Apple's iPad Brings Relief to Children with Autism

According to Dr. Valeria Nanclares from the Advocate Illinois Medical Center, the number of children with autism is approximately 1 in 100. Those numbers represent thousands of children with communication deficits, social incompetence, and obsessive behaviors. Families of children with autism are on a constant search for technologies and therapies that can help their children cope and compensate for their disability. For many families, the search has lead them to Apple's iPad.

The Apple iPad has been billed by Steve Jobs as a magical device, but for families with autistic children, it is much more than that. The iPad helps autistic children in several ways. It offers communication specific applications, therapy opportunities, and focus/distraction opportunities that allow children to calm themselves. Thanks to the iPad's relatively low price, ease of use, and ongoing development, both students and families across the country are taking advantage of the device and giving autistic children a chance at normalcy.

How the iPad is Being Used to Treat Autism

Schools across the country, such as Florida's Baudhuin Preschool in Ft. Lauderdale, are employing the Apple iPad in their autism therapy classrooms. At the Baudhuin Preschool, which has a preschool program designed specifically for students with autism, they have recently purchased an iPad for each of the school's 18 classrooms. Primarily, the iPads are being used to give students a voice. Augmentative and alternative communication applications, such as "Proloquo2Go" (link below) are used much like a traditional communication board to help students with autism to communicate. Children can press on a picture to communicate simple thoughts, or they can string ideas together to form complex sentences and meanings.

Schools and parents are also using the iPad for cognitive and behavioral therapy. Using the Apple iPad, autistic children can view faces of people with different emotional expressions so that they can start to learn and recognize appropriate emotional reactions. The iPad can also be used to help prompt and remind autistic children of routines and procedures. There are a number of applications, such as "Living Safely," that illustrate a step-by-step process and allow an autistic child to rehearse and practice successful procedures. Not only can these type of life skills programs help students navigate situations successfully, but they help ensure safety and peace of mind for their families.

Lastly, the Apple iPad is simply a fantastic resource for families coping with autism. iPad apps including "Is That Gluten Free?" and "Understanding Autism" (links below), can give families specific, readily available, and relevant research and resources to help cope with the daily struggles and challenges of an autistic child. Having a library of useful references and tools in one affordable device is priceless for a family. Not only can parents hope to mitigate emergencies and crises in public, but they can also stay up-to-date on the latest information and research in the medical community.

iPad Applications That Support Autistic Children and Their Families

Social Skills:

Model Me Going Places 2 - Free
A visual guide that has models of children acting and behaving appropriately in various social situations.

iDress for Weather - $1.99
A assistive technology guide that helps children understand appropriate dress for the environmental conditions.

Living Safely - $34.99
A self directed and easily accessible safety instruction tool.

Communication:
Alexicom AAC - Free
An iPad or iPhone extension for Alexicom Communication pages.

AACSpeechBuddy - $44.99
A quick and easy tool for creating speech and communication sets.

MyTalk Tools Mobile - $39.99
A easily configurable and customizable augmentative/alternative communication system.

Proloquo2Go - $189.99
A full featured augmentative/alternative communication board.

Reference:
Is That Gluten Free? - $7.99
A huge resource and clearning house of Gluten Free products for individual with alergies and celiac disease.

Understanding Autism - $1.99
A quick referenc tool with information on Autism, symptoms and diagnosis in children and infants.

Autism News Reader - $.99
This is an RSS feed that grabs news regarding Autism from across the web and organizes it.

Autism: Advice for Parents - Free
A collection of research solutions from the Autism Research Institute.