iPad Apps: Supporting Communication for Young People with Autism (& Links to Moms with Apps)

Have you ever watched a kid pick up an iPad for the first time and just go with it? 


Some parents have found that the same is true for their of children who have autism.  The  iPad is a great way to support learning and communication in that it is user-friendly and easy for children- and parents- to understand. 


Here are two videos that were shared with my by Liz Ditz,  author of the "I Speak of Dreams" blog.  The first video is of a boy with autism. The second video is of his little sister, interacting with the iPad to watch a "home-made" social story about a family trip to a coffee shop, created in the "Stories to Learn" app.


iPAD Spelling App

YOUTUBE INFO:

"Another too-cool app for his iPad, this one all about writing as well as spelling (http://itunes.apple.com/app/iwritewords-handwriting-game/id307025309?mt=8). For each letter in the word, the app says the letter, has him trace it in super-easy guided steps, and his written letter replaces the original letter in the word (at top of screen). When he finishes, the word appears in his handwriting. The program then spells it and pronounces it, displays a kid's illustration of the word -- and Leo gets to shake the original letters into a hole in the corner of the screen. LOVE IT."

STORIES TO LEARN

YOUTUBE INFO:
"Our family (and a friend) worked together to make this social story about visiting our local coffee shop for my son with autism. We used Stories2Learn (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stories2learn/id348576875?mt=8), on our iPad. It was so easy! And he loves it. In fact he loves it so much I had to have his sister demo it, as he loves to play the voiceovers over and over again. :)"


RESOURCES
Moms with Apps
Moms with Apps for Special Needs
Moms with Apps:  Characteristics of great apps for kids with autism


SOMEWHAT RELATED
Posts on the I Speak of Dreams blog:

• What Are The Most Important Research Questions About Interventions for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders?
• What Are The Most Important Research Questions About Interventions for Learning Disabilities?

Cross-posted on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog.

Alternative Assessment Tools for Students with Complex Disabilities

Below is a SlideShare version of a presentation I gave for my colleagues.  I hope it is helpful to those searching for innovative ways to reach and understand students who have many complex challenges!Alternative Assessment Tools for Students with Complex Disabilities

View more presentations from Lynn Marentette.

What's New in Assistive Technology and Augmentative Communication? AbilityNet GATE - Global Assistive Technology Encyclopedia Shows it All

The AbilityNet GATE wiki is the place to go for new and updated information about assistive technology. The site is a wiki, created by AbilityNet, of the UK. The motto on the home page is uplifting:

"Knowledge is power, but it is distributed information which is truly empowering."

Here is the video from AbilityNet GATE that provides a short overview of assistive technology:



(The music on the video is Jimmy Eats World "Big Casino")

The AbilityNet GATE wiki has a wealth of information, video clips, and photos, plus an RSS feed aggregator that highlights the latest in assistive technology news.

You can also get additional information about assistive technology from AbilityNet's related sites:
AbilityNet E-learning
AbilityNet Website
AbilityNet YouTube
AbilityNet MySpace
AbilityNet Wiki
AbilityNet Twitter
Other sources of information (on AbilityNet wiki)

Computer Based Intervention For Individuals With Autism

Valerie Herskowitz, M.A. CCC/SLP shared her presentation slides on slideshare. Her presentation focuses on computer-based intervention for individuals with autism. It provides a good overview of technologies that are currently available, and some that are in development. For more information, visit her website at http://www.valerieherskowitz.com/home.php

Valerie is the mother of a son who has autism, and has written a book, "Autism & Computers: Maximizing Independence Through Technology".

Computer Based Intervention For Individuals With Autism

View more presentations from galeeprol.

Gaze system developed by IT University of Copenhagen provides low-cost means interacting with computers via large-screen displays.

The ITU Gaze Group at the IT University of Copenhagen has been doing some very interesting work to develop a low-cost eye-tracking system that can benefit people who have severe mobility limitations. The source code is free and open-source, which is a good thing, since commercial gaze tracking systems can run up in the thousands of dollars. The project was sponsored by COGAIN, a network of people working on interface technologies to benefit people with disabilities.

The following video shows how a web-cam based gaze system can be used along with a large interactive display:

Gazetyping on large projected displays:


ITU Gazetracker Quick Guide - provides demonstrations of how set up the gaze tracker remotely and also how to set it up using a web camera that is near the user's eye:




This shows how you can calibrate and set up the tracker system:
ITU Gaze Tracker:







I have a new student at my school who might benefit from this system!