spe_45_46_47.qxp 3/12/12 11:20 Page 43 ICT guide iPads, apps and autism Sally Millar weighs up the pros and cons of using the new iPad technology with learners on the autism spectrum The Apple iPad has certainly started a kind of revolution among parents of children with autism, and most of the experiences underpinning this rapid and far-reaching new area of development are excitingly positive. However, in some cases this revolution has also raised unrealistic hopes and expectations. The iPad is not a ‘cure for autism’ as newspaper articles and TV programmes have irresponsibly reported. There is no magic and there are no miracles. But what there is, is attractive, well-designed and affordable technology plus a large and rapidly expanding range of diverse, imaginative and value-for-money software resources. The iPad itself It is well known that many children with autism love technology, especially personal computers – nothing new there. But for many kids (and indeed, perhaps especially, for many parents), a PC and ‘traditional’ PC software design may also incorporate barriers. The iPad technology has swept away many of these barriers and created for the first time a personal computer that even very young children (even a few months old) and/or very cognitively challenged users can access easily. The successful formula seems to boil down not to any one single factor but to a winning combination of the following elements: > Size, shape and weight – it is small and light enough for a young child to hold, position, manipulate and operate easily and directly, without the intervening barriers of special furniture, special access devices and adult ‘help’ and control. > High quality of screen technology – it is bright, clear and responsive. > Screen size – the larger (ten inch) screen on the iPad seems to suit many children much better than the five inch screen on the iPod Touch or iPhone, for both visual and physical access, while remaining compact enough for manageability and portability. The new ‘mini’ with its 7.9-inch screen is also good. > Fast (‘immediate’) processing – bringing rapid ‘cause and effect’ learning. > Direct and highly responsive touch access – bringing it within the capacity of developmentally very young users, whereas mouse or mouse equivalent use automatically requires a higher level of cognitive development as well as a higher level of physical co-ordination. > Intrinsically visual user interface and environment. > High quality interface and software design – making it intuitive and easy to use without instruction, and simple to personalise. > Built-in camera – allows for quick and easy personalisation of visual resources (particularly valuable for autistic children who may not be able to relate to non-personalised or abstract graphics). Apps Similarly, the whole world of apps represents a new approach to software design. Instead of complex and increasingly heavily featured (and expensive) software that has the potential to do ‘everything’, apps can Many are designed for a very young developmental level be simple and more focused. The fact that many are free or very cheap has certainly influenced consumers. Many are designed for a very young developmental level (months), with today’s parents in mind, whose children are the first ‘iPad generation’, whereas ‘educational’ software (and indeed, the whole ‘curriculum’) tends to start at about a five-year-old level developmentally and additional support needs have often been forgotten or are tacked on later. > www.nasen.org.uk 45 spe_45_46_47.qxp 3/12/12 11:20 Page 44 ICT guide > A really key factor, as regards younger children of all levels of ability, seems to be that many apps are designed as play – which as we know is one of the most powerful of all learning forces in children. An important feature of this play is the high level of interactivity built into the design (made possible by the hardware features) and the capacity for personalisation, which is highly motivating. The benefits The ‘new’ factor of the iPad (many families are ahead of professionals on this), combined with the attractiveness and accessibility of the range of play/learning materials in the form of apps, means that parents and families are able to take a more proactive role in selecting and supporting their use for their child’s learning. The end result of all this is that a child can use the iPad, not entirely without adult support and control but nonetheless with a degree of autonomy that facilitates engagement, exploration and experimentation, and independent, self-directed learning – powerful ingredients indeed for learning and development. It is still early days and so there is little or no thorough and reputable research-based evidence on the role of iPads and apps in the learning of children with autism. But it is not too early to see the kind of benefits reported by parents and professionals for children with additional support needs including autism, such as: > improved concentration and engagement in productive play and activities (though it is unclear whether this transfers from the iPad and generalises into other contexts) > increased motivation to engage with a task > improved communication, through shared attention to a picture or event on screen > improvements in physical coordination and fine motor skills/control. Is there a downside to all this? Well – yes, potentially. I certainly do not wish to be negative, but it makes no sense to ignore or hide concerns 46 www.nasen.org.uk that may arise from some of the following issues, in certain circumstances. In the absence of research-based evidence there is much anecdotal ‘evidence’, including a worryingly high level of potentially overhyped and/or misleading claims. Parents, naturally, are mostly concerned with their own children. So the accounts that flood in are only observations and data regarding individual children. We hear a lot about ‘my child likes X’. We have little synthesised or balanced information that can be reliably applied for all children. Some parents tend to be ‘sold’ on the iPad because it is so good at ‘occupying’ and often ‘calming’ children with autism. But being occupied or calmed is not necessarily the same as learning. Music and videos – and many apps – are passive and count more as entertainment or sensory stimulation than as learning. There is nothing wrong with this necessarily, so long as it does not become the dominant or only mode of use. There is the potential for it to be used in a way that ‘feeds’ children’s obsessions The multi-function aspect of the iPad is one thing that makes it such a desirable and valuable tool in some settings. But some children with autism have difficulties coping with