Using the iPod touch & iPad for Students
with Autism
Jamie Callahan & Brie Van ReedKate Deibert, Marierose Godwin, & Lauren Spiece
BCASC Conference, March 19, 2011
Overview◦ How did we get started?◦ Who are these devices for?
Application Review◦ Behavior◦ Academic◦ Organization/independence◦ Communication/Social Skills
Setting up a device Hands On/Questions
Agenda
Funding◦ Foundations
What do we have?◦ iPod touches (with and without cameras) 23◦ iPads 9◦ Cases for touches and pads 29◦ Microphones 12◦ Flip Cameras 25◦ Kodak Flips 2◦ Tripods 15◦ Document Cameras 4◦ Smart Boards 2◦ iTunes Apps $500◦ MAC Book
How did we get started?
Varied learners
Starts with a need◦ Identify area to target
Data collection before and during intervention of technology
Not a cool toy, it’s not for everyone
Who are these devices for?
Behavior ApplicationsKid Point Tracking Students receive points for
good behavior. Great way to track behaviors.
iReward Choose the behavior you are trying to reinforce, choose
your reward, and then choose the number of times the
behavior needs to be completed before the reward
is earned.
iRewardChart iRewardChart makes it easy to reward your child or
student for good behavior and keep them motivated. Stars are earned for good behavior and the child can
pick from a list of customized rewards.
Academic ApplicationsMathKids Tell Time A talking application with
several interactive elements that reinforces learning and maintains students’ engagement.
Money- Learn To Count Money
This application teaches students to learn how to
count with money by providing them with
practice problems. The simplistic design helps
students gain confidence and accuracy when
counting money.
Academic Applications MathMath Drills
Graphically rich and fun environment allows up to 10 students to learn basic math skills in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This application allows the teacher to visually track student progress with
accuracy and speed graphs.
Rocket MathStudents can play one of the 56 different math missions. Each mission has touchable
objects floating in space, including stars, coins, clocks, 3D shapes, and even pizzas! Missions range in difficulty from even/odd numbers all the way to square roots.
Academic Applications Language Arts
Question Builder Question Builder is designed to help
elementary aged children to learn to answer abstract
questions and create responses based on
inference.
Sentence Builder Sentence Builder was designed to help
elementary aged children learn how to build
grammatically correct sentences.
Academic Applications Language Arts
AudioNote Lite AudioNote combines the functionality of a notepad
and voice recorder to create a powerful tool for a student to save them time while improving the quality
of his/her notes.
Sight WordsThis application allows the students to choose from
over 300 sight words and is presented by grade levels. Students can read and/or
spell the sight words.
Time’s Up Time’s Up allows the user to set multiple timers at once
to go off at different intervals, continues to run even when you leave the
app* Great for teaching
independent work skills and off-task behavior
Visules Visual and text schedule that allows the user to place checkmarks when
task is completed
Independence/Organization
iPrompts App that allows you to customize visual schedules,
create task analysis, and has specific activities with
timers with pictures
Calendar/clock (free
Able to set reminders & can use timer regardless of
various programs running
Independence/Organization
Social SkillsStories2Learn App that allows you to
create social stories specific to the student,
can upload pictures
Social Skills Pre-made social stories with two levels, on the
following areas: Reciprocal Play; Task
Avoidance; Turn Taking; Gestures; Recess; and School Rules. Can be
modified and own ones created
101 Conversations
Starters
App for middle school and high school students that provides them with ideas of topics to talk
about or to start a conversation with.
Hidden Curriculum for Kids
These real-life based entries spur conversations about the countless “unwritten
social rules” that we encounter every day and that can cause confusion
and anxiety.
QuickCues QuickCues is a social script app that helps teens and
young adults to handle new situations and learn new
skills. Comes pre-installed and provides help with
conversations at school or work, listening, and talking
on the telephone. It also gives tips on reading body
language and finding shared interests with others.
Social Skills
Proloquo to Go Assistive communication app, allows students to communicate through pictures with text, can
customize boards, ability to use type to text
Look2Learn Allows individuals to work at their communicative level
using photographs to express wants and needs. Integrates preloaded vocal output or users are able to
record their own personalized audio and pair
it with photos. Easily modified by number of
photo choices, photo sizing, and own photos uploaded
Communication
Do not be intimidated! Setting up the device
◦ Communication How do you teach your child or student to use it?
Helpful Tips◦ New upgrade to iTunes◦ Restrictions◦ Delete apps off◦ Only synched to one computer◦ Files
Now that you have a device…
A sampling of the research support:1. Kathy Walsh Nufer column: Students with Autism Piloting Communication Apps.
www.postcrescent.com. February 2, 2010Ms. Nufer observed the use of iPod Touches with students on the spectrum to be highly successful. These pilots have demonstrated that students can have the device individualized to meet their needs; they require less fine motor skills than a computer and have led to a higher level of independence for students.
2. Kimball, Jonathan W. and Smith, Karl, Crossing the Bridge: from the Best Practice to Software Packages Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Vol. 22 number 2 summer 2007 pages 131-134.This article calls for a National Autism Technology Center to further explore the great success students on the Autism Spectrum have had using technology to enhance their skills. Technology successes have been seen in the use of reinforcers, visual tools, management tools and links to home.
3. Lacava, Paul, Golan, Offer, Baron-Cohen, Simon and Brenda Smith Myles. Using Assistive Technology to teach Emotion Recognition to Students with Asperser Syndrome. Remedial and Special Education, Volume 28, number 3, May/June 2007, pages 174-181This article investigates the use of technology to assist higher functioning students draw interpret social information from non-verbal cues.
Research
If you have child specific questions, ask one of us during hands on time
Any questions for the good if the group?