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iPads: Near-Miracles for Kids With Autism

Shannon Des Roches Rosa with Robert Rummel-Hudson www.squidalicious.com www.schuylersmonsterblog.com My son Leo’s life was transformed when a five-dollar raffle ticket turned into a brand-new iPad. I’m not exaggerating. Before the iPad, Leo’s autism made him dependent on others for entertainment, play, learning, and communication. With the iPad, Leo electrifies the air around him with independence and daily new skills. People who know Leo are amazed when they see this new boy rocking that iPad. I’m impressed, too, especially when our aggressively food-obsessed boy chooses to play with his iPad rather than eat. I don’t usually dabble in miracle-speak, but I may erect a tiny altar to Steve Jobs in the corner of our living room. Irony: We hadn’t even considered getting Leo an iPad. They seemed awkward and fragile to me, with oversized touch screens that looked as vulnerable as a hermit crab’s exposed backside. I felt more comfortable with…

Grace Needed an AAC App, So Her Mom Created One

Lisa Domican www.graceapp.com There was no single thunderbolt moment when I understood my son, Liam, was not like other children. No “I knew where I was when John Lennon was shot, or Man landed on the Moon.” Instead it came over a number of weeks in one difficult summer, when little things started to add up and my husband managed to convince me that it was time to look for help. Liam was a bright, happy and alert little boy and everyone loved him. He was obviously clever; leaning out of his stroller at 18 months to look at road signs. But sometime between his second and third birthdays, my husband started asking questions. Liam wasn’t talking, he wasn’t looking at anyone, he wasn’t answering to his name — he was leading us to the cupboard to get a drink, but not asking for it. I resisted at first. Liam…

Autism, Apps, and Adults

Corina Lynn Becker http://autisticapp.blogspot.com/ http://nostereotypeshere.blogspot.com There’s been quite a bit of news lately about how Apple’s iPad can assist Autistic children. The stories I have heard are wonderful and hopeful, on how iPads and iPods could bring about a new era of portable supports, learning, and communicative devices, and independence. It has been pointed out that the portable devices, while not cheap, are inexpensive when compared to other specialized devices — which are often too bulky to carry around and be applicable to various locations and situations. With the development of specialized apps, a child, parent, teacher or caregiver can carry a small, slim device filled with programs to communicate, understand how to go places, be prompted on doing tasks, keep organized, learn social skills, filter sensory input, and regain calm from stress. For those with motor control problems, the large screen of the iPad offers more accessibility and opportunities…