Helen Bush

April 24, 2012

Edu 201

IPad Use for Children with Special Needs

In today’s world the number of students with special needs seems to be growing. With

the influx of these students in our schools teachers are left with the dilemma of finding the best

way to educate them. Many schools across the country are turning to iPads and other tablets to

help these students achieve their full potential. The use of touch-screen technology to help

improve and encourage communication and social skills in children with autism and other

developmental disabilities is being tried in many centers around the country. (Barnett, 2012). The

iPad is easy for the students to use and has many apps that can be used to aid special needs

students in achieving certain preset goals. There are many upsides to using this technology;

however, as with all new technology comes a downside and bugs that must be fixed.

According to Apple there are now about 40,000 educational applications for the iPad.

(Boyd, 2011). There are so many apps developed specifically to help children with special needs

achieve an educational and social equal ground among their fellow peers. In a “60 Minutes”

broadcast from October, a 27-year-old autistic boy has learned to use his iPad and the special

language applications his mother installed as a way to communicate what he sees, wants and

feels. Additional apps help him practice making eye contact and identifying other complex

emotions. With the help of the device, his mother said her son is communicating fully now and

can be a part of the real world. With the help of an application called iCommunicate, DeJong, the

Southeast Tennessee District autism consultant, is able to see toddlers immediately interact and

respond to images on the tablet, allowing them to feel more in control as the screen reacts to their

touch, keeping the child engaged and focused. (Barnett, 2012). By using apps that make the

students more able to control and understand the situation around them we are able to retain their

interest. It is obvious that if a child feels something is not within their reach they will become

aggravated, bored or panicked. These feelings make it impossible for anyone to learn. If the iPad

helps to lessen these fears then it is an asset to these students that should not be ignored.

Recent reports are indicating an increase in positive results when the iPad is used with

children with autism, with research showing improvements to a child's willingness to socialize,

as well as enhancing the child's attention span. (Barnett, 2012). There are many advantages to

using iPads and other tablets for children with special needs. Educators and parents agree tablets

are growing in popularity for special-needs students because they can be customized to each

child's needs, are lightweight and mobile, and give the kids the sense they're plugged into a

larger, high-tech community. (Boyd, 2011). Many Parents feel that iPads and other tablet

computers have given their children with autism a voice they never had. Students with autism are

communicating in new ways and the secrets of their minds are for the first time, being unlocked.

(Shah, 2012). There are so many different apps on the iPad that can address certain areas that a

student may need extra help with. Video can be used to practice social skills. Speech recognition

aids students who have writing difficulties. The touch screen makes use easy for children who

have dexterity problems. One popular application used there is Proloquo2go. Users can select

from images on a screen to communicate everything from how they're feeling to where they want

to go. Students with reading disorders can record lectures and play them back when they get

home. The calendar keeps students with attention deficit disorder very organized. Everything is

consolidated for them on one device: their calendars, memos and notes. (Boyd, 2011). This helps

the students come to class prepared and less panicked that they may have forgotten something.

They are no longer feeling rushed or overloaded because everything they need to do is laid out

for them. They are given a structure that they have not had before. It also allows the student to

work at their own pace without other students in the class knowing they are falling behind or

having difficulty with a task, hopefully allowing the student to become less flustered and

unembarrassed by their progress. Another benefit is the teacher can get instant feedback on a

student’s progress and immediately see where they are excelling or having difficulty.

One of the major problems some are coming across is the lack of research. The

technology is fairly new and this means a lack of research. We do not know what the benefits

will be in the long run because we are just now enacting these methods. It is a big unknown if the

iPad or other tablets are enhancing what these students are learning or just a new fancy toy for

many to play with. Our only option is to wait and see if the results are there. Some members of

the autism advocacy community are questioning the therapeutic value of iPads. No one has

actually studied which apps have a therapeutic benefit. Parents may hear anecdotes about apps

dramatically changing a child's life, but there is no measurable proof that the apps really work.

The challenge with many apps is a lot are developed by well-meaning parents but under no

guidance with autism experts. For many, it brings in questions such as: Does any of this actually

make any difference the danger is that the iPad becomes a really expensive toy." (Shah, 2012).

There is also a problem with the iPad actually distracting the very students it is suppose to teach.

Many of these students already experience problems with focus and concentration. "The dark

side of all the bells and whistles is that in some cases it's too much, and kids get overly focused

on things that jingle and jangle," said Karen Head, who has created apps to develop children's

social interaction skills. "As a therapist, we want them to listen to us." Jennifer Sullivan, the

executive director of the Morgan Autism Center, in San Jose, Calif., which uses iPads and apps

with some of its students, told CIO she has found that some children can get drawn to the

patterns in an app rather than actually learning the content it is trying to provide. "It's a little bit

tricky because it's such a compelling medium for kids with autism," she told the magazine, "they

want to do it intensely." (Shah, 2012).

It can be extremely difficult in today’s fast paced world to get children to focus and when

you through in children affected by autism or ADHD it may seem impossible. Even simple

transitions like a change of activity or location can be confusing or frightening to a child with

autism. Preparing a child by what is next in their day by showing them photos on the iPad may

lessen that anxiety and help the child focus. (Barnett, 2012). Letting the child see what needs to

be done and giving them structure can help motivate and build their self esteem. No child ever

wants to feel as if they cannot achieve their goals, and the iPad can at least help them see that if

they work at a steady pace and follow a schedule you can achieve the goals the teacher sets out

for you. However, many people feel the iPad may be another way to distract these already easily

distracted students. They may use their iPads as toys and spend all day playing games or being

overwhelmed by the many apps on them. I for one say they are a great tool that can be used to

help a student learn as long as we keep a close watch on how the students are using them. As for

the research only time will tell how much of an impact iPads have on our students’ education.

We should at least give iPads the chance to get the research in before we discredit them. If there

is a chance they are helping I believe it is in our best interest to wait until their numbers are in

before shutting any of these programs down.

Works CitedBarnett, M. (2012, March 13). Siskin Institute Uses IPad2 Technology in New Pilot Program. Retrieved

from nooga.com: http://www.nooga.com/154249/siskin-institute-uses-ipad2-technology-in-new-pilot-program/

Boyd, A. W. (2011, September 11). usatoday.com. Retrieved from usa today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/wellness/special-needs/story/2011-09-11/Adapting-to-the-iPad-called-educations-equalizer/50362426/1

Shah, N. (2012, February 17). blogs.edweek.org. Retrieved from edweek.org: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/2012/02/parents_have_told_me_how.html?qs=iPads