Just Imagine: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Communication and Socialization Skills and TIM

Just imagine….

…that you are thirsty. You know that you want a glass of water but you are unable to ask for it. How upset would that make you? As you become thirstier, the people around you can only guess what it is that you want and their guesses are wrong.  The thirstier you become, the more annoyed you become. A meltdown ensues and calming down could take minutes or even hours, but you are still thirsty. How would this make you feel?

Just imagine….

….sharing a classroom with the same students for 5 years, sitting next to one another, playing with the same toys, eating lunch together, riding the school bus and never speaking or interacting with any of them. You know their names but you have never said “Hi” or “Would you like to play with me?” since the first day you met.

I have experienced these scenarios first-hand through my children. I have encountered the frustration that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) endure because they are non-verbal or low verbal. I was kicked, scratched and hit by my daughter because she could not express her needs or wants. My daughter’s meltdowns lessened when she started to attend school. Her teacher and speech therapist implemented the adoption level of the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) using IPads in the classroom to help Sydney improve her communication skills. As her communication increased, the number of outbursts decreased significantly.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) causes children to possess inadequate social skills. They exhibit poor eye contact with individuals or objects, a lack of pretend or social play, problems with making friends, crying, becoming angry, giggling or laughing for no reason or at the wrong time and a dislike for being touched or held. Individual instruction with augmented assistive devices and apps can assist in strengthening social skills in students with ASD. An instructor’s implementation of the constructive characteristic of TIM could use technology such as a SMART board at circle time to engage her students in group activities increasing student interaction and improving social skills. Deon and his classmates are beginning to interact with one another with a typical whiteboard in their classroom. A SMART board could bring the ability to upload interactive videos, sing along songs and games to initiate student interaction with the teacher and classmates.

Technology supports children in communication and social interaction with teachers, students and caregivers. The use of assistive devices and computers can provide students with the means to express oneself. I am inspired to work with children with autism and assist them in acquiring the skills that they will need to become independent and self-sufficient in the future.

With all of the current uses for technology in the classroom, I can just imagine all the possibilities that the future has to offer.

References

http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/Autism.htm

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/Pages/Communication-Problems-in-Children-with-Autism-Spectrum-Disorder.aspx