As advancements in technology continue to make headways in today’s times, it is unsurprising that the use of devices such as personal tablets is becoming more widespread among the young. Parents are also increasingly more comfortable in letting their children use them as they offer a multitude of purposes, mainly, education and entertainment. At the same time, concerns and awareness of the impact of excessive screen time have also risen as research continues to discover factors that contribute to more negative outcomes. Therefore, before discussing the benefits of providing personal tablets as a tool for your child, it would be wise to consider the relevant caveats. Thus, it is worth noting that striking a balance, in terms of time and usage is key.
With that in mind, personal tablets are remarkable tools that are multi-functional, portable, and accessible with a touch interface. The touch screens of these tablets can be easily adjusted to suit the different abilities (i.e., motor, visual, auditory) of a user with autism. Additionally, personal tablets such as the iPad support the use of various applications with images and sound systems (Dynseo, 2023). With new technologies, there is a wide range of applications available that can be used to tailor to the needs of children with autism. In this article, we discuss the two main benefits of using personal tablets as a tool for your child, which are communication and learning.
Communication
Children with autism often have difficulties managing social interaction and communication. Many applications on devices such as personal tablets can be used to support such difficulties. Applications such as Proloquo2Go provide children with autism with the opportunity to create sentences using a series of visual prompts, such as a series of images that can be tapped on to produce vocal comments (Zauderer, 2023). This provides more opportunities to communicate more efficiently with others, which would simultaneously help to alleviate feelings of frustration and stress in communication. Such applications can be particularly helpful for children who are familiar with PECS, or Picture Exchange Communication System, which is a type of functional communication that uses basic visual symbols. However, as noted in Allen et al., (2016), it is key to ascertain whether the child has pre-requisite skills, such as the symbolic understanding of pictures first, when selecting an application for them. Based on studies such as that of Lorah et al., (2015), the use of tablets such as the iPad as a communication tool (i.e., speech-generating device) has been found to promote communication in individuals with autism. In addition, Kasari et al., (2014) found that minimally-verbal children who started using personal tablets in their intervention also started to make significant gains in spoken spontaneous language, when compared to their peers. These children were able to learn the use of different types of words and functions, beyond making requests. These results highlight the great potential of using personal tablets to promote communication.
Learning
In addition to communication skills, personal tablets are also commonly used as educational and informative tools. For example, applications such as Autism iHelp offer a variety of interactive games, videos, and activities as part of a comprehensive curriculum to teach various social skills topics, including identifying emotions and understanding facial expressions as well as body language (Zauderer, 2023). Another application, called Language Therapy for Kids - MITA, offers a large variety of activities and games to promote cognitive and motor skills (e.g., memory, attention, problem-solving) in children with autism. According to Zauderer (2023), this application even uses elements of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), which has been well-established to improve outcomes for children with autism, to keep users motivated and engaged. As personal tablets can support many applications to choose from, depending on one's aims, there are certainly many benefits to using them from an educational perspective. Further, the use of personal tablets can also help to track progress and stay on task or schedule, which promotes autonomy. Given that they are easy to use and portable, learning can also be encouraged beyond the classroom, and parents can also be involved in their use at home. Therefore, personal tablets are great learning tools that can facilitate learning in many ways.
Conclusion
In summary, while there are concerns raised regarding the negative impact of screen time, it is beyond question that there are benefits to using personal tablets as applications can be developed to tailor to the needs of individuals with different needs. There are applications to support the learning of almost any skill, including social, motor and language skills. The use of personal tablets also encourages autonomy as it can help with communication, scheduling and accomplishing daily tasks. Regardless, it is pertinent to always manage its usage to prevent overuse.
Written by: Shariffah
References
Link to picture: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-child-sitting-on-chair-while-holding-tablet-4145146/
Allen, M. L., Hartley, C., & Cain, K. (2016). iPads and the use of “apps” by children with autism spectrum disorder: Do they promote learning?. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1305.
Dynseo (2023, January 3). The use of electronic tablet for people with autism. https://www.dynseo.com/en/the-use-of-the-electronic-tablet-for-people-with-autism/
Kasari, C., Kaiser, A., Goods, K., Nietfeld, J., Mathy, P., Landa, R., ... & Almirall, D. (2014). Communication interventions for minimally verbal children with autism: A sequential multiple assignment randomized trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 53(6), 635-646.
Lorah, E. R., Parnell, A., Whitby, P. S., & Hantula, D. (2015). A systematic review of tablet computers and portable media players as speech generating devices for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 45, 3792-3804.
Zauderer, S. (2023, June 27). 10 best autism apps for children (communication). Cross River Therapy. https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/autism/best-apps
Comments