SUDDENLY HIS RESULTS WERE TWO GRADES HIGHER

What do you do when your child is clearly intelligent but struggling to write legibly? Will it improve with time, or is there an underlying problem?

Dyspraxia, or developmental co-ordination disorder, is diagnosed in children who have significant motor difficulties with no evidence of neurological, biochemical or physical abnormalities. It affects about 5 per cent of children, and tends to cooccur with Asperger syndrome, one of the autistic spectrum disorders. Children with Aspergers frequently suffer from clumsiness and motor coordination problems.

To try to help Chris with his schoolwork, the school gave him an AlphaSmart computer companion to use in lessons. This enabled him to type his written work in all his subjects. He printed the work out by connecting the AlphaSmart to a school printer using a USB cable, and handed it in for marking.

The results surpassed even his teachers' expectations. Suddenly a child labelled as 'Grade C' was getting A and B grades in every subject.

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MEETING SPECIAL NEEDS IN MAINSTREAM EDUCATION

Teaching special needs pupils in mainstream education and helping them keep up with the rest of their class is an ongoing challenge in schools across the UK.

At William Brookes School, a comprehensive of 937 students in Much Wenlock, near Telford, special educational needs co-ordinator Lesley Ravenscroft is always on the look-out for new teaching methods and tools to help her develop and motivate her students.

Lesley had a £1,000 grant from the Princes Trust, which she used to buy seven Neos from reseller Portable Technologies. The first children to use them were those who had been assessed by the LEA special needs team and recommended to use ICT in lessons - children with dyspraxia, dyslexia, Aspergers syndrome and moderate learning disabilities.

This has now been extended to children with other special needs, including ADHD and visual impairment.

When you ask Lesley about the results she's achieved since introducing the new equipment to her students, she doesn't hesitate. "They are the best piece of technology we've bought for years!" she says.

Read the Case Study (pdf)