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Apple Ipod Reviews
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Apple Ipod Reviews
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Apple iPad, iPod Touch might help people with autism take steps toward independence
Published: Monday, January 03, 2011, 10:03 AM Updated: Monday, January 03, 2011, 12:57 PM
By
Seth Augenstein/The Star-Ledger
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Noah K. Murray/ The Star-Ledger
Autistic student Marc Rader watches a music video on an iPod Touch during his weekly session with Therapist Mark Mautone. (Noah K. Murray/The Star Ledger)
Apple gadgets help teen with autism gallery (5 photos)
With a simple touch, Marc Rader knows what comes next in his day.
The 13-year old taps the tablet computer screen, and a picture of the kitchen sink pops up, accompanied by his mother’s voice.
"Wash your hands," the recording says.
A video pops up demonstrating the soap-lather-rinse routine, and he goes across the apartment to the sink and mimics it under the stream of the tap. Then, he rushes back to the screen where more chores pop up — setting the table for dinner, starting the microwave, vacuuming the floor, brushing his teeth. The basic "app" is specifically tailored by his tutor to guide him through his nightly ritual: one touch, a task, a next step, and a video reminder.
For the autistic teenager, the first steps toward independence comes with some trendy new gadgets: the touch-screen accessibility of Apple’s iPod Touch, and, more recently, the iPad, according to his mother, Lisa Rader.
"It structures every day — it makes everything easier," she said.
RELATED COVERAGE: • Princeton playwright uses family's experience with autism as inspiration for play 'Love and Communication'• N.J. lawmakers introduce bill to restore $4M for children's autism aid
• N.J. bubble-blowing effort does not beat world record, but raises $18,000 for autism research
• N.J. parents of autistic children need more state support, resources, report says
• Newark center trains N.J. police, emergency personnel on autism awareness
• Caldwell College autism program receives $1M federal funding to build center
• Gov. Chris Christie vows to fight for N.J. children with autism
Autistic children like Marc have taken to Apple’s popular devices, poking the tactile screens customized to their needs. It all began when parents started noticing that their autistic children were attracted to the touch screen technology of the iPad. Word quickly spread by word of mouth from parents to parent about this surprising new use for the computer.
"I think it’s really going to change the game," said Sharon Reeve, the director of the applied behavior analysis graduate programs and center for autism at Caldwell College.
Computers have been used by autistic children for decades. But experts say the customizable and intuitive interface of the Apple machines, along with their portability, offers promise beyond the relatively-bulky computers of the past.
Other companies are creating similar applications for different devices, such as Motorola’s Droid. But autism experts say Apple is the leader — for now.
Entire schools have started to rely on the new technology. Every child at the Reed Academy, a non-profit school in Garfield for autistic pupils, has an iPod Touch. They use it for their individual scheduling, from lesson to lesson and activity to activity, according to the school’s executive director, Todd Eachus.
"It gives us a degree of independence on the spectrum that they would otherwise not have," Eachus said.
The two dozen Reed Academy students, ranging in age from 3 to 14, go about their individualized days — but return constantly to their touch screens with their teachers.
Dunstan, 6, has begun writing for the first time on the iPad’s touch-screen. He has difficulty putting a pencil or crayon to paper but is able to trace his ABCs directly onto the screen with his index finger.
"I like the letters," Dunstan said.
Millburn musicians compile album of songs about autism
When John O’Neil approached his friends Jon Fried and Deena Shoshkes, of the alternative pop band the Cucumbers, with lyrics he’d written about his son’s autism, Fried admits he was worried. He knew O’Neil as a friend and neighbor in Millburn. Their children were friends. And though O’Neil is a writer, he had never written songs before. But the words, which document the joys and difficulties of having an autistic child, leapt off the page. Fried wrote the first five songs in 15 minutes. After raising money through private performances, Fried and Shoshkes reached out to established musicians, like Jackson Browne and Marshall Crenshaw, to record the songs. The album, “Songs of the Spectrum” — a reference to the spectrum of disorders considered autism — will benefit autism research and awareness. The album can be purchased at www.singsos.org. (Video by Nyier Abdou/The Star-Ledger)
Watch video
The next goal is to teach students to bring their high-tech tools out into the world, said Reed Academy teacher Kelli De Rosa. The upside of the device, she said, is it could actually help autistic kids fit in with their peers who have the same devices.
