Technology and Autism

        This week we took a look at articles and webcasts about Autism and technology. Each article and webcast helped to describe autism and explain how technology is such a great supplemental resource for students who have autism. Since I work with students who have autism, I was able to relate to the use of some of the assistive technology and connect to the stories that were shared. Here are some of my thoughts on the webcast and articles.
       I am the Master of My Emotions webcast, talked about emotions of a typical child and the emotions of a child with autism. The webcast went into great detail about the common signs of emotion and how that differs between children. A typical child will express emotions through verbal behaviors, language, gestures, and facial expressions. This allows us to know how a child is feeling periodically throughout the day and it gives us a chance to respond back. A child with autism does not express emotions in the same way. In many cases, a child with autism will have no significant change in facial expression or have any facial expression at all. The lack of facial expressions can then prevent us from responding or telling them how they are feeling. That means the children are not necessarily learning about feelings and cannot generalize how they feel.
       In the webcast, they used the example of ice cream. With a typical child we will see them enjoying ice cream with a big smile on their face and respond with "Isn't that ice cream good? You like that ice cream." With a child with autism, we might see them eating the ice cream but have no facial expression and no response from us. We judge facial expressions to see how children are feeling. Children with autism do not always show how they are feeling with facial expressions. "If we do not label emotions, they cannot learn to label them later on."
       As teachers, we have to remember to recognize all types of children and give them all an opportunity to learn. This means responding to everything a child does and ensure that we are teaching emotions. We need to remember to model what they are feeling not what we are feeling. Teachers need to teach lessons when appropriate and tell them what they are feeling and then have them repeat it back. This gives children a chance to learn about how they are feeling and know when it is appropriate to express that feeling. It is also important to give a contrasting feeling. This gives children a chance to figure out other emotions they may be feeling.
       I have experienced situations similar to this in the past. When a child uses PECS and uses the cues "I feel happy" they may not look happy or seem happy. It is important to teach the children what being happy means and in what situations you might feel that way.  One way to help with teaching emotions and expressing emotions is by using assistive technology. Children can use iPads and applications to share how they are feeling and express their needs and wants. I found this webcast to be full of information and allowed me to look at emotions and autism in a different way.
       Technology Helps Children Deal with Autism in School by Janice Youngwith, discusses the forms of technology used by children with autism. The technology can range from an iPad to an iTouch to a PECS book. A main way the technology is used is as a form of communication. This creates more advanced communication at school and at home. Students have a chance to learn about "social skills and emotions of the people around them." The technology gives students a chance to connect to the world around them and become more comfortable with communicating with others.
       I thought this article helped to describe all the great technology that is out there for students with autism. There are many cheap resources that students and teachers can use to help children communicate. Assistive technology gives students a chance to check their schedule, plan for the day, express emotion, and communicate with peers, teachers, and family. Autism is complex but with the proper technology resources and tools, students can feel more comfortable and confident in the classroom. I have seen how well iPads help students communicate and how they are able to express emotions much easier. I think that iPads and the apps that are available are a great supplement to student learning.
        Technology and Autism, talked about technology and how it can improve the quality of life in children with autism. They take a look into different applications that have helped their children to communicate more effectively. One application that stood out to me was the Tap to Talk app. This app can be used in many different languages and can be used by children and adults. The application provides picture symbols and words that can be tapped and then read aloud. This gives children with autism a new form of communication that may be helpful to them with self expression. Children are now given a resource that allows them to communicate more effectively at home and at school.
      I liked how this website gave real life examples of technology resources and apps that children with autism can use. There are so many success stories from the application users and that just goes to show how technology is such a well developed resource and can really help improve the quality of life.
       In my classroom, I have used the Sono Flex app which allows students to communicate through picture symbols and words. This app allows you to add new picture symbols and words and build phrases and sentences. I feel that this app helps students to feel more comfortable communicating and  expressing their wants and needs. I plan to look into more apps and technology resources that are available for students with autism and other learning disabilities.