The teacher had spoken to the parents of both children about the possibility of getting an iPod or an iPad as a Christmas gift for the children. There was an exciting new app that was fabulous for children and adults who had limited communication or who had difficulty expressing themselves. A child could use this app with autism to an adult who had experienced a stroke. The app is expensive at a cost of $199 but it is powerful tool.

 The teacher had spoken to Michael and Helen’s parents suggesting that possibly family members and friends could join together to help purchase one of these devices to help the children better communicate their wants and needs. The two children already used picture communication effectively in the classroom. They also had access to the "proloquo2go" app on an iPod at school. The teacher had begun to introduce the children to the program. Over time, Helen and Michael might qualify later for assisted communication devices or they may even develop speech through interventions. In the meantime, these two students could begin to become more familiar with this form of communication in their daily life with their families. Another child in the classroom, Parker, was able to talk in single-word phrases and was a whiz at computers. The teacher told his parents that this particular app could be useful for Parker also. The proloquo2go app could become a powerful form of communication for the boy when he needed a word that couldn’t come to mind right away.

During classroom instruction, the teacher and staff did use the iPad with several apps to help improve the children’s ability to communicate. The Duck Duck Moose series, the Alligator app of Touch and Learn, the Different Roads to Learning on Clean Up, the Speech with Milo series, the See Touch and Learn by Brain Parade and the Sounds by Different Roads to Learning were all examples of wonderful apps for any child, especially those with special needs. Even so, she limited her usage of the apps to encourage more hands on learning in conjunction with technology tools. The computer was a wonderful tool but like any tool, it had limitations as well. Technology, including certain computer games and some movies could cause unexpected problems for children, especially those with autism.

When selecting computer apps / Laptop Battery, games or even movies remember that most children with autism cannot easily turn off what they see. Many of the children are unable to separate fantasy from reality. Today’s video games often reset themselves for the next play time. One day you might destroy a building or a person. When you start the game again, the players come back to life. Movies do the same thing. Freddy Kruger keeps coming back. Dr. Temple Grandin, who has autism, often comments on how violent movies are very destructive for people with ASD. Brutal episodes keep playing over and over in their minds.

That being said, computers and televisions can be wonderful tools for any child, including children within the autism spectrum. However, the use of technology should be limited as it is far better to interact directly with a child. The main rule is to never allow child to use technology for long periods in the day. Keep the time periods limited with a timer and consider having a schedule to show the child when the computer time will occur during the day. Target has a wonderful daily and weekly schedule with beautiful visuals that is easy to manipulate for whatever a family’s routine might be.

If you do want to buy DVDs for your children this Christmas, consider buying some of the educational ones such as the Rock N Learn series: "Addition and Subtraction, Letter Sounds, and Color, Shape and Counting." Disney also has a variety of Learning Adventures such as: "Winnie the Pooh ABCs" and "Winnie the Pooh 123s." Of course, no one could forget Dr. Seuss. The children love the rhyming and repetition of Dr. Seuss. Be careful when buying video games and game consoles. When you are buying a game ask yourself, "What is the purpose of the game? Is it a fighting game? What happens to the character during the game? Do they destroy equipment or hurt people or even die?" Remember what message are you giving your child when the character dies but comes to life when you start again.