Millions of students across the United States cannot benefit fully from a traditional educational program because they have a disability that impairs their ability to participate in a typical classroom environment. For these students, computer-based technologies can play an especially important role. Not only can computer technology facilitate a broader range of educational activities to meet a variety of needs for students with mild learning disorders, but adaptive technology now exists than can enable even those students with severe disabilities to become active learners in the classroom alongside their peers who do not have disabilities. This article provides an overview of the role computer technology can play in promoting the education of children with special needs within the regular classroom. For example, use of computer technology for word processing, communication, research, and multimedia projects can help the three million students with specific learning and emotional disorders keep up with their nondisabled peers. Computer technology has also enhanced the development of sophisticated devices that can assist the two million students with more severe disabilities in overcoming a wide range of limitations that hinder classroom participation--from speech and hearing impairments to blindness and severe physical disabilities. However, many teachers are not adequately trained on how to use technology effectively in their classrooms, and the cost of the technology is a serious consideration for all schools. Thus, although computer technology has the potential to act as an equalizer by freeing many students from their disabilities, the barriers of inadequate training and cost must first be overcome before more widespread use can become a reality.

Two groups of adolescents with learning difficulties in mathematics were compared on their ability to generate solutions to a contextualized problem after being taught problem-solving skills under two conditions, one involving standard word problems, the other involving a contextualized problem on videodisc. All problems focused on adding and subtracting fractions in relation to money and linear measurement. Both groups of students improved their performance on solving word problems, but students in the contextualized problem group did significantly better on the contextualized problem posttest and were able to use their skills in two transfer tasks that followed instruction.

Educators generally have agreed that the solution to developing automatic recall of math facts in children is through the use of considerable amounts of drill and practice (Ashcraft , 1985;Gagne , 1983) . Recently , many educators have discovered that one means of delivering large amounts of drill and practice in a motivating and carefully monitored environment is through a computer. Thus , it follows that computers logically would be ideal for developing automaticity in learning handicapped children. Indeed, we have found that computer-based drill and practice can be used to develop automaticity , but only when specific prerequisite conditions are met. If these prerequisite conditions are not met , our research , as well as the research of others (Howell & Graica, 1985;Rieth , 1985), has shown that computer-based drill and practice results in little or no improvement on the part of handicapped students . THE IMPORTANCE OF AUTOMATICITY IN MATHEMATICSMany teachers and parents are content when learning handicapped children can compute answers to basic math facts by using counting strategies (e.g . , fingers and number lines) or electronic calculators. But recent research suggests that these procedures can interfere with learning higher level math skills such as multiple-digit addition and subtraction , long division , and fractions (Resnick, 1983) . Most cognitive scientists today believe that as basic skills become more highly practiced, their execution requires less cognitive processing capacity , or attention , and they become automatic. All people have a limited capacity for information processing. If they do not have to use part of this limited capacity for performing basic skills , they have more capacity remaining for understanding higherorder concepts. Thus , the ability to succeed in higher-order skills appears to be directly related to the efficiency at which lower-order processes are executed.Authors Hasselbring , Goin , and Bransford are all affiliated with the Leaming Technology Center, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.

Educators generally have agreed that the solution to developing automatic recall of math facts in children is through the use of considerable amounts of drill and practice (Ashcraft , 1985; Gagne , 1983). Recently , many educators have discovered that one means of delivering large amounts of drill and practice in a motivating and carefully monitored environment is through a computer. Thus , it follows that computers logically would be ideal for developing automaticity in learning handicapped children. Indeed, we have found that computer-based drill and practice can be used to develop automaticity , but only when specific prerequisite conditions are met. If these prerequisite conditions are not met , our research , as well as the research of others (Howell & Graica, 1985; Rieth , 1985), has shown that computer-based drill and practice results in little or no improvement on the part of handicapped students. THE IMPORTANCE OF AUTOMATICITY IN MATHEMATICS Many teachers and parents are content when learning handicapped children can compute answers to basic math facts by using counting strategies (e.g. , fingers and number lines) or electronic calculators. But recent research suggests that these procedures can interfere with learning higher level math skills such as multiple-digit addition and subtraction , long division , and fractions (Resnick, 1983). Most cognitive scientists today believe that as basic skills become more highly practiced, their execution requires less cognitive processing capacity , or attention , and they become automatic. All people have a limited capacity for information processing. If they do not have to use part of this limited capacity for performing basic skills , they have more capacity remaining for understanding higherorder concepts. Thus , the ability to succeed in higher-order skills appears to be directly related to the efficiency at which lower-order processes are executed.