Patrick's Academy, Inc.
Many students with autism are highly interested and motivated by computers. Therefore, computers should be infused into the child's daily curriculum, not used solely for reward or recreational purposes. Computer assisted learning can focus on numerous academic areas as well as provide an appropriate independent leisure time activity for people with autism. Computers are motivating to children with autism, due to their predictability and consistency, compared to the unpredictable nature of human responses. The computer does not send confusing social messages. The computer places the child in control, allowing for the child to become an independent learner.
Children with Autism are motivated by predictability and consistency which is why computers are the perfect assistive technology tool for learning. They put the child in the driver’s seat and facilitate learning and independent functioning. Research has found that students with Autism who use computers have increased attention spans, can stay in their seats longer, develop improved fine motor skills, and show greater ability to generalize skills across environments (repeating a wanted behavior at home that was learned at school). Adaptive hardware for computer use has also been instrumental in reducing excess behaviors such as agitation, perseveration (uncontrollable repetition) and self-stimulatory behaviors. Due to the enormous benefits computers can provide, they should be an integral part of a special education student’s daily curriculum, not just used for reward or play time.
Research on the use of computers with students with autism revealed the following:
Increase in focused attention;
Increase in overall attention span;
Increase in in-seat behavior;
Increase in fine motor skills;
Increase in generalization skills (from computer to related non-computer activities);
Decrease in agitation;
Decrease in self-stimulatory behaviors, and
Decrease in perseverative responses.
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