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The CBS News show, 60 Minutes, recently did a story on the iPad, and its uses in the Autism community. They reported that people with Autism, adults and children, are making breakthroughs in communication with tablet computers and the software applications available. They highlighted a 10-year-old, Juno, who before the iPad, did not communicate. His teachers thought he had the IQ of a two-year-old. After introducing him to the IPad, they found that he was very intelligent. They had used the previously listed tools, but could not access his vocabulary until they used the iPad. It was ‘hit and miss’ at first, but his teachers found that he has a great fondness for classical music, so they reward him with free time with the iPad to listen to it after he completes his lessons. One teacher noted that because the device is constant, the voice is constant and the pacing is constant, it is easier for autistic children to use this technology. People are not constant; everything about them is ever changing (CBS News, 2011).
The iPad and tablet technology is changing the way some children with disabilities learn to communicate. The cost for an iPad begins at $499.00. The autism software applications are relatively inexpensive, and some are even free. A free, featured application is Autism Apps, which lists hundreds of applications for use by children with autism spectrum disorders (Apple Store, 2012). The iPad is much less cost prohibitive than the DynaVox V+ which is over $7,000, it is usually purchased by a school system for use only at the school (DynaVox V+, 2011). A child with disabilities uses a tablet or iPad at home and at school giving them continuity in their communication systems.