Abstract
This chapter discusses understandings of coding and computational thinking education for students with disabilities. The chapter describes the special education system in the United States, including limitations in how computer science education is made available to students receiving special education services. The chapter then provides a summary of research in computer science education for students with disabilities, including both high-incidence and low-incidence disabilities. A case study of a young student with a mild disability learning in a general education computational thinking program is then presented, and the implications of the case study for future research directions are discussed.
TopStudents With Disabilities And Computer Science
Fourteen percent of public-school students in the United States ages 3-21 receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Congress, 1975) for some form of disability, which can range from specific learning disorder, to speech or language impairment, to autism spectrum disorder (Students with Disabilities, 2020). As each student’s individual needs vary, so do the special education services provided. A student with a high-incidence disability, a category including but not limited to learning disabilities, emotional and/or behavioral disorders, and speech or language impairments, may spend most of their day with their peers in the general education classroom and only receive an hour or so of special education services for domain-specific instruction (Gage et al., 2012). Students with disabilities of this nature comprise the majority of students with disabilities (Gage et al., 2012; National Center for Education Statistics, 2021). In contrast, students with low-incidence disabilities have disabilities that affect learning across domains, such as significant sensory or cognitive impairments (Congress, 1975). Depending on the nature of their disability and needs, students with more-significant intellectual disabilities or other domain-general disabilities may spend most of the day receiving special education services, meaning much of their education is provided by the special education teacher. As suggested by the term, the minority of students with disabilities have disabilities that are classified as low-incidence.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Constructionism: A student-directed pedagogy in which students’ learning is self-directed based on individual questions and interests.
Explicit Instruction: A structured, teacher-directed pedagogy in which teachers provide direct instruction to students, provide students with a scaffolded learning environment, and assess student learning based on correctness of answers.
General Education Environment: The learning environment (including curriculum, teachers, standards, social environment, and physical environment) provided to children without disabilities.
Low-Incidence Disability: A category of disabilities that affect learning across domains, such as significant sensory impairments or significant cognitive impairments.
Special Education Services: Services provided by the school or school district to support students with disabilities, including special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and specialized curricula.
High-Incidence Disability: A category of disabilities that includes specific learning disorders, speech or language impairments, ADHD, and emotional and behavioral disabilities.
Individuals With Disabilities in Education Act: The law that mandates special education services be provided to students with disabilities, and that students with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive learning environment.