The Role of New Media Technologies in Improving Communication Skills of Intellectual Disabled Individuals

Year 2023, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 350 - 366, 30.12.2023

Eren Durak , Özge Durak , Songül Özkayagil , Serpil Kuşçu , Ziya Gül

https://doi.org/10.52974/jena.1314719

Abstract

The communication and social skills of individuals with mental disabilities are considerably behind their peers with normal development. These individuals’ educational needs vary depending on their distinct traits. There is an increasing need to improve communication skills in order to minimize the problems experienced by these mentally handicapped individuals in the family, at school, at all levels of social life, and in interpersonal relationships. Considering their characteristics, educational environments designed for these individuals should be set up in such a way that they can make full use of educational opportunities. Emerging from the application of computer and information-processing developments to the field of communication and starting to direct the relations between individuals with the use of the Internet and technological devices together, new media has also been introduced into educational environments, and changes have started to be seen in the educational processes of individuals with intellectual disabilities. New media technologies aim to optimize learning settings for students who show different developmental characteristics than their peers and learn differently from them. Educational environments where new media technologies are used as auxiliary materials provide these individuals the opportunity to learn individually in line with their own abilities and therefore improve the quality of education. New media technologies support the development of communication skills in individuals with mental disabilities, as well as their reading, writing, and math skills, according to their disability area. This study, in this regard, provides information on the development of communication skills in individuals with mental disabilities to socially integrate and conduct interpersonal interactions in a healthy way and offers suggestions for the use of new media tools to improve the communication skills of individuals with mental disabilities.

Keywords

New media, intellectual disability, communication skills

Zihinsel Engelli Bireylerin İletişim Becerilerinin Geliştirilmesinde Yeni Medya Teknolojilerinin Rolü

Abstract

Zihinsel yetersizliği olan bireylerin iletişim ve sosyal becerileri, normal gelişim gösteren akranlarına oranla oldukça geriden gelmektedir. Bu bireylerin eğitim ihtiyaçları kişisel özelliklerine göre farklılıklar göstermektedir. Zihinsel engelli bireylerin ailede, okulda, toplumsal hayatın bütün kademelerinde, kişiler arası ilişkilerde yaşadığı sorunların en aza indirilmesi için iletişim becerilerinin geliştirilmesine duyulan ihtiyaç giderek artmaktadır. Bu anlamda zihinsel engelli bireyler için hazırlanan eğitim ortamları, bu bireylerin bireysel özellikleri göz önünde bulundurularak, eğitim imkanlarından en iyi şekilde yaralanacakları şekilde düzenlenmelidir. Bilgisayar ve bilgi-işlem gelişmelerin iletişim alanına uygulanmasından doğan, İnternetin ve teknolojik cihazların birlikte kullanılmasıyla bireyler arası ilişkilere de yön vermeye başlayan yeni medyanın, eğitim ortamlarına girmesiyle, zihinsel engelli bireylerinin eğitim süreçlerinde de değişiklikler görülmeye başlamıştır. Yeni medya teknolojileri ile eğitim ortamları, akranlarından farklı gelişim özellikleri gösteren ve onlara göre farklı şekilde öğrenen öğrenciler için en verimli hale getirilmesi hedeflenmektedir. Yeni medya teknolojilerinin yardımcı materyal olarak kullanıldığı eğitim ortamları, zihinsel engelli bireylere, kendi yetenekleri doğrultusunda bireysel öğrenme imkanı sağlayarak eğitimin kalitesini artırmaktadır. Yeni medya teknolojileri zihinsel yetersizliği olan bireylerin, yetersizlik alanına göre okuma, yazma, matematik becerilerini desteklediği gibi, iletişim becerilerinin geliştirilmesini de desteklemektedir. Bu bağlamda bu çalışma zihinsel engelli bireylerin topluma uyum sağlaması, kişiler arası ilişkilerini sağlıklı bir şekilde yürütebilmesi için iletişim becerilerinin geliştirilmesi konusunda bilgi vermekte ve yeni medya araçlarının, zihinsel engelli bireylerin iletişim becerilerinin geliştirilmesi yönünde kullanımına yönelik öneriler sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Yeni medya, zihinsel engel, iletişim becerileri

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