Journal of Positive School Psychology http://journalppw.

com
2022, Vol. 6, No. 6, 8341-8345

Artificial Intelligence In Special Education, Id& Cp

Dr. Smita Tiwary Ojha1*

1*
Assistant Professor, Amity University Disability expert- Rehabilitation Practionor.

Abstract

The present article, ’Artificial Intelligence – an introduction in view of Disability. is a description of Artificial
Intelligence, especially in the disability field. It deals with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence, its types,
methods used, importance of Assistive devices with Artificial Intelligence with persons with disability, benefits
of AI, Examples of AI tools in the field of disability, its drawbacks and future in the field of disability. AI has
developed intelligent computer tools for problem solving by humans. It enhances the way children with special
needs interact with their environment and learn, as they have implicit educational needs.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Assistive Technology, Special Education, Cerebral Palsy, Intellectual
Disability.

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence covered the way from hypothetical situation to an

Important technology. J.P Morgan has described
In Greek mythology, the concept of machine and also the Contract Intelligence platform using AI,
mechanical man was mentioned. Though we don’t Machine learning and image recognition software
have much available literatures regarding that. One to analyses legal documents. Programming
of the stories is about Talos, a giant bronze warrior, languages for AI are Python, java, lingo etc.
who was programmed to guard the island of Crete The need for machine learning, which is also a part
was mentioned. So, machine learning and Artificial of AI has aroused due to cloud data, internet, social
intelligence is a thought of long ago. media and a lot of data gathered and need to be
In 1950, Turing has published a paper on whether analyzed. AI has more computerized power, more
or not a computer can think intelligently like human data and better algorithm. Moreover, more
beings. Though the results were not having much investments in this field is also coming. So we have
application, but Turing Test became very famous opportunity to explore in this area, especially for
and it was a serious proposal in the field of the benefit of the Individuals with special needs.
Artificial Intelligence. AI has developed computer tools for carrying out a
In the year 1951, by using Ferranti Mark1 machine number of tasks., an intelligent way of problem
University of Manchester, computer scientist solving. AI is one of the most valuable applications
Christopher Strachey, a program was developed for in the field of Special Educational needs from
chess. Though it was improved many times. In the diagnosing to planning intervention strategies. The
year 1956, first time the term Artificial Intelligence main goal of AI is to enhance the way children
was coined. In the year 1959, first time, AI interact with their environment, to promote
Laboratory was setup for the research purposes. In learning and enrich their daily life. AI for
1960, first Robot was introduced in General Motors Accessibility is a Microsoft program committed to
assembly line. In 1961, first chat bot known as empowering people living with disabilities.
Eliza was introduced. In 1997, IBM Deep Blue- AI covers knowledge base, computer vision, expert
Beat the World champion Garry Kas Parvo, in the systems, machine learning, deep learning and
game of chess. In 2005, In Dap Grand Challenge, natural language. Google’s AI eye help Doctors can
the robotic car Stanley’ by Stanford Racing team, examine retina scan and intensity for diabetic
has won the title. In 2011, IBM’s question retinopathy. OK Google, on the basis of data,
answering system, Watson defeated the two location, Google search engines work on the basis
greatest jeopardy champions Brad Rutter and Ken of AI. Now a days Robot teachers with AI has been
Jennings. In this way, Artificial Intelligence has introduced in schools. Here skills like humans in
Dr. Smita Tiwary Ojha 8342

