ipads - do they really help?

There is this new technology fad in the field of special education: the ipad. Don't believe me? Google search, "ipad autism" and you'll find hundreds, if not thousands, of relevant, recent results.

Background: Much of the population that I work with is nonverbal. Communicating with them and teaching them requires a little bit of creativity :). Technology has been one major avenue that people with disabilities communicate with others. Quintessential example: Stephen Hawking. He uses the DecTALK. He enters text with his cheek, the DecTALK transforms that text to speech. Through this communication device, Hawking has changed the world of science because of his talents.

Issue: Ipads are the new thing. Practically every week I hear/read a story about ipads in special education classrooms. Teachers are writing grants and studying the use/effect of ipads in the classroom. The ipad has obvious benefits for students with disabilities. 1. There are many apps for educational, enriching games for children. 2. It can be used as a communication device. 3. It may engage children in ways that teachers have not been able to. 4. It is extremely inexpensive (compared to the tens of thousands of dollars other communication devices cost). It seems like the ipad is perfect. But what happens when teachers expect to have an ipad for each student in their class. It's hard to argue against the growing evidence that the ipad works.

Special education graduate student Mary Beth Litsey helps a student learn how to use a specially-modified iPad designed to help improve the communication and social skills of children with autism.

What I think: I am instinctively apprehensive and almost critical towards the idea that technology can solve everything in the field of education. I think special educators tend to be more prone to this technology philosophy; we have lots of problems that we can't seem to solve, so maybe technology can do it for us. 

My personal opinion is that there is not an "end all be all" solution. Each child will have their own needs and their own strengths (even within the autism spectrum). In my student teaching, we informally experimented with the ipad and a couple of our students. We tried to engage them with apps similar to those in the videos below. We tried to use the ipad as a communication device. We prayed (at least I did) that this would be the breakthrough we needed to get to this child. We only tried for a month, so maybe we needed more time, but we didn't see any success. On the other hand, I sincerely believe the ipad can be the device that opens up these children to our world so that we can truly see their talents.    

In many instances, technology does help, but that does not mean it will be useful for every student, or that every student needs and ipad to be successful. I think teachers, districts, and parents need to determine if an ipad is needed on an individual basis.

Real stories:

A boy with autism participates more fully in his classroom:Taylor Parrish finds his voice using technology

Abbey, a young girl with autism, plays with the ipad:  

 

Abbey asks for water: