A company named Nuance has created a very special type of assistive software. It is called “Dragon Speech Recognition Software”. It can help children (and adults) who have certain types of special needs to be able to transcribe their thoughts. This might make homework a little less painful!
School can be really difficult for children who have learning disabilities. Many schools have reduced the number of teachers and paraeducators due to budget cuts. This means that there are now more children placed into one classroom due to necessity, and not because this is the best way to provide an education. It also means there are less adults in a particular classroom to help students.
The result can be that an overwhelmed teacher might not catch some of the subtle signs that indicate that a child has a learning disability. This could mean that a teacher is mistakenly assuming that a student is “lazy” or “not trying hard enough”, when, in reality, the student is struggling with trying to overcome a learning disability.
A company named Nuance has a solution. It might help alleviate some of the frustration that your child is feeling when trying to complete homework assignments that require a lot of writing. Nuance has created something called Dragon Speech Recognition Software. They specifically recommend it for students who have dyslexia.
The software removes the problem of trying to write, or type, in order to complete a homework assignment, and having to struggle through spelling the words correctly. Instead, your child can speak the words into a microphone (or headset microphone). The software will automatically put the words onto the screen for your child.
Or, you child can use the Dragon software to surf the internet. This can be helpful if your child has to write a paper that requires him or her to do some research. The software can respond to voice commands, such as “find biography of Abraham Lincoln”. Children who have physical disabilities can use the Dragon voice recognition software to preform functions that would normally be done by using a keyboard or mouse.
Interested parents might want to check out the Dragon Facebook page. They recently did a live chat on Facebook with Dr. Jerome Schultz, who is a Clinical Neuropsychologist. The “transcript” is accessible on their Facebook page. You can also read comments left by other people who have used this software.
Image by Colin Cameron on Flickr