Bobby Miller
Writer Website
Treating Autism: There's an App for That
1,300 words
The US government has estimated that one in eighty-eight children has autism, though new surveys suggest that it could be as high as one in fifty children, according to AutismSpeaks.org. Those falling under this diagnosis have issues in brain development that are characterized by “difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors,” as the website goes on to explain. It should not be underestimated just how severely autism can hinder a person’s speech. According to ProactiveSpeech.WordPress.com, roughly 40 percent of children diagnosed with autism cannot speak at all. Many others can only use a few words. Clearly, this condition can make it difficult for people to function in a world where communication with others is vital to everyday living.
Due to the severity and breadth of this condition, assistive technology for autism has been in development for years. Tech4AutismNow.org defines assistive technology as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system that may be used by a person with a disability to perform specific tasks, improve functional capabilities, and become more independent.” Although assistive technology designed to help autistic people communicate is nothing new, it has become much more accessible in recent years thanks to the rise of portable devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Technology is particularly useful for people with autism because the majority of them prefer to interact with computers and the like rather than with humans. As Tech4AutismNow.org explains, tech lets us “tap into their visual channel.” While face-to-face human interaction involves a series of transient cues (words that vanish as soon as they’re heard, gestures that last but a second), information is displayed on a screen for as long as it takes the person to process it. This makes it much easier for autistic individuals to take in information and then respond to it. There is also the benefit of predictability. When conversing with someone, an autistic person cannot predict what the other individual will say or do, which can lead to frustration. But according to Parenting.com, technology is much more predictable. For instance, tapping a certain icon on an iPad app will always bring up the same screen.
Since autistic individuals enjoy using technology, a number of different people and organizations have created apps in order to help them communicate, to entertain them and to assist them in other tasks. One such organization is Technology for Autism Now, Inc. (TAN), which defines itself as a “non-profit organization providing quality assistive technology communication solutions for the autism community.” Recognizing that every autistic child is different, its apps allow caregivers, teachers or other professionals to customize the experience.
Its Structure Application, for example, features different icons representing parts of the autistic person’s daily routine. By tapping on one, the user can access videos, pictures or text specifically made for them that explain how to go about the task. For instance, Morning Meeting at school involves sitting in a circle, listening to the teacher, saying hi to everyone and so on. TAN emphasizes that this can also help autistic people grasp the concept of “if/result,” that is, how every action has a consequence. For instance, the caregiver can show that interacting well with someone will result in a reward, such as being allowed to play basketball.
The TAN Structure App at work
Credit: Tech4AutismNow.org
TAN is working on a number of other apps. For instance, it is currently developing a Communication App, which “will include vocabulary, verb conjugation and all the tools that support increased communication and emerging speech. It will incorporate all of TAN’s signature tools for customizing images, photos, videos and recorded voice to personalize it for each individual child.” It also plans to make a Vocation Skills App, which will help autistic people find a job and do it properly. This is especially useful for when “people with autism age out of educational services and need to live on their own.”
In the meantime, people can enjoy a number of other helpful resources from TAN. For example, its Facebook page is frequently updated with helpful articles for those tending to a child with autism; for instance, it has posted a link to an article discussing how to help an autistic child through a difficult trip to the dentist.
Another application that has helped autistic children and their educators is the VAST Autism 1 – Core, VAST Pre-Speech and VAST Songs. You see, one difficulty in teaching an autistic child how to speak is the fact that most people with autism have trouble looking others in the face. Because of this, they rarely see examples of how a person’s lips and tongue move when speaking. However, the VAST technique hopes to solve this issue. As ProactiveSpeech.WordPress.org explains, VAST’s app includes videos that zoom-in on a person’s lips as they articulate sound. Since the whole face is not shown, autistic individuals are far less likely to shy away from it. It begins with syllables and works the child up to complete sentences. This allows the autistic child to figure out how to make different sounds, which is essential to oral communication. Testimonies on the website declare that some autistic individuals have been able to form simple words after just one trial, a feat that has amazed educators.
VAST shows how a person’s lips and tongue move while speaking.
Credit: ProactiveSpeech.WordPress.com
There is also an app available that allows the iPad to do the talking for the autistic person. Proloquo2go features pictures, videos and symbols used to convey different ideas. They are categorized into groups such as people, food and places. In one episode of 60 Minutes, an autistic individual named Joshua is able to order breakfast at a diner by using the app. The use of symbols also helps him to convey his feelings, something that can be very difficult for autistic people to do. He simply goes to the list of categories, looks up feelings and taps the picture of a smiling face with “happy” written beneath it. Although Proloquo2go costs $190, the ability to communicate is priceless.
Proloquo2Go allows users to string together words to form complete sentences.
Credit: AssistiveWare.com
Developing apps such as these is no easy task. One of the developers behind VAST, Lois Jean Brady of Autism Today TV, said in an e-mail that, when evaluating the effectiveness of different apps, she considers how user-friendly they are for both the caregiver and the autistic child. Her design decisions are based on her firsthand experience working with special needs children and evidence from different studies. The combination of academic and firsthand knowledge allows her to create the most effective apps available. Her books Apps for Autism and Speech in Action detail different apps and treatment methods, explaining how their features serve autistic children.
Brady notes how apps helping autistic people communicate accomplish something amazing. They allow us to see that, despite what we may think, autistic people are not unintelligent. There is a lot going on in their minds; they simply have trouble communicating what’s inside. These communication apps allow us to see autistic people as full individuals. They also help autistic people with daily tasks so that they are able to function better as members of society. For various apps designed to help those with autism, check out iPad-autism.com. It categorizes hundreds of apps based on the purpose they serve; for instance, some help with language, some with math, some with social skills and more. The website iAutism.info/en features a list of apps for both iProducts and Android devices. Certain apps are free, but more advanced ones can cost hundreds of dollars. However, they can all help an autistic person to learn, to function and to express themselves to others.
Bobby Miller originally wrote this article for the digital magazine Nvate in April of 2013. Due to its age, some of the information or links in the article may be outdated.