COVID-19 based, remote learning has been a blessing and a curse for children with learning disabilities. These students lose out when they don’t meet with their teachers in smaller classes. Unfortunately, during these times, they are not receiving as much one-on-one, face-to-face attention, as they did before learning became remote. However, on a more positive note, in remote learning, some of the frustration and social discomfort kids with learning issues experience are not readily observed by their peers. No longer is a child with an IEP being publicly removed from the classroom or getting help from a special education teacher in the classroom just for them. Because they are doing so much of their work on the computer, kids who have their own resource teacher may be able to more readily access video games to help with their learning disability.
The struggles that kids with learning disabilities experience with school are more likely to be private, with small-group and resource help being provided to them online. Resource teachers also may have a bit more freedom to try out some unconventional tools such as video games that practice learning and academic skills on a one on one basis. Remote learning has also been an opportunity to encourage the use of different types of tools for helping kids with learning disabilities. When parents know what to look for, they can also find many video games that can help their child during a time when remote learning may make it harder for them to succeed, with or without a learning disability.
For kids with learning disabilities who are exhausted by the demands of the school day, extra homework in reading, math, or writing is not recommended. But extra practice of these skills while playing a video game provides an opportunity for the repetition of skills that they need to improve. While these games are not sufficient to teach the actual skills and techniques that kids with learning disabilities need, they are a welcome method for exercising these skills. They are also likely to increase the motivation to master these skills as they make gameplay more fun.
Improving reading skills. Many fun and popular video games that are clearly not “educational” practice reading skills in a fun and unobtrusive manner. Games such as Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp require a fair degree of reading in order to be successful in the game. Kids will read because they’re having fun and, as a result, practice the skills that are necessary for improved reading. These are popular, fun games that are not in any way identified as “learning games.”
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is an MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) where students play as a character who is setting off from their hometown for the first time. They are leaving to collect a mysterious substance known as myrrh which is needed to power protection crystals back home. While all RPG’s have a large amount of reading as a requirement, this game adds letters from home as a fun way for students to become more involved in the story while getting extra reading practice as well.
Animal Crossing Pocket Camp is a mobile app game where you play a human villager who runs a resort camp for various cute animals. These animals have requests, require entertainment and generally just want to hang out with you. This requires the player to read a large amount of text. Because of the fun nature of the game, students will read through these conversations with ease, getting valuable reading practice at the same time.
Improving math skills. Many games require a variety of both computation and conceptual math skills. Some fun games where students can also practice their math skills are Prodigy and Mathmateer. These are popular, fun games that are not in any way identified as “learning games.”
Mathmateer is a game where students are launching a rocket and trying to keep it in space by correctly choosing numbers based on a corresponding math category (Example even numbers, fractions less than ½, etc.) Success is based on how long students are able to keep their rocket in the air and how high it can go before it returns to earth. As they go through the levels, the math required increases in complexity.
Prodigy is a game-based math app where students move through a colorful fantasy world while solving various math puzzles. Students select their grade level (1-8) and then create their own personalized wizard who fights monsters using attacks powered by correct answers to math problems. This game is aligned with the CCSS so content is tailored to students by grade level.
Improving writing skills. Games such as Animal Crossing New Horizons and Night Zookeeper are a lot of fun but require skills in the areas of writing and spelling, so that children practice skills in the areas of writing and spelling. These are popular, fun games that are not in any way identified as “learning games.”
Animal Crossing New Horizons is an open-world game where students play a character who lives on an island with a bunch of animal neighbors. The game requires a lot of reading but there is also room to practice writing. A letter-writing function allows students to write letters to villagers, other players, and even themselves in the future. The Nintendo Switch controller can be used or a wireless keyboard can be connected to the console to practice good typing skills as well as making writing practice fun!
Night Zookeeper is an online game where students play a zookeeper who is in charge of collecting animals and writing about them. Students can draw their own animals and/or collect them as they move through the zoo. There are various types of writing prompts including weekly prompts where students can earn “orbs,” the currency of the game by crafting a good piece of writing. Characters in the game as well as real-life instructors can also provide feedback on your student’s writing as an extra feature.