Using multimedia to teach personal safety to children with severe learning difficulties

This paper presents a review of the use of computer technology as a medium to teach personal safety skills to young people with severe learning difficulties. The authors, working from the Psychology Department of Glasgow Caledonian University, present two main areas which they considered when designing teaching materials for these pupils. Firstly, pupils with severe learning difficulties may not understand the appropriate language for sexual issues. Materials based on the ability to speak, listen, read or write will not produce a deep level of understanding about the topic. Secondly, pupils with severe learning difficulties may find acting out a situation through role play difficult. The authors describe their use of computer technology as a possible solution to these areas and illustrate the personal experiences of educators following this novel use of multimedia.