According to a 2017 study, around one out of five children are living with attention challenges and learning disabilities. The same study found that children with disabilities are more likely to drop out and more likely to repeat a grade than students without disabilities.
When just one or two learning challenges in their school life can have a life-long impact on their education, the time has come to shake up our foundation of what a balanced education looks like.
What can assistive technology do to level the playing field for today’s children and tomorrow’s workers?
To address today’s educational challenges for children, it’s important to start with the daily barriers they’re facing. Learning challenges are more than just a nuisance for students: they can leave a negative impact on their future studies and even their sense of self.
Let’s take a look at a few common use cases of AI tools in the classrooms and how they accommodate disabilities like ADHD, blindness, and epilepsy.
There are several types of mental illness and neurodivergence that can make education difficult. Some of the most common learning disabilities children face today are:
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to learning disorders. Assistive technology offers several customizable and adaptable tools to bridge the gap between students and their education.
For starters, students who are having a difficult time paying attention in class can use AI tools to help them summarize lectures or provide key takeaways to improve retention. While they will still need to practice note-taking and active listening skills, they can keep pace with the rest of the class using AI summarization.
Executive function is another common side-effect of several learning disorders. AI tools can help students create personalized schedules, set ongoing reminders, or break down complex assignments.
One study showed promise with using AI to help reduce ‘cognitive debt’ for students with learning disabilities. Students who used AI tools to help with math problems answered more questions on tests correctly, though they still struggled with conceptual understanding. With more time, AI tools can bridge the gap between both areas for a well-rounded learning experience.
Many students not only have to navigate homework and extracurriculars, but try to find accommodation for a physical disability. A physical disability can look like being:
Each AI solution helps tailor each child’s education to their unique learning style and physical limitations. For example, a student with partial blindness could use an AI image-to-text generator to help them navigate textbooks or websites while studying.
Another student with selective mutism can use AI tools to provide end-to-end speech conversion when they’re struggling to speak. They can prompt the program to provide clear enunciation or certain phrases to ensure they’re still getting their needs met in the classroom.
Even epilepsy – a challenging and complex disorder – may soon see improvement in both diagnosis and day-to-day management with AI tools. The study revealed AI’s ability to provide in-depth analysis of data, pattern recognition, and modelling to help predict incoming seizures. One AI program had an 83.9% sensitivity rate with only a 35.3% false positive rate.
Some children struggle to connect with their peers or teachers due to emotional difficulties like dysregulation or severe anxiety. AI can help ease students into the whirlwind of classroom activity with low-stakes interactions.
A young student who struggles with socializing may feel more comfortable expressing themselves through robotics, such as a program or an advanced toy. As they learn how to connect with their peers, they can still participate in hands-on activities and practice their creative skills.
One study on robotics education found that students who enjoyed robotic education activities showed improved abstract reasoning skills and better focus over the course of six months. One of the major reasons cited for this improvement was the more casual and informal learning environment, reducing some of the stress or uncertainty of more traditional classrooms.
It’s important to remember that AI is a tool and not a silver bullet. While it’s doing a great job of providing revolutionary new ways to improve children’s education, there are still several areas the technology still needs polishing.
AI tools still lack the subtlety of human interaction, often failing to catch onto social cues with transcriptions or providing odd enunciation in text-to-speech. Since AI tools are still quite novel and exciting, some educational providers may be overeager to incorporate them into the classroom and overlook these challenges.
A study found 87% of Deaf and HoH college students preferring human translation and transcribing over AI tools. They cited common issues with AI transcription like accuracy and context-based communication.
Students also run the risk of depending on the tools too much and missing out on valuable human-to-human interaction or developing crucial life skills. If educators aren’t careful, they may end up encouraging executive function or social anxiety instead of accommodating it.
AI still faces legal challenges due to a still-growing body of legislation surrounding safe usage. Educators have an uphill battle to navigate as they face AI regulation challenges such as data privacy, tech-based bullying, and curriculum integration.
For students to use AI tools effectively, they need teachers who can use the tools first. While the future looks bright for robotics and AI tools for inclusive education, a little patience and care is necessary to avoid creating brand new problems.
Inclusive education can’t just remain on paper. Since AI is still rapidly developing, educators need to develop along with it.
Instead of waiting and hoping AI will neatly slot into everyday school life, we need to experiment with its inclusion in schools. Successful adoption and implementation of AI starts with asking questions like:
These questions are just the start of creating an educational field that nurtures – not pushes away – students with disabilities.
What will students’ classrooms look like in the next five or ten years? With any luck, children will enjoy classrooms with smarter tools and more personalization so they can get the most out of their education.
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