appsforautism

For many autistic people, communication is a huge challenge. Laminated flash cards used to be the communication tool of choice; the leading technology available for self-expression. To teach new skills or express new feelings, parents and therapists had to hunt for new cards or instructional videos – a process that could take hours, days, or even weeks.

Joshua Hood, 28, had relied on such methods for most of his life, often finding himself unable to participate in school or family because he could not make himself understood. The family often had to resort to charades to identify just one item Josh might need or want. All that changed for Josh when he received an iPad. In an interview that originally aired on CBS News’ 60 Minutes in October, 2011, Josh and his mother spoke to CBS’s Leslie Stahl about the technology that changed Josh’s life. Now, with an iPad and an app called Proloquo2go, Josh is, according to his therapist Tammy Taylor, “part of the community…communication is the essence of being human. And here he is, communicating fully now.” So fully, in fact, that Josh can order his own breakfast at the local diner, talk about his favorite television show, Hogan’s Heroes, and express how he is feeling.

Organizations across the country are working to improve the understanding of autism and provide innovative communication options for those with autism, but funding is not always readily available. The Autism Project of Rhode Island was one of four charities to benefit from a special premier of the Michael Bay Transformers movie, but very few autism charities are lucky enough to land partnerships like this, which lend not only a big and newsworthy name like Michael Bay, but significant fundraising as well.

Many benefits can be derived from providing autistic children with the means of expression using technology. Take, for example, Carly Fleischmann whose parents, until she reached the age of ten, were advised to find residential care for her. At ten, Carly used one finger to slowly type three words that would change her life, “help teeth hurt.” By 17, she was taking honors classes and had co-authored a book with her father called Carly’s Voice: Breaking Through Autism, according to ABC News. Today the teen has a very active social media presence on Twitter and with her Facebook page “Carly’s Cafe” where she talks about herself, her interests and autism related topics.

Carly made the news recently after refusing to turn off her iPad during descent and landing on a flight from Los Angeles to Toronto. Carly has never been able to speak, cannot write, and can only type with one finger so her iPad (or computer) is truly her only quality means of communicating with the world. “I use the iPad like a prosthetic limb and not as a toy. I think that is what is blinding people on this issue,” she told ABC News. The plane’s pilot overruled the flight attendant and allowed Carly to keep her iPad on. If she had been forced to turn off the iPad she would have been unable to communicate for 50 minutes. That’s 50 minutes in which she could not have warned her traveling companion if she felt a seizure coming on, or any other essential concerns or communication she needed to express. What the flight attendant, along with many other people, don’t realize is that Carly’s iPad isn’t a typical entertainment device for watching the latest Michael Bay movie or listening to the newest song by Justin Bieber. Many autistic people need this type of technology to help them fit into the real world.

Not everyone with autism may respond to an iPad for learning or communication, but for the people that do it is imperative that we find a way to get the technology to them. As technology and apps evolve with new innovative ideas, those afflicted with autism will finally have the chance to greatly improve their lives.

.