Haley Ballentine

iPads and Autism

        I loved this presentation that was done by Tori, Trey, and Kayla. They did their presentation on iPads and Autism.  In the presentation, they explained why people are going crazy over iPads in education. People love iPads in education because they are everywhere and everyone has one in this day and time. iPads are easy to transport and are very accessible for everyone. They have a touch screen, no stylus or mouse is required when using an iPad. iPads are also very customizable which is a very key when working with children with autism. They are great for children who have autism for many reason. They give children with autism many different options for communication and motivation tools. iPads allow learning to be broken down into chunks for children with autism which is very helpful. The apps that are available to for iPads are customizable to students who have autism. If someone is using an iPad for communication they need to make sure to include a lot of visuals for the child and have categorized systems. There is an app for the iPad that is $49.99 that is great for communication and it is called iCommunicate.  The iPad is great for helping children with autism with their daily schedules and routines. It can help keep track with the child’s daily schedule and routines. There are many apps that can be used for routines. Some of those apps are Choice Works and Visual Routines. When using these apps, or any routine apps, for a child with autism, make sure to include a lot of visuals. Both of the apps that were mentioned allow the user to upload their own pictures to the app to be used in the child’s daily routine. Another way an iPad can help with children with autism is that they can be used as a reward or motivational tool. When using it as a reward or motivation, be careful. Do not give the iPad every time the child is good. It needs to be used as a behavior reward. Consistency is key when using it as a reward or motivational tool. The presentation discussed different apps that can be used for children with autism. A lot of the apps that were shown can be used for any child. The presentation discussed the two routine apps that I mentioned before. It also discussed MeMoves which is beneficial to students who are hyposensitive to touch. Time timer can be used for any child and is a timing tool that can be customized. The user can change the sound of the timer as well as the color that is shown on the timer. Social Skills Builder, Emotions from “I Can Do Apps”, and Social Stories are all apps that help build a child’s social skills. Learning about the apps was my favorite part of the presentation. I cannot wait to use some of the app that were discussed in the presentation.