Autism and iPads? Opinions differ | The Marion Star | marionstar.com

Autism and iPads? Opinions differ | The Marion Star | marionstar.com

MARION — The iPad is likely on many children’s Christmas list, but there is a debate over whether that’s the best gift for a child with autism.

There are several apps on the iPad that are marketed for children with autism. Judy Lehner, a Marion resident with grandchildren with autism, said her grandchildren enjoy watching Disney videos on it and find a lot of terrific subject matter, including reading apps.

MyAutismTeam.com, a social network designed for parents of children with autism, recommended the iPad along with LEGOs, sensory toys, video games and gift cards with which to download apps and movies.

Kathryn Miller Dove of the Meredith College Autism Program said the program does not recommend the iPad, nor electronics or television games. Dove said in an email that the reason is “the isolation of social skills these types of toys bring. We encourage toys that are problem-solving in nature and can be shared by others to promote social skills.”

More @ http://www.marionstar.com/article/20121220/NEWS01/312210023/Autism-iPads-Opinions-differ?nclick_check=1

Apps for Autism on 60 Minutes

Apps for Autism - 60 Minutes - CBS News

(CBS News)  

For severely autistic people, communication is often impossible, leaving them unable to convey what they want or need. But as Lesley Stahl reports, touch-screen apps designed for tablet computers like the iPad are now giving autistic people new ways to express themselves, some for the first time. Teachers and parents are hailing the technology as a breakthrough, one that can reveal the true depth of knowledge and emotion trapped behind a wall of silence.

