Special Needs
Children and our software
an article by Neil MacQueen,
www.sundaysoftware.com
This article first
appeared in our October 2011 Email
Newsletter. For more help, insights or questions, contact Neil.
This page is www.sundaysoftware.com/articles/specialneeds.htm
-and you are welcome to print it.
Every year I'm contacted by
pastors, parents, and teachers looking for software for their
special needs kids:
The parents and teachers know
what many of us know, and what a decade of education research
confirms: computers COMMAND the mind
and body's attention, making them an especially
helpful tool for those teaching special need kids, many of whom
are easily distracted or have trouble in a social context. The
parents and teachers see the positive effects of
computer-assisted learning at home and school, and they
want the same help in church.
And in many cases, getting
help is not only for the kids, it is the difference between the
parent being able to go to church or not.
 Interestingly,
what's so attractive to special needs is ALSO what's so
attractive to the rest of us. Volunteer-led Sunday Schools
not only struggle with special needs children, we struggle with
"regular needs" children who have attention problems due to
boredom, or who easily disengage because they know they are
"volunteer" students who aren't going to be graded.
Disengagement and disruptions challenge us for whatever reason,
..and computers have the attractive power to overcome it. That's
what first got my attention back in 1990 when I didn't even like
computers.
A study done by Purdue Univ. showed that learning
challenged children don't necessarily "learn better" at the
computer, rather, what changes is their classroom behavior, --it
improves which allows them to learn longer in a manner that's
less disruptive or distracting to everyone concerned.
This is why I often hear parents and teachers of challenged
children say things like:
-
"He doesn't get up and
wander around as much."
-
"He's calmer in the
Sunday School now because he knows he's going to get on the
computer."
-
"She is quieter at the
computer where before she would talk out of turn and disrupt
the class."
-
"He doesn't get agitated
as much."
The same holds true for
our more typical students. Years ago our pastor walked by
our computer lab and thought something was wrong because it
was so quiet. "Is anything wrong?" he asked, and I said,
"Nope, they're just learning Psalm 23."
 Psychologists
believe that one reason computers are helpful to special needs
children is that they don't require the complex set of social
skills that a classroom does. Working in small groups, or
having to make eye contact across a table, can be daunting to
many children, special needs or not. The focus on the screen
helps buffer the situation, and personal space issues seem to
melt away at the computer.
The effect on the parents of special needs kids is often
profound.
Case in Point: Two years ago a parent bought software from
us for his son Ben to use on a laptop which the pastor had
bought for the boy. A group of teens volunteered to be "Ben's
Buddies" each Sunday. Until this project, the father seriously
questioned whether they could continue to go to church as a
family with Ben being a constant disruption in the classroom.
Now Ben can't wait to go to church, and he's even helping
younger children at his computer.
How are churches scheduling computer time for Special Needs
Kids?
My customers are describing solutions that are often as unique
as the child's needs and church's resources. But in general,
they are either supplementing that child's Sunday School or
Fellowship lesson time with "computer time"--inside or outside
their classroom on an occasional basis, OR, they are using
computers on a regular basis in an individualized approach with
a helper assigned to the child. Either way, it's quite a
ministry and commitment, and we're thrilled to help.
What software are they choosing?
The choice of software depends on the needs of the individual
student. For example, some special needs children ages 10-12 do
well with software designed for their grade level, while others
need to use younger children's software. Some do well with story
software, while others do better with puzzle or scripture memory
programs. Some excel with Kid Pix's illustration tools but need
help with creating text in that program. Others have difficulty
with mouse-drawing, but do well with point and click. Some
challenged children get hooked on using one program over and
over again. One customer's mentally impaired son just wants to
play Bongo every Sunday, and his parents are happy because it
means they are called out of worship less often.
This is part of the challenge of teaching with software...
figuring out the particular needs of the students, and having
the flexibility to adapt. And in the case of "special needs"
the real "software lesson" becomes the effort itself, --the
expression of care and education for the child, but becomes an
example and opportunity to the other students and parents.
What's sauce for the goose....
I have often quipped that "ALL our Sunday School kids are
learning challenged". They are disabled by doubt, --by lack of
compelling methods, --by competition from the culture for their
attention, --by poor faith role models in the home, --and by
their own attitudes and disabilities. We can't afford to bore
them away. We have to bring our best efforts, and best tools.
If there's a more important and challenging ministry in the
church than teaching our kids, I don't know what it is.
Copyright 2011, Neil MacQueen, www.sundaysoftware.com
All rights reserved. Permission granted for local church and teacher training use.
Neil MacQueen is a Presbyterian minister,
veteran Children and Youth minister, writer and consultant, and developer of interactive Bible software for children and youth.
For more of his articles about the church, go to
www.sundaysoftware.com/articles
and www.sundayresources.net
Take a look at Bongo Loves the Bible CD from Sunday Software,
www.sundaysoftware.com/bongo
Sharing the Gospel in their language!
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