"It’s not stigmatizing — everyone has one," De Rosa said.
Some children have benefitted from task-to-task scheduling with the Keynote presentation app, which Marc Rader uses. Others are working with communication software such as Proloquo2Go, which translates selected pictures into spoken speech. There are also dozens of other programs touted by various experts in the autism community, as well — some of which tell stories, others which work on vocabulary, and others which simply entertain.
However, the experts also warn the touch-screen technologies are not a "magic bullet." Although Marc Rader played his first video game within a week of laying hands on his iPad, he still has fine motor difficulties and difficulty focusing and his tutor Mark Mautone spends hours tailoring apps and software for his student. He also must help Marc tap the right parts of the screen and cycle through the menus.
"Every child is completely different," Mautone said.
Apple Inc. declined to comment on the use of the iPod Touch or iPad, which was unveiled in April, for kids with autism. But they do highlight possible iPad and iPod Touch uses for people with motor skill or speech problems on their website.
Experts note that the benefits of the Apple gadgets are still clinically unproven. But in February, Caldwell College plans to conduct the first formal investigation into both the iPod Touch and iPad.
"We don’t have a lot of research on the technologies because they’re new," said Reeve, who heads the college’s applied behavioral analysis program. "But we suspect we’ll get some great results with it."
Apple Ipod Reviews
Por: Marketer | | 0 comments
Apple iPad, iPod Touch might help people with autism take steps toward ... - The Star-Ledger
Published: Monday, January 03, 2011, 10:03 AM Updated: Monday, January 03, 2011, 12:57 PM
By
Seth Augenstein/The Star-Ledger
Follow
ShareEmail Print
Enlarge
Noah K. Murray/ The Star-Ledger
Autistic student Marc Rader watches a music video on an iPod Touch during his weekly session with Therapist Mark Mautone. (Noah K. Murray/The Star Ledger)
Apple gadgets help teen with autism gallery (5 photos)
With a simple touch, Marc Rader knows what comes next in his day.
The 13-year old taps the tablet computer screen, and a picture of the kitchen sink pops up, accompanied by his mother’s voice.
"Wash your hands," the recording says.
A video pops up demonstrating the soap-lather-rinse routine, and he goes across the apartment to the sink and mimics it under the stream of the tap. Then, he rushes back to the screen where more chores pop up — setting the table for dinner, starting the microwave, vacuuming the floor, brushing his teeth. The basic "app" is specifically tailored by his tutor to guide him through his nightly ritual: one touch, a task, a next step, and a video reminder.
For the autistic teenager, the first steps toward independence comes with some trendy new gadgets: the touch-screen accessibility of Apple’s iPod Touch, and, more recently, the iPad, according to his mother, Lisa Rader.
"It structures every day — it makes everything easier," she said.
RELATED COVERAGE: • Princeton playwright uses family's experience with autism as inspiration for play 'Love and Communication'• N.J. lawmakers introduce bill to restore $4M for children's autism aid
• N.J. bubble-blowing effort does not beat world record, but raises $18,000 for autism research
• N.J. parents of autistic children need more state support, resources, report says
• Newark center trains N.J. police, emergency personnel on autism awareness
• Caldwell College autism program receives $1M federal funding to build center
• Gov. Chris Christie vows to fight for N.J. children with autism
Autistic children like Marc have taken to Apple’s popular devices, poking the tactile screens customized to their needs. It all began when parents started noticing that their autistic children were attracted to the touch screen technology of the iPad. Word quickly spread by word of mouth from parents to parent about this surprising new use for the computer.
"I think it’s really going to change the game," said Sharon Reeve, the director of the applied behavior analysis graduate programs and center for autism at Caldwell College.
Computers have been used by autistic children for decades. But experts say the customizable and intuitive interface of the Apple machines, along with their portability, offers promise beyond the relatively-bulky computers of the past.
Other companies are creating similar applications for different devices, such as Motorola’s Droid. But autism experts say Apple is the leader — for now.
Entire schools have started to rely on the new technology. Every child at the Reed Academy, a non-profit school in Garfield for autistic pupils, has an iPod Touch. They use it for their individual scheduling, from lesson to lesson and activity to activity, according to the school’s executive director, Todd Eachus.