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The following script is from "Apps for Autism" which aired on Oct. 23, 2011.In the weeks since Steve Jobs died, there has been an outpouring of gratitude from his fans for the way his inventions, like the iPad, changed their lives.
Among the most passionate are parents of children with severe forms of autism, especially those who can't speak and appear hopelessly locked inside themselves. Those parents often say these kids understand more and know more than they're able to communicate.
"60 Minutes Overtime": Temple Grandin: Understanding autismWell now, with the iPad and other tablet computers spreading through the autism community, some of those parents are finding out they were right.
It turns out that autistic children show a real interest in the iPad with its easy touch-and-swipe screens. With specially-designed applications, or apps, these computers are helping them communicate and unlocking the isolation of people like 27-year-old Joshua Hood.
Imagine spending your life having conversations like this...
Lesley Stahl: P, L...
...having to poke out words on a laminated piece of paper - one letter at a time.
Stahl: C. Plastic.
It was so frustrating for Josh, his mother Nancy says he would often give up and retreat into himself. At family gatherings, he was sidelined because no one understood him. At school, he sat passively in class unable to participate. When Josh was feeling bad or really needed something, the family resorted to charades.
Nancy: So, you'd be like-- you know, can you spell it? Can you show me? And so, he would--
Stahl: You'd act it out almost?
Nancy: He would. He would-- he would look around a room and see if he could find somethin' that sounded like it.
Stahl: Just to tell you one little thing?
Nancy: One thing that he wanted, yes.
[Waitress: How are you?]But not anymore.
[Josh, using iPad: I want a drink.]For the past year, Josh has been using an Apple iPad as his voice and he is - well, he's reborn!
[Waitress: What are we havin' to eat today, Josh?Josh: I want bagel bacon please.Waitress: Ok.]Now when he goes to the local diner, he can order his breakfast, himself. Josh's mom downloaded a special language app and added pictures, videos and symbols that allow him to convey his feelings.
[Josh: Happy...]...what he wants...
[Josh: Toys.]And what he watches on TV!
[Josh: TV News, 60 Minutes.]My first "60 Minutes" interview on an iPad! I asked about his brother Jimmy.
Stahl: And how old is Jimmy?
Josh: Keyboard. Numbers. Two, six. Jimmy 26.
Stahl: So he's one year younger than you are? Is he your best friend? Does that mean you love him? Yeah.
Josh is typical of people with autism in that he rarely looked directly at me; he rocks, and he has obsessions: in his case, it's World War II.
[Josh: Hogan's Heroes Season Six.]His therapist Tammy Taylor will never forget the first time she put the iPad into his hands: what had been bottled up inside him began to pour out.
Tammy Taylor: It just blew me away that he could actually tell me his brother had a goatee and was bald.
Stahl: He's completely communicating.
Taylor: Absolutely. He's part of the community. I mean, communication is the essence of being human. And here he is, communicating fully now.
Stahl: Totally.
The language app that Josh uses is called "Proloquo2go."
[Josh: Josh's spaces. My place. Work.]But there are other apps created specifically for autistic people: like "AutismXpress" to help children identify emotions.
And another called "Look in My Eyes" to practice eye contact.
Stahl: How do you feel about being on TV? Can you show me on there?
Josh: Categories. Feelings. Happy. Joshua happy.
Stahl: Tell me what's happening inside of you as your son starts to tell you what-- what he's been thinking. He's probably been trying to tell you for 27 years.
Nancy: Mind boggling, to tell you the truth. I always had said when he was younger, it was like, you know, he was a computer and I was computer illiterate. And I didn't know how to press the right keys-- sorry-- to-- to get him to communicate. It was just, you know, that-- that was the hard part, is you knew there was more in there, and you didn't know how to get it out.
Touch screen computers help Josh communicate. Can they do the same for these children at the Beverley School in Toronto, Canada - where half the students are severely autistic and more impaired than Josh?
The day we were there, kindergarten teacher Sabrina Morey struggled to figure out why seven-year-old Nathan was so upset.
Sabrina Morey: Students don't have a way to communicate with me, they don't have a way to tell me how they're feeling, what they want, what they need, what's happened to them before they've come to school.
Stahl: It's frustrating for you. What about for them?
Morey: It can be very frustrating.
[Ian Stuart: Oh look! The iPad's here.]For the past year, Morey and her fellow teachers Ian Stuart and Stacie Carroll have been involved in the first study to find out just how effective the iPad is with their students.
Stahl: Has the iPad made any difference, Stacie?
Stacie Carroll: The iPad has made a huge difference. There's something--
Stahl: Huge?
Carroll: --about using the iPad that draws the students in. They're engaged with it in a way that we don't see with other toys or puzzles or teaching tools.
The study has found that it improves the children's willingness to socialize, something autistic kids have trouble with, and it enhances their attention spans.
[Carroll: Can you look at the numbers, Jennifer?]In this video, recorded by the school, Stacie's trying to get little Jennifer to focus on learning to count, using the old paper method.
Stahl: So she's not-- paying attention right now?
Carroll: No, she's not looking at it.
But what a difference with the iPad.
Stahl: Oh, that's wonderful. Look at her.
Carroll: She's completely engrossed.
Stahl: Totally. I hear that autistic children often prefer machines to having an interaction with a human being. Is that what we're seeing?
Carroll: What we're thinking is that the device is constant. So the voice is constant. The pacing is constant. It waits. I might not wait as long.
Stahl: You're unpredictable?
Carroll: Right.
Stahl: And they like order and control.
Ian Stuart: Absolutely.
But the teachers are finding that as with autism in general, there's a range of ability when it comes to benefiting from the iPad.
Stahl: When he likes something, he lights up.
I sat down with Sabrina and Nathan.
Sabrina Morey: Ready? Letters. There you go.
And as I watched, he repeatedly ignored her requests...
Morey: You choose a letter.
And she stepped in again and again to guide his hand. I wondered just how much he was learning on the iPad.
Morey: Which letter would you like to look at? Sometimes I have to hold my hand over it, because otherwise he will just go in and out of programs.
Ian Stuart: What I found is that the device, the iPad isn't for everyone. It's not for all my students. But the ones who are engaged by it - it's really...it's amazing!
[Stuart: Do you want to do some work?Nuno: No. No. No. No. No. No. No.]It was thought that 10-year-old Nuno - who doesn't talk - had the IQ and attention span of a toddler.
[iPad: Touch the one that is a healthy snack.Stuart: Where's the nice snack, good snack?iPad: Yay. Awesome.]So when Ian tested him with a new vocabulary app, he was surprised by how much he knew.
[iPad: Where is the wind chime? Great job. Touch the soldier. Yay. Super.]Stahl: Did you know he knew all those words?
Stuart: No. Absolutely not.
Stahl: You had no idea?
Stuart: No idea. No idea to the extent of his vocabulary.
[iPad: Find the saxophone. Yay, you did it.]Stahl: Saxophone. How did he know a saxophone? Right?
Stuart: And we've just recently found out that he has quite a love of classical music and opera. So he's-- he's--
Stahl: He has love of opera?
Stuart: Yes, he does.
Stahl: And you didn't know it.
Stuart: Didn't know it, yeah.
Stahl: Did that come through the iPad?
Stuart: It came through exploring music selections on-- on the iPad. And as a reward sometimes we let him watch some videos in class and Pavarotti or some arias. And he likes conductors. He likes symphonies.
Stahl: You're discovering that there's more inside these children's heads than you realized?
Morey: And that's something in a way I feel like we've known. But this is giving us a tool to really show us and prove that there is more happening.
Figuring out why so many autistic people are unable to speak - as many as 30 percent of them - is the subject of a major new research study at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Walter Schneider: We don't have a biological marker for autism in most cases at the moment.
Neuro-scientist Dr. Walter Schneider, is investigating whether the language problems in autism are caused by a disruption in the brain's connective circuits.
[Schneider: What we're gonna do now is the motor mapper.]He invited Temple Grandin, the renowned professor of animal science and author of five books on autism, to have her brain scanned as his first subject.
[Attendant: Okay Temple, the noise is gonna start. You doing alright?Grandin: I'm okay.]Grandin has Asperger's, a high-functioning form of autism, but she had trouble learning to speak.
Temple Grandin: My speech started coming in around, you know.. three, three and a half. A few stressed words at a time. Like I'd say "Bah" for ball.
To analyze Grandin's brain, Schneider used a new technique he developed called high definition fiber tracking, that reveals the interior wiring in fine detail.
Stahl: This is a normal brain?
Schneider: This is a normal brain.
First he showed us the fibers that make up the language circuit in a normal brain - a streamlined bundle with off ramps at the top. But what about in a brain with autism, like Temple Grandin's.
Stahl: You're gonna show us Temple's brain?
Schneider: Yes. We're going to show the inside of Temple's brain.
What I saw floored me.
Stahl: What did you think when you saw that? That is Temple-- that is that. That is that?
Schneider: That is this section and how it projects out.
Stahl: But that's dramatic.
Schneider: That's dramatic.
Schneider thinks this dramatic disorganization of the wiring may explain the language impairments seen in autism, but he won't know for sure until he scans more people. He hopes, among other things, that one day a brain scan will be able to diagnose autism early and tell parents if their child will ever speak.
Stahl: So he's affectionate.
Amanda Williams: He's very, very affectionate.
Meantime, parents like Amanda Williams - Nathan's mother, are latching onto the iPad. Marveling at how the device is opening windows into their children's minds...even if the windows are only open a crack.
Williams: I can't express to you enough, like, how amazing it is to watch him take his little finger and go like that in a controlled way. I think the thing that made us cry was when he flipped through it and then he saw the tiger. And he went, "Oh, I gotta go back," and went boom. And he looked at us with this smile on his face. And he's like, "I did it."
Stahl: And it's such a tiny little thing.
Williams: It's a tiny thing.
Stahl: But it's-- for him, it's huge, right?
Williams: It's huge. It's huge.
Stahl: Where do you see the iPad taking him? What's the next step and the next step?
Williams: We don't know what the future holds for him in terms of speech. We'd like to think and we still hope that one day speech will come in whatever form. But if it doesn't and if it's not perfect--
Stahl: This will be his voice.
Williams: --this will be his voice.
Transcript: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-20124225/apps-for-autism-communicating-on-the-ipad/?pageNum=5&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Avatalker™ AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)

Avatalker™ AAC | Augmentative and Alternative Communication Software

A Revolutionary Product Designed with You in Mind
In the fall of 2011 Intelligence, Inc. will be releasing a new robust AAC app for the Apple iOS platform that is unlike any other AAC device on the market today! It's called Avatalker™ AAC (pronounced 'ave-ah-talker').

What is Avatalker™ AAC
Avatalker™ AAC is an augmentative and alternative communication software solution designed for Apple’s iPad®, iPhone®, and iPod® Touch. It gives nonverbal children and adolescents the ability to build phrases and sentences pictographically, which are then converted to audible speech. It features a robust 2,000+ word vocabulary and proprietary graphics library that is EASY to navigate and use!

Customizable, Powerful, and Robust
Caregivers can customize Avatalker’s library, adding familiar names, words and images, or even complete custom sentences or phrases for easy access to frequently-used messages. Advanced features for grammar are offered, including drop-down menus for auto-conjugation, auto-morphology... and auto-syntax! Avatalker is SCALABLE, including three skill stages designed to accommodate low-to-high functioning nonverbal children and the ability to vary the size of the icon buttons for those with motor planning challenges.

A Great Product Starts with a Solid Foundation
Intelligence, Inc. is a leading inventor and developer of interactive communication technologies. Based out of Chicago USA, Intelligence, Inc. features a dynamic team of local developers and programmers with a passion for engineering the very finest tools and applications. Intelligence, Inc. has strong ties to the Autism community through our product designers who also serve on various non-for-profit boards, participate in online forums, attend conferences and seminars, and work in special education.

