Hacking Autism: Technology/Innovation/communication

Technology and Hope

When touch-enabled computing was introduced to the world, no one could have anticipated that this technology might help open up a new world of communication, learning and social possibilities for autistic children. Yet it has.

Hacking Autism is a story of technology and hope and the difference it's making in the lives of some people who need it most


Read and see more here (Check out videos, information on apps in progress, ideas posted, and more)
http://hackingautism.org/

Reading Comprehension and Autism

Awesome thoughts and strategies that may help some students gain new skills and improve their ability to communicate about written material, "show what they know" brought to us by the awesome Paula Kluth

http://www.homeschoolconvention.com/blog/he-doesnt-understand-comprehension-support-for-children-with-autism/

Anti-Bullying. NOW!!!!

Hi there, I haven't found that the topic of bullying can be overstated. This article pairs that topic with disabilities. Lets all keep working on bullying never being acceptable.


http://specialneeds.thebullyproject.com/toolkit

10 Tips for Making Middle School Work for Students with Autism

Recently I came across an article in Psychology Today regarding how to successfully support students with autism in middle school.  The article was written by a parent and is a reflection of the things that were done for her son during his middle school years that allowed him to be successful.  It's a good article with interesting points for us to think about and remember as we work with parents and students during those middle school years.  I think you will find the article to be interesting and insightful.

Brotherly Love - Brother designs communication app for his autistic brother's use.

This is a great story.  I'm sure you will love the story, and for those of you with access to iPads, here's another app for which you may want to get familiar.  The story goes like this...

Johnathan Izak, founder of SpecialNeedsWare, has a ten-year old brother (Oriel) with autism who struggles with verbal communication.  So what does Johnathan do?  He designs AutismMate, a communication app that allows users to add their own videos, pictures, and voice recordings to create visual scenes.  Johnathan designed this app to address the navigation issues that some people with autism have due to their language and generalization issues. AutisMate uses GPS so that users can interact with familiar scenes around their location and use those scenes to communication.  For example, by pressing the star on the sink of a kitchen scene, Oriel can bring up a video that shows him how to wash his hands and plays a message that says, "I wash my hands in the sink".  A refrigerator icon will display Orie's favorite foods when pressed.  Other features of the app that are currently or soon to be available include:

• Simple content sharing via email iPad to iPad
• The option of set multiple phrases to the same picture/button throughout the app to promote generalization
• In-scene task analysis (step by step video/picture guide to accomplish all tasks
• Visual schedules with a reward/incentive for completing task
• In-app text to speech keyboard

This app is available in the apple store and sells for $49.95.  I've downloaded it and look forward to playing around with it to see how it may be of use in supporting the communication and instructional needs of students with autism.

Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS) - What to do once a student masters requesting preferred items?

In the past couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to consult with a couple of IEP teams involved in supporting students who are using PECS.  Both of these students had learned to spontaneously make requests for things that they wanted.  It was great to see these students initiating, communicating their choices by bringing the PECS card from across the room and presenting it to their communication partners.  The staff working with these students had done an excellent job teaching these students to be spontaneous initiators of communication.  The question in both of these situations was, "What's Next?".  Although efforts to move to the next stage (using PECS to make comments) had been made, it was not working well for these students, at least not yet.  So, rather than changing the function of their communication (requesting to commenting), we decided to extend the complexity of their requests, to request a needed item vs a preferred one.



Staff set up situations where these students were engaged in familiar activities and routines that involved specific materials.  They were taught to request scissors, paper, markers, trays, and other materials that they needed to complete these familiar activities and routines. Staff utilized the same procedures they used to teach these students to request preferred items (i.e., wait for the student to demonstrate their desire for the item and then prompt the student to present the PECS card to make their request).  This was the perfect next step for these students.

Paula Kluth's Tip of the Day

April is Autism Awareness month.  With the CDC's reported increase in the prevalence of autism (1 in 88), it's hard to imagine that everyone does not know of someone who has an autism spectrum disorder.  Although awareness is a good thing, information about how to support those with autism is even better.  Need tips about effective strategies and interventions you can utilize with students on the spectrum?  Check out Paula Kluth's website (click on the blog pencil link) and Facebook page, where for the month of April, she is posting a tip of the day.  Dr. Paula Kluth is a consultant, author, advocate, and independent scholar who works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities and to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners.  Her website and Facebook page is always a great resource for teachers and families, for the month of April, they are even better.  Check them out!

1 in 88 Children Have Autism

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that one in 88 children in the US has an identified autism spectrum disorder; previously the estimated prevalence of autism was reported to be 1 in 110.  These new numbers are based on a 2008 snapshot from sites in 14 states, including Wisconsin.  This range represents an average across the 14 state sites.  Much variability existed among the sites (1 in 47 in Utah, 1 in 210 in Alabama, 1 in 128 in Wisconsin).  The largest increases in identification nationwide were among Hispanic and black children.  It's unclear whether the increases reflect better awareness, leading to diagnosis and access to services, or true increases in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders. Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks, a national advocacy group, says tat only part of  the increase should be attributed to better diagnosis.  Click here to read more about these findings as reported by the CDC.