computers, like visual recognition, speech - Automate admin tasks and assessment- It is
perception, decision making and translational skills believed that in future, routine and bureaucratic
are developed which are very beneficial to students. tasks and tasks performed by teaching assistants
But they cannot replace teachers, and facilitate can be performed by machines leaving teachers
teaching and learning situation with teacher and AI more time to teach.
collaboration i.e. Hybrid model only. So, more Fears related to AI:
differentiated and individualized learning process -Ai can kill creativity- AI may not judge the
can be established. In the new curriculum of CBSE student’s creativity and analytical thinking,
, subjects related to AI has been introduced. limiting education to a set of rules learnt by heart.
Learning, Practicing. Testing and Assessment has -Deepening inequality: We might end up in having
gain a pace speed with the help of AI. Now the role classrooms with lots of young people interacting
of teachers has become more exciting, especially with AI systems, while only the privileged will
for the individuals with special needs. This can be keep the human interaction.
understood by following case studies: Ai gives potential access to learning. It is the time
Case 1 that Institutions take advantage of AI in advanced
A child Rohan (name changed) with cerebral palsy, technology and modify their updating environment.
motor problems and speech problems, was able to AI shapes the future and classes beyond the
communicate with the help of AI, that he is willing classrooms. With AI , Learning will be more
to go out for refreshment. Actually he cheers his interactive anywhere and anytime in a technology
nonverbal communication. He understands most of learned environment, hybrid online, face to face
the things in his environment, but parents have to lessons, personalized learning and guidance. Thus,
take the help of AI to identify his needs. His each and every student can bring out their
speaking device is Dynavox. His hands do not work attributes, as no two persons have same skills of
more for sign language or hit the buttons. Now with learning.
the help of AI, his speaking device is programmed
to give commands to an echo. He can call to his AI in Special Education
grandpa with the device. Now he is more
independent, so, more satisfied, motivated with AI is an active are of research for 50 years.
high morale. He has less family members and Basically , it is the study and development of
friends. But AI is a boon for him in training and ‘intelligence agents’ that can perceive their
monitoring. to interact with the world. environment and take actions that increase their
Case 2 possibilities of success. Intelligence agents are the
A 22year young man Frank (name changed) can physical form of device( eg. Humanoid robots) or
type words with joystick. He has been working with in software form with intellectual capacity (eg. A
a marketing team in a reputed company virtual avatar).
independently with AI assistive devices. Now he is AI techniques have been gradually used to improve
much confident by joining the workforce and the life of individuals with special needs, covering
becoming independent productive member of the a large number of difficulties, causing problems in
society. learning, cognition, communication, behaviour,
AI equipment have reduced stress of the parents to emotion, sensory & physical development. (2001
some extent about what will happen to their SEN Code of Practice)
children with special needs. The code of practice highlights the fact that not all
Assistive device is any item or product that is used children will progress at the same rate and each
to increase, maintain or improve functional child has different strengths & need. So, it is very
capabilities of individuals with disabilities. For important for understanding of settings in which AI
example: wheelchairs, hearing -visual aids, is going to be used, like availability, training to use,
software & hardware etc. need etc. It may be different in different social
Our expectations of AI more in the future is that, it conditions. But, definitely AI is enabling
will be helpful in providing: development of collaborative interactive
-Differentiated and individualized learning- environment. AI powered innovations are creating
Adjusting learning based on an individual student’s new possibilities regardless of how a person listens,
particular needs and knowledge. speaks or writes. AI powered text messaging
-Universal access for all students: Equal education platform for mental health interventions are
to all including those who speak different providing support to young people too.
languages or who might have visual or hearing AI tools in teaching and learning can enable
impairments. inclusion of students with learning impairments or
disabilities. AI offers effective support for online
8343 Journal of Positive School Psychology

