Can touchscreen devices open up windows of communication for autistic children?

Photo courtesy of fritzon

Communicating with lil’ ones can often be difficult. Their busy, active minds are typically full of more thoughts and ideas than their budding vocabularies can accommodate, and this can often lead to frustration, both for the child and for the adult with whom they are attempting to communicate.

How much more frustrating must it be, then, for a semi or nonverbal autistic child to get even the simplest message across? It is not unusual for miscommunication to spark meltdowns in young children not affected by autism, so it is little wonder that autistic kids are much more prone to fits of frustration when unable to communicate their most basic needs and emotions.

Parents and educators have used a variety of strategies to bridge the communication gap for children with ASD. Strategies such as sign language and PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) have allowed these children to make leaps and bounds when it comes to conveying information nonverbally.

Yet as is the current trend in many fields, technology is beginning to play a huge role when it comes to enabling autistic children to communicate with those around them. A recent article from the Canadian Press discusses a research project at a Toronto school for special needs children that puts iPads and iPhones into the hands of students with autism and other communicatory challenges. These interactive devices are loaded with apps that allow children to string together messages by tapping symbols on the screen.

Rhonda McEwen, the University of Toronto professor who directs the project, confirms that using these devices has caused “on average, a 20 per cent improvement in students' ability to communicate.” One father agreed that he’s “seen a big improvement since his son started school and began using the iPad.” He adds that his son “responds to his name and sits down and eats when asked, when before he didn't understand.” Thus, it seems that not only do the devices facilitate communication when in a child's hands, but also have a therapeutic affect, improving a child's communications skills even when the device is absent.

Photo courtesy Toca Boca

A FoxNews.com article, entitled “Is the iPad a 'Miracle Device' for Autism?”, notes that “[t]here are at least three dozen apps designed for autistic kids including ones for music and reading. And the device itself supports spoken text and other aids for those with special needs.”

Indeed, the innate affordances of the iPad, such as its uncomplicated user interface and its ability to be manipulated by fingertips and simple gestures, make it a natural favorite with children. Yet it also seems to have a specific appeal for autistic children, allowing them to communicate without having to filter through other’s emotions, which can often confuse them.

One of these exciting new apps geared towards lil’ ones with autism is Proloquo2Go, which uses a clean, organized layout with simple yet friendly pictures, paired with a computerized voice that speaks a designated message aloud. The system allows users to communicate a range of emotions, needs, and desires by merely tapping images on the screen. "The Conversation: iPad Gives Voice to the Autistic", a clip from ABC News, discusses and demonstrates a few of the app's various functions. The video below shows an autistic child actually using the app to communicate:

Another helpful app is First Then Visual Schedule, a program based off of traditional First...Then activities that generally use images printed on paper cards. The app is customizable and can provide children with visual sequences of daily activities, such as dressing themselves, or of recreational activities, such as playing a game. A demonstration of the app can be viewed by clicking here.

These are only two of a growing collection of apps designed for autistic kids, many of them to be had at very reasonable prices, which are available on touchscreen devices such as iPad and iPhone. It is a collection that can only grow if studies such as Rhonda McEwen's continue to report on their success both at home and in the classroom.

According to Stephen Shore, co-author of Understanding Autism for Dummies, these Apple devices are but "the first of several gadgets that actually free a child from some effects of autism...additional devices, including those that augment speech, will also help."

Indeed, as the technology continues to grow smarter, faster, and more intuitive, it will undoubtedly give autistic children a communicatory edge that has thus far been unavailable to them. Equipped with a highly portable touchscreen device and a few clever apps, even the most severely affected may be able to communicate not only with family and friends, but with anyone they encounter out in the world.