I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them. --Mark Haddon, Author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Specialized apps for the iPad are changing the way students with Autism are able to communicate. This clip from 60 minutes, which was embedded in a post on Free Technology for Teachers, is a must-see for educators.
It is particularly inspiring to see the way that language apps are providing a conduit for expression. Up until now, I've focused on the iPad for personal or regular classroom use, but this post and video has broadened its implications for learning.
References
Byrne, R. (2011, October 24). Apps for autism -- a 60 minutes story [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/10/apps-for-autism-60-minutes-story.html
Sughrue, K. (Producer). (2011, October 23). Apps for Autism. 60 Minutes [Television broadcast]. Washington, DC: CBS News.
What a heart warming video. It was so wonderful to see the excitment those students, educators and parents felt as the children discovered a new way to communicate. The iPad seems to be a wonderful tool for people who have receptive language capabilities, but lack expressive language. A wonderful way to break out of their shells! I was disappointed though, as a Kindergarten teacher who has had a student with autism in my class every year for the past six years, that the video failed to mention the incredible diversity of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. "The spectrum" is huge and many children with autism have impressive vocabularies coupled with difficulties in other areas of social interaction.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is so neat! I hope that this is a resource that will be helpful to more Autistic students. My mother-in-law has worked with Autistic students, I will have to past this along to her.
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