change, and might have problems with multiple perceptions and different modes of use of the same thing. They may become fixated on a single use of the iPad, so it is really important that the device is introduced to them in a way that supports the most appropriate and productive mode of use. In a similar vein, because the iPad can be personalised to match individual children’s interests, there is the potential for it to be used in a way that ‘feeds’ children’s obsessions and this may make it harder to ensure that children are presented with a balanced diet of topics and modes for learning. The iPad is so attractive and engaging that many children (with and without autism) prefer to engage and interact with the iPad, rather than using it as a tool to help them to interact and communicate with other people. We are not yet very clear as to where this will lead, in the longer term, and if or how to try to counteract this and encourage more social interaction using iPad functions. The iPad falls within an ‘affordable’ price bracket but it is not that cheap Useful discussions on some of these aspects are only just beginning to emerge among parents, see for example http://momswithapps.com/ category/kids-technology/ ‘Traditional’ augmentative and alternative communication aid manufacturers and suppliers are likely to go out of business due to the rush to iPads. This will damage the field in the longer term, and reduce the information and support available to both professionals and parents needing specialised help with augmentative and alternative communication. The ‘Home’ button on the iPad that allows the user to switch between apps means that many children spend more time ‘flicking’ between apps, exploring and looking for change, movement and novelty, than they do on engaging with any specific task or activity. There may be learning potential in this, but it is not that clear. There are significant things missing for the iPad that would be desirable for children with autism and other additional support needs; for example, USB connectivity and various accessibility options, particularly important for switch users. The iPad falls within an ‘affordable’ price bracket but it is not that cheap – many netbooks, laptops and tablets are now cheaper. And given that many play and educational resources are now delivered for free or cheaply via the internet, it is not entirely accurate to claim that the iPad represents startlingly good value for money. Many people feel it is overpriced, for example compared with new tablets and android systems. Many people are critical of the ‘monopoly’ 41 spe_45_46_47.qxp 3/12/12 11:20 Page 45 ICT guide that Apple has created over all aspects of iPad and apps. Not all apps are good – many are of indifferent quality or are just plain rubbish. One of the challenges, as we move forward, is for parents and professionals alike to develop more power to discriminate between good and bad apps and to learn to reject, delete and forget poorer apps in favour of a small set of valuable and high quality resources (instead of squirrelling away a vast collection of undifferentiated and in some cases questionable quality apps, or constantly chopping and changing). kinds of children and indeed adults). Searching for suitable apps under ‘Education’ is liable to throw up literally thousands of possibles, so further information and guidance will be helpful for parents (see for example iPads for Communication, Access, Literacy and Learning from CALL Scotland. Buy a paper copy (£7.50) from www.callscotland.org.uk/Shop/ Books/Product-Information/index. php?reference=63 or download it for free from www.callscotland.org.uk/ Resources/Books/iPads-forCommunication-Access-Literacy-andLearning/ Which apps? Searching for apps There is really no such thing as ‘apps for autism’, any more than there are ‘clothes for autistic children’ or ‘foods for autistic children’. It depends on each different child, their age, level or ability, personal interests and tastes, experience, support, learning aims and so on. There are apps for many levels and aspects of learning: for fun, for exploration and discovery, for creativity, for communicating and sharing information, for literacy and so on. And many of these may turn out to appeal to and be useful for children with autism (as they are for other Though it is reassuring to know that there are many potentially useful apps, the fact that these are to be found under a number of different headings may make it harder for parents to find the ones they want for their child. Obviously, the use of a few key words when beginning to search will help. So rather than going straight to iTunes to search through all the categories, it’s best to use Google first to collect a set of potentially useful starting points. Key words might include ‘apps for…’: > autism > social stories > Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) > behaviour management > visual schedules > communication. It is useful to start thinking in terms of what features you are looking for. This article, by one mother, ‘Characteristics of Great Apps for Kids With Autism’ may be helpful to get people thinking about the needs of their own son or daughter: http://momswithapps.com/ 2010/08/04/characteristics-of-greatapps-for-kids-with-autism/ With regard to apps for communication, the following aspects may be relevant: > single function and easy to use > app uses personalised photos rather than more abstract drawings or symbols (or, if symbols, a recognised and consistent set rather than random clip-art type graphics) > the screen is designed to use large size images. Of course, by way of warning, ‘easy to use’ is a subjective and somewhat relative description. ‘Simple’ may sound good, but if an app is too simple it may be limiting for more able users. Resources There are many ‘lists of apps’ and websites, blogs and tweets all providing (and in many cases, continually updating) useful information about what is available (see pages 82–88 of the CALL book). With reference to autism specifically, to see examples of what happens if you google ‘apps for autism’ (though you will find in reality that the lists of apps mostly mirror other lists such as those for special education or communication) go to: > https://autismapps.wikispaces.com > www.squidalicious.com/2011/01/ipadapps-for-autism-spreadsheet-of.html > www.squidoo.com/ipad-for-autism > http://momswithapps.com/2010/07/8/ apps-for-special-needs/ Sally Millar is a specialist speech and language therapist (joint co-ordinator) with CALL (Communication, Access, Literacy and Learning) Scotland, a small unit within the Moray House School of Education at the University of Edinburgh. www.nasen.org.uk 47