Touch pads enhance ability to connect
When the first iPad was released in 2010, it quickly became obvious that here was a device that was user-friendly, looked cool, and whose potential was seemingly limitless.
But like many items which were designed initially for a mainstream market, it wasn’t immediately recognised just what an impact this small, sleek object could also have on the lives of those who are differently “abled”.
However, reports soon began trickling in from those caring for children with a wide range of difficulties. The parents of seven-year-old Owen Cain for instance.
Owen has had motor- neuron disease since infancy. He doesn’t have the strength to manoeuvre a computer mouse. But when a nurse propped her boyfriend’s iPad within reach, he aimed his left index finger at an icon on the screen, and just managed to make contact.
The result was that he opened an application called Gravitarium, which plays music, as users create landscapes of stars on the screen. This was a first for Owen, and his mother Ellen was amazed.
His parents had presented Owen with various computerised devices over the years, but with little success.
Owens’s progress with his iPad was rapid. Then, one day, his mother recounts, his finger dangled over the title page of Alice in Wonderland, and thanks to the sensitivity of the iPad’s touch screen, Owen began to turn the pages of the classic story.
“He was actually reading a book on his own,” his mother recalls. “And it was completely wonderful.”
Since that breakthrough, Owen has been experimenting with a number of iPad applications, such as Proloquo2Go, which allows him to touch an icon that prompts the device to announce the user’s various needs.
His parents have also taught Owen to read, write and do maths, and say that Owen has an impish sense of humour, playing around with Air Guitar — and he loves Star Wars.
“I want to be Hans Solo for Halloween,” he recently informed his parents — via his iPad, and much to his parents’ delight.
For a mainstream technological device like the iPad to be instantly embraced by those who are differently “abled” is unusual. It is far more common that devices originally designed for those with difficulties are eventually adapted for general use — like close captioning on TV sets, or GPS devices.
And most mainstream devices do not come complete with handy built-ins like the iPad’s close-captioning, magnification, and audible readout functions.
For Tyler Kirk, a 17-year-old who had never been able to communicate, for the first time, the iPad allowed him to talk to the grandmother, who had cared for him since birth.
“They called me to a meeting at Tyler’s school, and there was a gift bag on the table. It was his own iPad. and Tyler, who already knew the basics, was thrilled,” his grandmother recalls.
“He placed his finger on the touch screen, and a voice from the device said ‘Thank you’. It was an incredible moment; the first time I’d ever heard my grandson’s thoughts. Later, he called me ‘mamma’ for the first time too.”
But transformational though these devices can obviously be, experts are also outlining the need for balance.
“I feel, if kids today don’t understand how to use technology, they could be left behind,” says Jenna Schadie, a teacher in instructional technology.
“Like many of my colleagues, I also believe that the use of devices such as computers, iPads and iPhones need to be balanced with things like Play-Doh and outdoor and more imaginative play with their peers.”
But what if you are the parent of a differently “abled” child, who is bewildered by the technology and the amount of apps available?
A recently formed group of local professionals — Parent Tech Training — are about to come to your rescue.
Geraldine Moran, a speech and language therapist who holds a diploma with distinction in special needs education, is full of enthusiasm for this innovative training course.
* When did you form Parent Tech training Geraldine?
>>“It was quite recently, about a month ago. And it came about as a result of us being asked for more information on how to get the most out of iPads for their children. It’s a four-week course that starts on the 17th of this month, and the aim is to up-skill parents, home tutors, special needs assistants — in fact, anyone who wants to learn how to support a child with special needs to get the most from their iPad. How to choose and download apps, and how to personalise them to meet the particular needs of their children.”
* What kind of response have you had?
>>“We knew there was a need, because the project was parent-driven.
“But nevertheless, we were surprised. All the places on the course were filled within 24 hours, so we will be running further courses. My reason for getting involved was that, like my colleagues, I often found myself in a position where parents or teachers were asking me for technical support, and when I checked into what was available, I found that the tuition provided for parents of children with special needs tended to provide information which was more suitable for the mainstream population.”
* I believe your group contains a variety of talents?
>>“Indeed it does — speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and special needs teachers, all experts in their field with an advanced knowledge of the iPad’s use in special needs. There will be three tutors at each session. And we are all in agreement that the iPad should not be thought of as a cure-all solution, but should always be used in conjunction with other learning methods.
“We are all looking forward to this course. And we’re very fortunate to have the support of Ger Manley, the Business and Education Manager at Compu b, the Cork retailer of Apple products.”
For any further information on courses, contact: parenttechtraining7@gmail.com.