Founded in 2002 by two technology entrepreneurs who shared a vision for developing assistive technologies, Intelligence, Inc. boasts an impressive portfolio of software solutions with over fifteen thousand users in two dozen countries worldwide. Intelligence, Inc. is the only solution provider in this industry to offer true 24x7 user support. Learn more at www.intelligenceinc.com.

See Touch Learn in APPLE STORES!

Apple's U.S. Retail Stores feature Brain Parade's See.Touch.Learn. app

Apple(R) Stores in the U.S. are now featuring Brain Parade's See.Touch.Learn.(TM) application for children with autism and special needs on its iPads. The program is among just eight educational apps chosen by Apple for its in-store iPad offerings, and combines the effectiveness of picture cards with the power and interactivity of the tablet devices.

"We knew this program was a game changer in bettering the lives of autistic and special needs children, and Apple's decision to feature it on their in-store products is a testament to that," says Jim McClafferty, Brain Parade's founder. "Knowing the high premium Apple puts on design, usability and quality, we take great pride in the fact that they have chosen See.Touch.Learn. to be part of their retail stores.

See.Touch.Learn. - Brain Parade

"The application has been downloaded more than 55,000 times since it was launched in March. We're receiving some terrific feedback on how we're helping families and educators see measurable improvements in children's development," McClafferty adds.

Apple ended the March quarter with 323 stores and greeted one billion retail visitors, according to published reports. In addition to the U.S., Apple has stores around the world in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and Japan. A recent Wall Street Journal article noted that more people now visit Apple's retail stores in a single quarter than the 60 million who visited Walt Disney Co.'s four biggest theme parks last year, according to data from Apple and the Themed Entertainment Association. McClafferty says "Brain Parade is delighted to have the opportunity to introduce See.Touch.Learn. to those visitors."

Brain Parade's See.Touch.Learn. program improves upon traditional picture cards by building a powerful and intuitive user interface on the world's leading tablet device. Parents and learning professionals can choose from professionally-designed exercises and lessons or they can create their own. The app automatically tracks a student's performance. See.Touch.Learn.'s "Getting Started" screens walk a user through the various functions of the program, and instructors can customize the audio responses and record voice prompts to instruct the child in each exercise.

The application has been the #1 Free iPad education program in Australia and New Zealand, has reached the Number 4 position in the United States and has appeared in the top ten lists in more than 15 countries. The app enjoys a user rating of 4.6 stars out of a possible 5 stars in Apple's iTunes(R).

Device Requirements:
* Compatible with iPad
* Requires iOS 4.2 or later
* 10.0 MB

Pricing and Availability:
See.Touch.Learn. can be downloaded free of charge from the Apple iTunes online store. Additional image libraries are available for purchase beginning at just $0.99 - a fraction of the cost of traditional picture cards. Brain Parade also donates one dollar for each copy of its specially designed "Light it up Blue" library to Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization.

See.Touch.Learn. 1.1
Download from iTunes
Product Videos
Screenshots
App Icon

Brain Parade builds innovative, mobile, technology solutions that improve the learning experience for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Jim McClafferty, a veteran technology executive and consultant, founded Brain Parade in 2010 with the goal of developing educational tools that capitalize on the power of the iPad platform to transform the ways in which students with autism and special needs learn. Copyright (C) 2011 Brain Parade, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Related:
See.Touch.Learn. - Brain Parade
See.Touch.Learn Autism App

Therapeutic Advertisements for Autism (Ther-Ad) App

TherAd for Autism - Get the Autism App HERE.

New Autism Video Therapy Introduced Via an App

A new form of video self-modeling therapy for children with autism is being introduced by way of an app called Ther-Ad for Autism (Therapeutic Advertisements for Autism), helping to recognize April as National Autism Awareness Month.

A new form of video self-modeling therapy for children with autism is being introduced by way of an app called Ther-Ad for Autism (Therapeutic Advertisements for Autism), helping to recognize April as National Autism Awareness Month.

The new app was developed by a team at Data Makes the Difference and mHealth researcher Dr. Michael Kelley, who has published articles on using mobile phones for relapse prevention. Ther-Ad is designed to be an evidence-based therapy that will also improve the efficiency of applied behavioral analysis. It runs on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

Numerous research studies have shown that video self-modeling presented by a parent, teacher or behavior professional may help children with autism and related disorders to increase desired behaviors and to consequently decrease problem behaviors at the same time.

Ther-Ad works by allowing a student to watch motivating media, such as a movie, that is occasionally paused at an interval. A short self-modeling video is then presented to the student who watches the clip of himself engaging in a behavior that parents or instructors wish to encourage. After the video self-modeling clip finishes, the student is automatically reinforced by being returned to the motivating movie.

