Assistive technology can help improve the quality of life for children with autism and their families. According to the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988, assistive technology refers to any item, piece of equipment or product that is used to increase, maintain or improve functioning of individuals with disabilities. For children with autism, a disorder that impairs communication skills, these devices are often used to help process and express information.
Significance
Assistive technology products help children with autism to become more independent in their daily activities. They help autistic children accomplish daily living tasks, help them to communicate, function in a classroom with non-disabled peers and participate in recreational activities. It can serve as a motivation for improved speech or behavior, help a child organize himself and improve attention. Oftentimes, assistive technology will relieve some of a child's frustration that stems from not being able to accomplish or verbalize what he wants, resulting in better behavior as well.
Considerations
Children with autism often process visual information more easily than auditory information, so assistive technology devices give these children information visually. Parents, teachers and therapists will need to determine which visual representation system will best understood by the child, and in what contexts. Options to consider include photographs, realistic drawings, line drawings and written words. According to BrightTots, an online education resource, some children may need different systems in different situations or environments.
Technology
One type of low-tech assistive technology is a communication board, which contains pictures or photographs of people and objects. These "boards" often look like books, and can be accessed by touching the pictures with a finger, looking at them or using a pointer stick. Another example of assistive technology is a simple speech output system, which allows a child to make a choice, usually by pushing a button or a picture on a special keyboard and the device speaks the choice. For example, the child can touch a picture of an apple, and the computer says, "food please," or "I'd like something to eat, please." High-tech options include a pointer stick that can be accessed by scanning -- a child hits a switch to move through choices and hits a switch again to choose what he wants to say.
No Tech
Assistive technology does not have to include electronic technology at all. Communication in the form of sign language, pictures or gestures is still assistive technology. Social skills can be taught in the form of social stories, which help children prepare for difficult situations, such as transitions or changes in routine.
Future
According to a March 26, 2009, article published in AbledBody, improvements are continually being made to assistive technology. Products are becoming more portable and more easily customized for individual use. Computers increasingly have the ability to adjust to a person and his environment instead of requiring him to adjust how he uses the computer. And, as technology gets smaller and smaller, it will become increasingly possible to carry these assistive devices around And while speech recognition technology is also improving, advances in touch-screen technology will make it easier for children with autism to communicate though touch rather than through voice.
References
- Oklahoma's Official Web Site: Tech Act: Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act
- AbledBody: The Future of Assistive Technology
- Assistive Technology Supports for Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative: Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- BrightTots: Assistive Technology for Communication
