The Benefits of Virtual Reality and Other Technologies for Children with Neurodiversity

Host Annette Hines opens the podcast reflecting on the many ways that technology can improve the livelihood of people with disabilities through the creation of assistive tools. Her guest, Ange Anderson M.Ed discusses the benefits of technological interventions to support students with learning differences that she has employed in the UK. She asked the question, how can we use the technology neurodivergent students enjoy and are comfortable with to gain control and make life easier for teachers, staff, and students? Computer programs are logical, predictable, and can provide a reliable outcome, unlike real life situations. VR (virtual reality) activates the motor cortex in our sensory system in a way that is similar to real life situations and gives students the feeling of being in a virtual environment. During her work as an educator, she has found that VR helps students practice scenarios that appear like real life situations so that they can prepare to better encounter the actual situation in life. The VR room at her school provides the ability for students to develop a familiarity with a new situation such as a dentist office or store in the safety of the school so that they can be successful once encountering these spaces in the real world.

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