Thanks to our vast experience with Autistic service users, we have been able to put together a 7 point list relating to Autism Care, on how to effectively communicate with a child with Autism. We aim to incorporate these strategies in our semi independent living projects everyday. Below we have prepared a 7 point plan.
A Tablet PC, running applications or ‘Apps’, has revolutionised Veronica’s life.
Veronica is six years old and severely affected by Autism. She has severe learning difficulties and finds most social situations very difficult. She lost all her speech three years ago. But in common with many other children like her, touchscreen computers have provided a way of learning and communicating that plays to her strengths.
“She has gone from being a little girl who had no way of showing us how much she knew, to a little girl who now has a portable device she can laugh, play and engage with,” says her mother Sam Rospigliosi, from Edinburgh.
“Who knows, she might even use it as her voice in the years ahead if she never learns how to speak again.”
Richard Mills, head of research at ‘Research Autism’ and the National Autistic Society, says the technology is an opportunity to take, “A huge step forward in our understanding of Autism…”
“They allow us to have an insight into how children with Autism think. People with Autism have a different kind of intelligence. Their visual memory is strong, so PCs are highly motivating.”
Apps such as puzzles ad response-based games have captured Veronica’s visual based mind. She has taken to the iPad App called, called ‘FindMe’. It is aimed at non-verbal children from the age of 18 months upwards, and encourages players to focus on other people and their needs, something people with Autism find difficult to comprehend in real life situations.
Could the Tablet PC be more than just big news for the consumer electronics industry? How can we implement such technology into everyday care & support? Share your views below.