Information Technology is being used to treat all sorts of disorders, including autism. This article outlines some of the resources available for those with autism. These resources are used for those with autism to increase their communication and learning skills.
Sometimes you stumble across answers you didn't know you were looking for. Sometimes you search and search until you don't even remember what the first question was you were trying to get answered. For those dealing with autism, there are too many questions unanswered and sometimes too many resources left unknown. This article presents some resources that you may not have known about. Hopefully, they will be of some benefit to you as you assist a loved one with autism.
I'm sure that most people who deal with someone who has autism is given all sorts of advice and has at least heard once that computers are a great resource for someone with autism. I'm also sure that some of you are trying to imagine your loved one attempting to use the keyboard or mouse on a computer and just cringing. Well, never fear. There are some very helpful devices out there to assist those with autism. A few of them are listed below.
- The trackball. This is an item that replaces the mouse. Instead of moving the mouse all around, this item sits still on the table or desk. There is a ball in the middle that the user rotates instead of the mouse. The buttons on the trackball are much easier to push than those of a mouse. For those with limited fine motor skills, this item can be quite helpful!
- The switch and switch interface box. This item makes communication with the computer even simpler. It is really just a big button that gets pushed. The switch interface box translates to the computer what is wanted. A fantastic item for developing and assisting those with fine motor skills issues.
- Touch screens. The touch screen is probably the simplest device made. Users simply touch the screen to interact with the computer! It doesn't get much easier than that. I know someone just cringed at how much that might cost to replace a perfectly good monitor with a touch screen. Never fear, there is actually a touch screen overlay. It clips on the front of an existing monitor!
These are some of the bits of hardware that have been developed with the autistic person in mind. Perhaps one of these can benefit someone you love?