learning and teaching including personalized short hand written essays in reading
learning for students, automated instructions, comprehension tests. The aim of this system is
routine tasks, and powering adaptive assessments. to assign to each handwritten response a score
Robotics with AI can be used to support, assist, and which is comparable to that of human score. Jain
augment the teaching professionals. Appropriate et.al 2009 has proposed a model called
assistive technology enables students with Perception based learning Disability Detector-
disabilities to compensate for certain impairments. PLEDDOR. It is an artificial neural network
This specialized technology promotes model for identifying difficulties in reading-
independence and decrease the need for other dyslexia, writing- dysgraphia, & in Math-
support. AI can dramatically improve the dyscalculia, using curriculum-based test
efficiencies of our workplaces and can augment the conducted by special educators. Hernandez et.al
work humans can do. AI help teachers to detect 2009 has introduced SEDA- Expert system for
students with learning difficulties and address them learning difficulties in children’s basic
at an early age. AI tools and inventories are education. It consists of psych psychopedogogy
important part of education, especially for children evaluation ie to identify relationship between
with special needs, since AI are able to integrate the input variables eg. Age, sex, educational level,
freedom of action of the student with more explicit & output system eg. Psychomotor aspect,
control and guidance. Teachers and parents mostly intellectual aspect, personal aspect.
use AI in training students rather than diagnosing
their needs. (b) ADHD- It refers to a wide range of difficulties
Some examples of AI tools for individuals with that become apparent during the developmental
special needs in various categories are as follows: period, characterized by a set of behavior
problems of inattention, hyperactivity &
(a) Dyslexia- it is the most common developmental impulsivity or their combinations. AI has
delay causing problems in reading, writing and offered some improved diagnostic &
spelling, which is neurologically based & intervention tools for these behavior difficulties.
lifelong condition. Its diagnosis is complex but Rebolledo-Mendez and Freitas presented the
AI makes it simple. neuro-sky mindset which is able to detect
Palacios et al. have presented a rule based attention levels in an assessment exercise.
classification for the diagnosis of dyslexia with Neurosky consists of a headset with 3
genetic fuzzy systems in early childhood. It can electrodes, which are put beneath the ears & on
be used by parents, teachers for detecting those the forehead. The electrical signals read at the
symptoms to therapists. Kohli et al.-2010 has above locations are used as input by Neurosky
introduced a systematic approach for algorithms to assess the attention levels. An AI
identification of dyslexia at an early stage by driven Avtaar was also designed to pose
using artificial neural networks, ANN. Melis et questions & have limited conversation with the
al.2001 has introduced ActiveMath, a web users. It is low cost, non clinical & easy to use
based intelligent tutoring system for maths, tool designed for leisure. Aguillar et.al 2006 has
which allows the students to learn in their own designed a model tutor module in an intelligent
environment. It uses a number of AI techniques tutorial system ITS, which is an interactive
to realize adaptive course generation, student instructional method for ADHD assessment.
modeling, feedback, interactive exercises etc.
Anthony et al 2008 has designed an intelligent (c) Sensory/ physical impairment- Georgopoulos
tutoring system- ITS for students learning et.al 2003 presented a fuzzy cognitive map
algebra equation solving. The type of ITS used approach for differential diagnosis of specific
in this method is known as ‘ cognitive tutors’ language impairment. Fuzzy cognitive maps are
who pose authentic problems to students and a soft computing methodology that uses a
give emphasis to learn by doing. Gonzalez et.al symbolic representation for the description &
2010 has designed an automated platform for modeling of complex systems for differential
the detection and analysis of errors in diagnosis of SLI from dyslexia and autism.
mathematical problems to support the Schipor et.al 2003 attempted to create a
personalized feedback of pupils. This method computer-based speech therapy CBST system
was found particularly useful for Down using a fuzzy expert system for helping learners
Syndrome cases, who exhibit difficulties in the with speech disorder called LOGOMON.
arithmetic operations of addition and Pavlopoulos et.al 2008 implemented a neural
subtraction. Srihari et.al2008 has presented two network approach for the self-assessment for the
computerized method of automatic scoring of learners optimized with the aid of genetic
Dr. Smita Tiwary Ojha 8344

