AS TECNOLOGIAS ASSISTIVAS E COMUNICAÇÃO ALTERNATIVA NAS SALAS DE RECURSOS MULTIFUNCIONAIS

The resource room is a separate environment, either a classroom or a smaller designated room, where a special education programme can be delivered to a student with a disability, either individually or in a small group. In this space it is possible to use assistive technology and alternative communication as pedagogical strategies. Assistive technology is technology used by individuals with disabilities to perform functions that would otherwise be difficult or impossible, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems is the term used for specialised equipment or computer software that makes it possible to increase the quality and consistency of the work done with a student with a speech or writing difficulty or disorder. The general aim of this work is to understand the importance of multifunctional resource rooms in the learning and development of students with special educational needs and those with learning difficulties. This bibliographical and qualitative methodological work by master’s students from the Master’s Programme in Educational Sciences at the Universidad Leonardo da Vinci in Asunción, Paraguay, highlighted that the resource room is for students who qualify for special education services or for general education students who need some special instruction in an individualised environment or in small groups for part of the day. Individual needs are met in resource rooms, students come or are brought to the resource room for various reasons. Most commonly, they go to access educational materials in a different way.