rogers said.