Supporting Non-Verbal Learners in Writing Instruction Through Use of Teacher Supported Technology Integration

When discussing educational strategy and professional development for the classroom, often its the neuro-typical students that are at the forefront of leaders' minds. Students participating non-verbally, with autistic characteristics, with speech, language or physical differences in classroom settings are often provided less rigorous instruction, or even denied instruction in certain areas. When it comes to teaching writing, these exceptional learners are often frequently offered assistive or augmentative communication devices as an exclusive means of communication. When considering inclusive professional development for early childhood and elementary aged teachers, technology assisted instruction and the Non-verbal Reading Approach (NRA) has show to be the most successful method for lesson delivery. Can this method be adapted to support students in learning to write?In this session, educators will discover the protocol for the NRA, review intervention research, and use our time as a think-tank to develop next steps in application of technology to reading and subsequent writing instruction. As the protocol for a non-verbal writing approach has yet to be development, we will discuss how the successful integration of technology can support learners of all abilities.

Rachel Terlop

1st Grade Teacher by Day, Adjunct Professor and PhD Student by Night, George Mason University, USA