Using touch screens and apps to treat autism

M. Alforja, 3, who suffers from autism, successfully completing a word on FW Deluxe… (LiPo Ching/San Jose Mercury…)

San Jose Mercury News (MCT)
SAN JOSE, Calif. - As a commercial software expert for the financial services industry, Ted Conley was frustrated with the technology that a speech therapist recommended to help his developmentally disabled son. So he decided to build his own application.

In place of an unwieldy and expensive device with buttons that his son struggled to press, Conley developed a series of apps that allow the now 3-year-old Pierce to signal words and sentences by lightly touching a series of familiar pictures on an iPad screen, which prompts an audio program to play the words out loud.


SEE OUR 'APPS' SECTION: A comprehensive list of Apps for Autism available for iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, Nook and more. CLICK HERE 

Conley's line of "TapSpeak" programs are among scores of new apps available to help children with autism or other conditions that interfere with their ability to speak, learn or socialize.

Most of the early apps have been associated with Apple's iPad, but some are available for a variety of touch-screen gadgets, including those running Google's Android. Hewlett-Packard recently announced plans for a volunteer "hackathon" to create a series of touch-screen apps in conjunction with a national advocacy group, Autism Speaks.

Parents and educators say the ease of use, visual impact and intuitive nature of a touch screen... READ MORE >>

iPad is Revolutionizing Autism Awareness

Rajneesh Bhandari  |  Media & Tech, Media

Finally, my iPad book, Living With Autism, a multi-touch book has been published on iTunes. The iPad, for me, is a good platform to tell multimedia stories. But I faced many challenges publishing from Nepal.

For seven years as a journalist, I worked on a television station in Nepal; I also wrote for print, online, blogs, and on social media. No platform has been as effective in telling a simple story than the iPad. It's quite interesting with the flexibility it provides - one can include photo galleries, video, interactive diagrams, 3D objects, and more. The iBooks Author app, which allows users to create books on the iPad, is an easy-to-use software that has helped me design, layout and publish the book. Living with Autism, FREE to download for iPad, is divided into five sections and is supplemented by infographics, photos, video, text and social media elements.

Autism is a life-long neuro-developmental disorder. The United Nations has said that autism is growing as a global health crisis. But many people in Nepal don’t know about autism because we lack awareness programs.

I chose this topic because mainstream media in Nepal has ignored this issue and the government has not done anything. We don't have a single autism care center for adult autistic people here... READ MORE >>

Visit our APPs Page: A comprehensive list of Apps for Autism available for iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, Nook and more.

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Apps for Autism

Please note: The original list posted here has been moved!

Click here or the 'APPS' tab above to view our comprehensive list of 'Apps for Autism' available for iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, Nook and more.

More Lists of Apps for Autism!

Finding Good Apps for Children with Autism

Gadgetwise: The New York Times

Consonantly Speaking: Social Skills and Autism Spectrum Disorders App List

consonantlyspeaking.com

Click here to read about recommended apps for autism from Technology in (SPL) Education!

Click here for a list of Blogs about Apps from Partners.org!

Click here to read Top 10 AAC Apps: iPhone and iPad Apps under $30 from Autism Plugged In

Click here to read a list of the Favorite iTunes Apps from the AACchicks!

Click here to read The iTaalk Top 30: Educational Apps to Get You Started, and All for Under $30!

Click here to visit autismepicenter.net for a list of Autism Apps That Will Help You!

Click here to view iPad Apps for Autism: A Spreadsheet of Reviews and Recommendations from Squidalicious.

Click here to visit Apps for Children with Special Needs.

Click here for a list of Apps for Special Education from Cognitech Cafe.

Click here to visit the A4CWSN website: Apps for Children with Special Needs.