Study: iPads May Aid Children with Autism Develop Verbal Skills

Adding access to a computer tablet to traditional therapy may help children with autism talk and interact more, new research suggests.

The study compared language and social communication treatment -- with or without access to an iPad computer tablet -- in 61 young children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and found that the device helped boost the effect of the treatment.

'Look at Me'

From Age of Autism Contributing Editor Cathy Jameson.

“Look at me!
Look at me!
Look at me NOW!
It is fun to have fun
But you have to know how.” –Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Ronan has loved his Dr. Seuss books for several years now. He really enjoys ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and ‘Green Eggs and Ham’. Flipping back and forth to his favorite pages, he hands us his books so we can read aloud to him. Since he loves the books so much, I’ve memorized several of the pages. To Ronan’s delight, I offer these silly sentences to him at random times of the day.  Ronan’s siblings do a really good job at keeping Ronan engaged too.  Big Sis adds silly sounds and acts out certain scenes. Little Buddy offers goofy expressions at the really funny pages while pointing to the words he’s reading. Ronan’s little sisters wait patiently to see the pictures while Ronan eagerly looks for his next favorite part of the story. Ronan’s been thumbing through, scanning and reading books for several years now. We have multiple copies and other Dr. Seuss media—board books, apps for the iPad, DVDs, flip books and have bookmarked favorite youtube videos. I love that while I read aloud, Ronan is able to fill in many of the words. It’s not verbal language yet, so he signs everything to me.