The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

This session explores a wide range of technology tools that can support learners on the autism spectrum. Technology offers learners many advantages: visual appeal, multi-modal learning, ease-of-use, the ability to learn in a self-paced environment, psychological safety, the opportunity to learn though color and graphics, and the ability to use entertaining formats. Technology allows users to become more productive and it has the potential to increase learning because it can be individualized and motivational. With technology, we have the opportunity to learn at a distance, use progress reports to share progress with needed parties, and assess student performance accurately and efficiently. Technology is an amazing tool that can improve the quality of life for learners with autism spectrum disorders.

This session allows users to see a variety of tools and discuss ways these tools can be used for learners with ASDs. Tools include listening centers, video modeling, interactive educational software, talking photo albums, augmentative communication devices, reading systems, LOTTIE Kits, reading pens, talking calculators and PDAs. The session concludes with research on online tools that accelerate autism research and training, and research that explores the potential of virtual reality.

Listening Centers:

Listening Centers are a good way to introduce new content, solidify previously taught material, or practice direction and focus. When used for short periods of time and combined with video, demonstrations and text, they may improve students’ ability to attend, understand and comprehend. Listening Centers can also be combined with interventions suggested by Lanter & Watson (2008) for students with ASDs: using shared book readings, encouraging students to retell stories, promoting vocabulary and dialog about readings, teaching literacy in natural environments, labeling objects and pictures to encourage sight-word reading, and encouraging reading and writing activities based on material presented in the listening center.

Video Modeling:

According to Bellini (2006), video modeling and video self-modeling are effective tools to help students with ASDs learn social skills. Watching and doing seem to have a profound effect on the abilities of students with ASDs. Many are strong visual learners who perform better when they have a picture of an activity and see visual demonstrations of a multi-step process. Learners with ASDs may be more inclined to remember correct behaviors and perform them when they see these repeatedly modeled. Video is readily available for teaching students with ASDs. Commercial packages, video recorded in ordinary environments, and video on YouTube can be incorporated into instructional environments to help increase awareness and understanding. StoryMovies by The Gray Center are another technology option for emphasizing social learning.

Interactive Educational Software:

Educational software comes in several forms: instructional games, drill and practice, tutorials, simulations and hybrid designs. Early educational software was easy to label in these categories, but over the years, hybrid designs have blurred the lines, and educational software usually includes several of these forms of software in one package. That flexibility and the ability to record and track student progress make interactive educational software a plus for learners with ASDs. Software usually has several levels, so that users can progress from least to most difficult content, and branching sequences allow multiple paths through the software. The software can be individualized so that it is more appropriate for an individual learner, and the content is delivered in a non-threatening way so that the student’s errors are known only by the student. This type of psychological safety is beneficial for students with ASDs who are often sensitive, anxious and demonstrate perfectionist tendencies.

Talking Photo Albums:

A talking photo album can help students with ASDs learn vocabulary, sight words, word meanings and word use. It is also an excellent way to teach steps in a process because it combines visual and auditory information. Labels or picture captions can also be added for learners who have emerging literacy skills.

Augmentative Communication Devices:

Augmentative communication devices can open the world for learners with ASDs who are non-verbal. These devices can allow students to make requests from their environment to get their needs met. The devices are portable and come in a variety of sizes. Larger devices can group pictures in an effort to show relationships, and smaller devices are good ways to help a student remember parts of a schedule or a process like getting dressed or putting toys away. The learner who is verbal can benefit from these devices also; they are excellent for recording word pronunciations, practicing oral language, telling stories with the pictures on the device, practicing spelling and phonological awareness.

Reading Systems:

Reading systems are forms of technology that can provide self-paced language and vocabulary instruction. They can also allow students to practice reading skills in an effort to build their language fluency and increase their reading comprehension. When used in conjunction with guided practice, reading systems can provide learners with ASDs the opportunity to practice reading skills in an interactive way. The format of the reading passages is visually appealing, uncomplicated and clear. Limited amounts of text appear on the cards, which reduces over-stimulation and student frustration.

LoTTIE Kits:

LoTTIE is an acronym for Low Tech Tools for Inclusive Education. The kits are created by Judith Sweeney, and each includes many tools that can be used by students with special needs. The kits can be used for assessment, evaluation and accommodation. They “level the playing field” for students with ASDs by helping the teacher and other professionals create a more comfortable environment, which is more adaptable and promotes student success. The products inside the kits can help the student with ASD in the areas of organization, reading and writing.   

Reading Pens:

Reading pens are small portable tools that glide over text. They pronounce words that might be difficult for the student with ASD and allow the student to look up words in the built-in dictionary. This feature is helpful because it allows the student to have access to word meanings; commonly, students with ASDs have difficulty understanding the semantics of language, and the lexicon in the reading pen gives them access to this knowledge.

Talking Calculators:

The talking calculator combines aural and visual representations to help students understand math facts. The use of the calculator can also increase motor skills and eye-hand coordination in students with ASDs.

PDAs:

Personal Digital Assistants are small, flexible, portable computer systems that allow students with ASDs to better organize their activities and tasks. Many PDAs have touch screens, portable media players, web browers, smart phones and audio capability. These portable computer systems can aid memory through reminders set with calendar functions; the device is helpful for users who have memory issues, lack organizational skills and have deficits in attention.   

Research on Online Tools for Accelerating Autism Research and Training:

Goodwin (2008) discusses a variety of Internet-based applications that can be beneficial to individuals with autism, their families and the professionals who support them. Tools are available that help capture behavior on video and transfer data to centralized locations for analysis. Other online tools promote skill generalization to real-world situations, record nervous system functions through portable sensors, and recruit and promote autism-related research.

Research on Virtual Reality:

Research on virtual tools and their applicability to individuals with ASDs is not new. Interactive virtual peers (VPs) that are life-sized, look like children, and communicate with speech and gestures help students examine social interactions. VPs are not a replacement for peers; they are a tool to help students with ASDs practice and develop the tools and skills necessary to support them in the real-world. According to Goodwin (2008), sociable robots and dolls able to track faces and expressions are being developed to facilitate the development of social skills and interaction. A series of studies using VPs to teach safety skills to students with ASDs and FASDs have shown promise. According to Strickland, McAllister, Coles, & Osborne (2007), the following design components are necessary for success: practice in the virtual space, limited allowable actions, customizable words and responses, and guidance and correction by animated characters.