Video content is uploaded directly to Apple® iTunes, so that each student’s needs are tailored with appropriate motivating videos and individualized self-modeling clips.

“Modeling is one of the established treatments listed in the National Autism Center’s National Standards Project,” said Liz Maher, MEd, BCBA, and co-owner of Data Makes the Difference. “So it’s very exciting to be able to offer an app that uses this type of evidence-based practice.”

As a mHealth application, the development team believes the features of Ther-Ad will generate larger effects on autism, with a much broader range of clients, and do so efficiently, relative to other forms of video self-modeling therapies.

Initial testing to quantify the effectiveness of video self-modeling as a pivotal training approach is underway with John Loveland, clinical director of the Loveland Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mr. Loveland’s encouragement to pursue the concept for the app was vital in moving the development process forward since the idea’s inception one year ago with Dr. Kelley.

According to the Autism Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. There is no known single cause for autism, and its prevalence has risen to one of every 110 births in the United States.

Ther-Ad is available in the Apple iTunes store, and regular upgrades are being planned to roll-out to users over the next year.

Source: PRWEB: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/04/prweb5229434.htm

TherAd for Autism - Get the Autism App HERE.

Fizz Brain Autism Apps

Fizz Brain: Quality Learning Games by Real Classroom Teachers: Developed specifically for children on the autism spectrum, these iPhone application games help children practice eye contact and expand their minds while earning fun rewards and playing creatively.

• Look In My Eyes 1 Restaurant
• Scene Builder - Car Mechanic
• Eye Contact - Toybox
• Look In My Eyes 2 Car Mechanic
• Look In My Eyes Dinosaur
• Smile at Me
• Look In My Eyes 3 Undersea
• Dance Party Zoo
• Eye Contact - Zoo
• Scene Builder - Restaurant
• Dino Brain
• Bible Saurus
• Scene Builder - Undersea
• Palavras Cruzadas Futebol
• Dance Party Dino
• Crossword Football

Expressive 1.2- AAC Autism App - iPhone & iPad

Expressive - Smarty Ears - HERE!


Expressive is an entry-level, easy to use, and powerful app that allows children and adults with a speech impairment or a communication disorder to express their wants and needs through the use of pictures. It does not matter if an individual is having difficulty communicating due to autism, apraxia, stroke or any other communication disorder, Expressive will give that person the ability to express themselves through the use of pictured images and corresponding audio.

The best thing about Expressive is its ease of use. It does not require any knowledge about programming or manuals; Expressive is intuitive and simple to use.

Flexible and intuitive customization within Expressive allows users to select from a pool of images with audio files, create their own folders and arrange the images as they please.

• Easy and intuitive: Download and use it;
• Compatible with iPhone, iPad & iPod touch;Over 400 built in images;
• Male & Female voice options;
• Ability to add your own images to the library;
• Change background color of folders;
• Record your own audio to your images;
• Hide delete and add image buttons to avoid accidents;
• Search button to find images quickly;
• Completely redesigned graphics;
• Optimized audio;
• Male and Female voices;
  

Expressive - Smarty Ears - HERE!

Smart Oral Motor iPhone, iPad, iTouch App for Autism

Smart Oral Motor - Smarty Ears - Download HERE


"It is time to bring some fun to your oral motor exercises"

Oral motor skills refer to the skills needed for basic functions such as eating and speaking. The muscles in the mouth, jaw, lips and tongue are responsible for smiling, facial expressions, and even swallowing. We know that in order to practice these skills effectively, children need to follow basic directions involving movements of the muscles in their mouths.

Children with Apraxia of Speech, Down syndrome or craniofacial anomalies many times experience difficulties with their oral motor skills.

Smart Oral Motor is a fun and engaging application for children who need a little more entertaining when practicing their oral motor skills. Clever, the duck, provides auditory and visual cues for practicing several oral motor exercises such as:

-Puckering lips
-Making an “o” with the mouth
-Sending a kiss
-Moving tongue to sides
-Puffing cheeks
-Touching cheeks using the tongue
-Moving the tongue up and down

This application includes a total of 15 oral motor exercises, auditory information and fun animations. Parents and therapists have the ability to adjust the number of repetitions per movement as they please.

This application does not replace the need for a full evaluation by a licensed professional such as an occupational therapist or a speech therapist.

Therapists will evaluate and provide full guidance on how to best use this application. If parents are working with their therapists in trying to develop a home program for their child, this can be one very user friendly and engaging resource.

Smart Oral Motor - Smarty Ears - Download HERE