Educators and parents now recognize the great benefits of using iPads in classrooms that house special needs children. For autistic kids, being exposed to Apple's iPad device helps them build life skills and communicate more efficiently with people.
Some parents may be opposed to using tablets and other electronic devices in the classroom. They fear that using these gadgets can push their kids to become overly reliant on technology and they won't appreciate the enjoyment of using tangible learning tools that the previous generations have used.
Children who have cognitive development disabilities, however, can benefit from a setup that involves tablets. Nonprofits organizations such as the Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation (ASDF) have developed iPad apps that aim to help youngsters who struggle in the classroom because of autism.
Children with autism encounter difficulties in traditional teaching methods, according to KEPR. For some of these kids, using pens, pencils, and papers to study is hard, but they excel when they are immersed in electronic activities. This is because virtual environments comfort these people and provide them with predictability and structure, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote.
Renae Yecha, a special education teacher in the Richland School District in Washington, said she handled autistic children who struggle in using a pen and paper so they were transferred to writing and typing on an iPad. Apple's tablet is also used on those students who only have limited verbal skills. These kids are more efficient in communicating via an iPad than by verbal interactions.
Some children are unable or don't have the confidence to give presentations in front of the class or raise their hands to answer their teachers' questions. With an iPad or tablet, these kids are more comfortable in answering questions in polls or talking to their classmates via chat boxes, according to The Huffington Post.
Yecha employs the use of an "iPad time" to set physical goals and allow autistic children to practice life skills. Once the kids accomplish a task, they can use an iPad to play games.
Gerriann Armstrong, a mother who has a 13-year-old autistic son named Harrison, said using iPads in special needs classrooms connects these kids. With the tablet, special needs children now have something in common that binds them together.
It should be noted as well that iPads are user-friendly not just for children but for teachers, too. The abundance of helpful apps on the internet also offers a wide range of resources that can easily be accessed by just a few clicks. Teachers often allow students to download apps that are loaded with new topics and information.
