Autism and technology in classrooms: what apps can teachers use?

It’s certainly not a new topic. Much has been made of the use of iPads and other devices with students with autism. Both mainstream media and academic journals have looked at the pitfalls and benefits of using apps and computer software for therapy tasks and for alternative and augmentative communication purposes.

Today, we’re exploring the use of some mainstream apps for students in classrooms to help with three aspects that can cause difficulties for older students with autism: organisation, socialisation and accessing the curriculum.

Organisation

Some of the native features on the iPad/iPhone or Android smartphones and tablets can help higher functioning students to meet teachers’ expectation of managing class and homework more independently in preparation of life beyond school.  Using calendars and reminders can help, with alert set either at the time of the deadline or ahead of time to allow for preparation.

Apps such as the cross platform (free, with in-app purchase options) Evernote can be used to aid productivity for higher functioning students. It allows students to write notes; prepare checklists and organise articles from the web.  The uncluttered workspace is helpful for people who benefit from avoiding unnecessary distraction.

A simple app such as Any.do: To-do List is another useful example for task planning, with time and location reminders. It can be accessed by speech recognition if required. Again a clear interface is useful for students with autism.

Socialisation

Sosh app contains over 60 well-designed screens presenting exercises, strategies, and practical information to work through social situations in a step-by-step manner. The paid app offers a journal, a goals area, a to-do list, and a rating scale to rate anything from your school day to an interaction with a peer. You also get a behaviour tracking area, a voice meter, and an interest log.

Another app, Social Navigator allows students with ASD with socialising or behavioural challenges to learn how to interact with others through questions about everyday scenarios. Its focus on skill building rather than discipline helps users resolve issues and quell agitation in a constructive way.

Accessing the curriculum

The ColorCards suite of apps all allow for teachers to customise and personalise content based on the individual’s learning needs and also curriculum content. This is useful across the Sequences Apps (Basic, 4-Step and 6&8 Step) where students can use curriculum-based images that need to be rearranged into the correct order. This might be for science or maths based topics, or for more vocational classes.

How do I know if my child needs speech therapy?

As parents, its very hard not to compare your child’s abilities with other children of similar ages. While children all develop at different paces and in different ways, there are certain milestones that help parents in deciding whether their child is more-or-less on track.

Talking Point, a service funded by The Communication Trust, has some easy to read handouts which set out important communication skills that you can expect to see at different ages (http://www.talkingpoint.org.uk/directory/free-resources-parents). This is a useful starting point for considering your child’s development more objectively.

The term ‘speech and language difficulty’ covers a whole range of problems including:

• Difficulty listening
• Difficulty attending to spoken information
• Difficulty understanding what others say
• Difficulty learning and using new words
• Difficulty constructing sentences
• Unclear speech
• Difficulty getting words out
• Stammering
• A strained, hoarse or whispery voice
• Difficulty following conversations
• Difficulty with the social parts of conversation, like using or understanding body language or facial expressions

If you have any doubts about your child’s speech or language you should speak with your GP or health visitor and request a referral for a speech and language therapy assessment.

Speech and language therapists are professionals who work with people of all ages on all aspects of communication. A referral to a speech therapist would result in an initial assessment session. You can expect the therapist to take a thorough case history to understand all of the potential factors which might influence speech and language. In addition, he or she would probably do a formal or informal assessment. Informal assessments include observing the child’s communication during play and conversation. They will look at how the child interacts with others. Formal assessment can include a range of tasks, depending on the nature of the difficulty, but can include tasks such as naming objects of describing pictures; or following longer instructions.

If you are concerned about your child’s speech, here are a number of websites to find help
http://www.rcslt.org/Finding_an_SLT

http://www.afasic.org.uk/