programming. The purpose was to assess the children’s life significantly. These systems
user’s answers from both single 7 multiple manage uncertain, incomplete, or inconsistent
questions in an e-learning environment. Drigas information and provide some reasoning. They
et.al 2008 has presented ‘Dedalos’ project determine a diagnosis based on experience,
which deals with teaching of the English intuition and picking up patterns with more
language as a second language to hearing accuracy.
impaired children.
Automated Grading System
(d) Autism- Children with ASD exhibit
impairments in social skill language & Teacher’s answer checking may be defaulted. But
communication skills and a tendency towards it is still best in subjective answers. AI is best in
repetitive patterns of interest & behavior. AI multiple-choice questions and fill in the blank type
techniques can facilitate early intervention & questions. AI reduces teacher’s burden and increase
provide specialists with robust tools indicating efficiency in teaching.
the person’s ASD level. Sebe et.al 2006 has
implemented an emotion recognition Easy to Track Everything
computerized tool based on joint visual and
audio cues. This human- computer interaction Activities and progress/performance of each
application besides the 6 universal emotions student can be traced. Student’s attendance can be
(happy, surprise, angry, disgust, fear& sad) is updated, face recognition can be used. Feedback
able to recognize other affective states like from students/parents/teachers is easier with AI. AI
interest, boredom, confusion & frustration, can help people developing skills in the workplace
when it is difficult to assess emotion. Riedl et.al and evolve the culture around inclusive hiring and
2007 has designed a platform to aid adolescents economic recovery. The inclusive design research
with high functioning Autistic Spectrum center IDRC at OCAD University is investing
disorder HFASD rehearse & learn social skills disability understanding in hiring algorithms and
with reduced help of parents, teachers and builds on future of work and disability.
therapists. Arthi & Tamilarasi 2008 has ‘Everyone wins when we harness AI’ says Kiran
introduced a model which helps in the diagnosis Kaja, technical programme manager at Google.
of Autism in children by applying Artificial Voice recognition was developed for disabled
Neural Networks-ANN technique. AI apps are people, but it’s the hot item at the moment and is
also helping people with Down Syndrome and useful for everyone. The big opportunity for AI is
Autism performing their tasks/jobs in the advance translation capabilities and free apps,
manufacturing and distributing. which could help assistive technology and it could
go ‘Global’ and reach part of the world where there
(e) Cerebral Palsy- Research has found that AI are more disabled people and fewer services and
systems help to refine prognosis, and assist in support.
management selection and support therapy for
children with CP. Virtual reality can help to Global Importance
keep children with CP engaged with the
rehabilitation program improving motor AI Technology can educate globally with diversity
functions more rapidly. AI application can of language and culture at same platform. Hearing
benefit children with CP through symptom and visual impairment students and intellectually
management devices. Eg. Mobility devices disabled students are benefitted a lot.
adapting navigation , avoiding obstacles and In a smart AI guided campus, students and teachers
traffic, are ideal for wheelchair users. The will be connected to all systems. This will guide
combination of AI with imaging technology can teachers too about where the students are facing
make it possible to measure large sets of data challenges. AI saves time and get the outsource
from video material. This also makes it easier resources and immediate feedback about how
for medical professionals to share their findings students are receiving the information, and if there
of spontaneous movements associated with CP is any scope for improvement. Virtual assistance
to others, helping them to diagnose their and interaction with human mind help in reshaping
patients. These processes help to speed up the learning.
process of diagnosing CP in children. Early
detection of CP is important to allow treatment
to begin as soon as possible. Hence developing
AI approaches to detect CP could improve
8345 Journal of Positive School Psychology

accessible books for people with disabilities using

low-configuration devices such as solar powered
audio players, affordable braille displays and basic
phones. AI4Bharat aims to improve accessibility
for the deaf population in India by creating datasets
to advance Indian Sign Language understanding
with a focus on workplace communication.
Conclusion
A lot of investments are going on in developing AI
tools to ensure the accessibility of learning
materials, language development, and assistive
technology options. AI powered innovations in
Education can build and advance equity for people
with disabilities and also at all stages of
employment too like job searching, interviewing,
and upskilling. Ai IN India’s education sector has
also come to be quite significant. AI has the
potential to add USD 1 trillion to the Indian
economy by 2035, according to a 2018 discussion
AI tools are being successfully applied to solve paper by NITI Aayog.
problems in the field of disability and special
education. But there is a need of proper training for References
AI guided tools to teachers, parents and therapists
for assessment & intervention methods. Saving [1]. Athanasios s. Drigas and Rodi-Eleni
time, cost and appropriate results are increasing AI Ioannidou, 2012,International jouirnal of
tools for diagnosing & intervention purpose and Engineering Education, Vol 28, No.6,pp 1366-
also creating more efficient learning environment. 1372
Now AI has been considered as a promising [2]. S.J Russell and P. Norving, Artificial
educational aiding tool for all individuals who are Intelligence: A Modern Approach, 2nd ed., New
in need to embrace their learning with Jersy,2003
independence. This is also an important concern [3]. Nanni and A. Lumini, Ensemble generation
that these Technologies are still have to be and feature selection for the identification of
implemented in developing countries, which is a students with learning disabilities, Expert
big challenge. Though attempts are going on. Like Systems with Applications,36,2008,pp. 3896-
Hexis-Antara aims to remove the access barrier to 3900
books by converting textbook and nonacademic [4]. Department of Education and skills, Special
content into braille on demand through Vembi, a Educational Needs Code of Practice, London
device specially designed for VI children. DAISY DFES,2001
consortium is developing an easy-to-use [5]. Dhar & Dialani,2019, Use of Artificial
conversion solution for developing countries, Intelligence in Education, India
dramatically expanding the availability of