How digital technology can be beneficial to young autistic learners?

• Technology offers customisable platforms for children to learn and practise skills.
• It has been found to keep children more motivated and focused than non-tech approaches.
• It cultivates a sense of achievement offering children opportunities to make choices and self-regulate.
• Technology can impel autistic children to initiate communication, as they want to share their achievements in a game/app.
• It fosters autonomous learning, as children can organise and track their learning process.

What are the main areas digital technology can be used in?

• Social interaction: Online communities, for example social media, are means to keep in touch and share news and worries with peers.
• Communication: Technology can assist or augment the child’s communication through symbols and even speech generation. When communication is established at this level, technology can support children to share their news, talk about their day or create their own stories.
• Training: From basic arithmetic to professional skills, technology offers a controlled environment allowing children to acquire and practice skills.
• Leisure: Technology is supposed to make things more engaging, so it can often be used as a reward or for relaxation.

Limitations of technology

• Children might get absorbed by the features of technology and deviate from the task.
• Sometimes it’s hard to assess if children have actually acquired a skill or  merely familiarised themselves with a task through repetition.
• Skills learnt within technology might not be transferable to real world situations

What has been your experience with digital technology (e.g., iPad apps) and autistic children? Share your story in the comments or via email at newsletter@beta-project.org

Suggested bibliography

Aresti-Bartolome, N., & Garcia-Zapirain, B. (2014). Technologies as support tools for persons with autistic spectrum disorder: a systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 11(8), 7767-7802.

Brosnan, M., & Gavin, J. (2015). Why Those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Thrive in Online Cultures but Suffer in Offline Cultures. The Wiley Handbook of Psychology, Technology, and Society, 250.

Hedges, S. H., Odom, S. L., Hume, K., & Sam, A. (2018). Technology use as a support tool by secondary students with autism. Autism, 22(1), 70-79.

Odom, S. L., Thompson, J. L., Hedges, S., Boyd, B. A., Dykstra, J. R., Duda, M. A., … & Bord, A. (2015). Technology-aided interventions and instruction for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 45(12), 3805-3819.

Porayska-Pomsta, K., Frauenberger, C., Pain, H., Rajendran, G., Smith, T., Menzies, R., … & Avramides, K. (2012). Developing technology for autism: an interdisciplinary approach. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 16(2), 117-127.