"It gives us a degree of independence on the spectrum that they would otherwise not have," Eachus said.
The two dozen Reed Academy students, ranging in age from 3 to 14, go about their individualized days — but return constantly to their touch screens with their teachers.
Dunstan, 6, has begun writing for the first time on the iPad’s touch-screen. He has difficulty putting a pencil or crayon to paper but is able to trace his ABCs directly onto the screen with his index finger.
"I like the letters," Dunstan said.
Millburn musicians compile album of songs about autism
When John O’Neil approached his friends Jon Fried and Deena Shoshkes, of the alternative pop band the Cucumbers, with lyrics he’d written about his son’s autism, Fried admits he was worried. He knew O’Neil as a friend and neighbor in Millburn. Their children were friends. And though O’Neil is a writer, he had never written songs before. But the words, which document the joys and difficulties of having an autistic child, leapt off the page. Fried wrote the first five songs in 15 minutes. After raising money through private performances, Fried and Shoshkes reached out to established musicians, like Jackson Browne and Marshall Crenshaw, to record the songs. The album, “Songs of the Spectrum” — a reference to the spectrum of disorders considered autism — will benefit autism research and awareness. The album can be purchased at www.singsos.org. (Video by Nyier Abdou/The Star-Ledger)
Watch video
The next goal is to teach students to bring their high-tech tools out into the world, said Reed Academy teacher Kelli De Rosa. The upside of the device, she said, is it could actually help autistic kids fit in with their peers who have the same devices.
"It’s not stigmatizing — everyone has one," De Rosa said.
Some children have benefitted from task-to-task scheduling with the Keynote presentation app, which Marc Rader uses. Others are working with communication software such as Proloquo2Go, which translates selected pictures into spoken speech. There are also dozens of other programs touted by various experts in the autism community, as well — some of which tell stories, others which work on vocabulary, and others which simply entertain.
However, the experts also warn the touch-screen technologies are not a "magic bullet." Although Marc Rader played his first video game within a week of laying hands on his iPad, he still has fine motor difficulties and difficulty focusing and his tutor Mark Mautone spends hours tailoring apps and software for his student. He also must help Marc tap the right parts of the screen and cycle through the menus.
"Every child is completely different," Mautone said.
Apple Inc. declined to comment on the use of the iPod Touch or iPad, which was unveiled in April, for kids with autism. But they do highlight possible iPad and iPod Touch uses for people with motor skill or speech problems on their website.
Experts note that the benefits of the Apple gadgets are still clinically unproven. But in February, Caldwell College plans to conduct the first formal investigation into both the iPod Touch and iPad.
"We don’t have a lot of research on the technologies because they’re new," said Reeve, who heads the college’s applied behavioral analysis program. "But we suspect we’ll get some great results with it."
Apple Ipod Reviews
Por: Marketer | | 0 comments
Apple Replaces The Out-Of-Warranty iPod Touch I Broke For Free
Unlike houseplants, iPod Touches don't take kindly to watering. After Emily accidentally victimized her device in such a manner, she contacted Apple to see what it would cost to replace it. When she balked at the price, a helpful customer service rep sent her a free one.
She writes:
I know hearing a story about how Apple goes above and beyond isn't new to you guys, but I just got back from the nearby mall and have to share my story.For Christmas 2008 I got a 16GB iPod Touch, and it was working perfectly until I spilled water on it about three weeks ago. After that it wouldn't even turn on. I made an appointment at a Genius Bar to see if there was anything they could do or if they could recommend a repair center. The employee who helped me, Mike, explained that liquid damage isn't covered under their warranty, and in any case, mine expired a long time ago. He said I could get a replacement for $150, which I was more than willing to pay if I needed to. He then said he needed to check something, and went to the back. When he came back he told me that since I never had to take advantage of my warranty when I had it, he could make a special exception and give me a new iPod Touch for free! I couldn't believe it; I almost jumped out of my chair and hugged him. He gave me a new one of the same model I had.
I am still in shock over this- they didn't charge me at all and it was entirely my fault it didn't work. They have definitely secured me as a customer for life.
What's the luckiest you've gotten when you've sought to replace a broken electronic device?
Apple Ipod Reviews
Por: Marketer | | 0 comments
What is the retail price for an ipod shuffle?
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Apple Ipod Reviews
Por: Marketer | | 0 comments