Using iPad Technology in the Classroom to Improve Learning for Students with Autism
A 2010 recipient of a National Foundation for Autism Research (NFAR) Autism Teachers Grant, special education teacher Jesseca Collins was awarded an iPad for her classroom. Over the course of this past school year, Collins monitored the effectiveness of the technology as classroom tool and reported on her experience at a recent NFAR Education Workshop.
Collins provided specific examples of the software and applications she currently uses with her students, sharing the following:
Pros of using the iPad as classroom tool include the following:
- The iPad can be a huge motivator for students on the autism spectrum.
- There are many great programs available for the iPad that are affordable and designed to further enhance academic and social skills, speech and language skills, and fine motor skills.
- The programs are engaging and fun for the kids and it adds variation to classroom programming, while saving teachers time creating materials by hand.
- Some apps will record a student’s progress and additional data that can be very useful in tracking goals.
- Even the most challenging students began to work longer and with improved attention to task when using iPad technology.
- Most students are able to use the iPad on their own, showing increased levels of independence.
- By focusing on using the iPad to supplement one goal per student at a time, Collins and her team were able to successfully track and record progress without getting overwhelmed.
- The device is durable and requires little training to learn how to use.
Cons of using the iPad as classroom tool include the following:
- The iPad typically can only be used by one student at a time.
- The students are not interacting with people when they use the device independently. It is important to also provide support and engagement with students while using the device.
- The iPad serves mainly as a supplement to other programs and teaching methods and is not a full replacement.
- Educators will have to work with their IT department on how to best manage back-up and storage, software licenses and purchase of applications.
- Overall, Collins found the iPad, and its applications, could make an immediate and meaningful difference in a classroom. Requiring only a small investment of time to learn the device and to research relevant applications, the iPad can make an invaluable impact in the education of students with autism.
More information can be found at www.nfar.org.
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About the author: Special education teacher Jesseca Collins taught at Village Elementary in the Coronado Unified School District and is a two-time NFAR Autism Teachers Grant recipient.
Published: February 2012
