iPads Used For Communication for Children with Autism

       iPads are a wonderful tool for students with autism who can not speak. The iPads are finally something that can give these students and children a voice. They are able to say how they feel, what they want, and show just how bright they are. In some research I have done, I found some videos to demonstrate what a great tool the iPad is. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuCbYNls0V0

This video is a short clip from 60 Minutes. This video shows how effective the iPad is with students from teachers perspective. They say how the students are so much more engaged more attentive while using the iPad. They show a teacher with a student going over numbers on paper. The student was disengaged and not paying attention. As soon as the student was given the iPad she was calm and glued to the screen. The teachers also talked about how the attention span is longer while using the iPad. They can spend time more wisely and teach the student while using the device instead of wasting time when they are disengaged using paper. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKaPk8cm85I

This next video is done by a Speech Language Pathologist. She works with children who have autism and have limited speech. She says that children understand more words than they speak. For instance, she uses an app that helps students associate a picture with a sound. On the screen there would be a picture of a cat and when you click on it it "meows". This helps introduce pictures with noises and helps fine tune listening skills. Auditory associations help build auditory skills for communication. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vomkNSluWW4

This video is about an app called Proloquo2go. This app can speak for the child or student who is non-verbal or limited verbal skills. This is an easy app where the student can click a card that has a picture and a word or phrase. The child can speak through this device and be able to communicate with others. If a child wants a drink he or she can click the "I want" button then "apple" and "juice". It will become the phrase "I want apple juice." and be read out loud for the child to express their wants to whomever they are speaking to. This is such a beneficial application for parents and schools to invest it. It gives the child a voice. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4XMlhCfp3Q

This video is about a 14 year old girl names Carly who has autism. She began intensive therapy for 46 hours a week with a one-to-one since the age of 3. They thought she was mentally challenged as well as having autism. She was making almost no progress to slow progress. One day when she was 11 she ran to a computer and typed how she was "hurt" and "help" and then ran to the couch and threw up. It told them that she was bright. She was never taught those words. She began communicating through the computer and typing. Her parents and therapists found out how smart and intelligent this young girl is. They were amazed. She began talking about what it feels like to be trapped inside of her body. She wants to be a normal girl and have fun. It was medically amazing that she was found to be so bright when at first doctors thought she may be mentally challenged but that was not the case. In a social way, Carly is more social and able to communicate and talk with people around her by typing. She is able to say how she feels and talk about her desires. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWli1-84CNQ

   This video is about a young girl named Autumn who has autism. Her mom has been her sole support and has been keeping up to date at ways to help Autumn progress. She does not speak. She was given an iPad for the day to test it out. Autumn worked on a program and was able to repeat the word "ball" after hearing it on the iPad. The mom of Autumn was elated at how well she was engaged and focused on the activity. The family was given an iPad to keep to help with Autumn. From the parent perspective, her mom was happy to find something that could keep her attention and that will help her make some progress. They were excited to be given this new tool to work with. 

After watching all of these videos it was great to see how great of a tool the iPad is. It really makes you hope and wish that all students with disabilities who would benefit from this tool would be able to have one. It is amazing to see how engaged this students are no matter what age they are. Parents are excited because they have a way to communicate with their children, students are excited because they can voice how they feel and teachers are excited because they now have a tool to be able to communicate and teach the students with something that holds their attention.