But the company has been receiving plenty of feedback—alongside requests for discounts and donations—from parents with special-needs children. Meanwhile, health insurance companies have been hesitant to cover Apple's technology, which they consider primarily recreational, partly due to a fear that those without true medical need might try to game the system.
That isn't to say that the iPad is perfect for children with autism. For one thing, the built-in battery doesn't last forever. Sometimes, inexplicable software glitches can crash the system. Most problematic might be its durability: one bad tantrum, and there goes the screen. Some on the autism spectrum lack manual dexterity, or are simply not capable of learning how to use a computer.
Kelly Nicolaisen
Leo has plenty of toys, including this circular balance beam, but nothing tops the iPad.
Kelly Nicolaisen
Shannon Rosa calls her autistic son “a little naiad.”
Related Content
More About
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, Matthew Goodwin, the director of clinical research, is about to launch a large-scale project examining what the iPad and other new technologies can do for people with autism. "In my mind, the iPad is not the end-all be-all, but it is currently a very appealing system given its size, rich screen display, and processing power," he says.
He's also interested in how it could help revolutionize the way behavioral science is conducted. "Gathering behavioral data on mobile devices like the iPad would help us get outside the laboratory and observe life where it happens—in the real world," he says. It would also allow many more people with autism, including those who have difficulty taking part in laboratory assessments, to contribute data.
Goodwin sees numerous possibilities for the iPad. He loves the idea of hooking it up to a discreet wristband being developed in the Media Lab that could wirelessly monitor physiological arousal. The iPad could then have a sense of an autistic child's frustration level, and when the child became upset, the device could automatically introduce something calming. Maybe it would be music. Maybe the iPad would tell the child to take a deep breath.
The technology has the potential to make autistic children's lives easier, Goodwin says. But if the devices are proven successful, they might also be able to show society the unrealized potential in children with autism.
The progress of these children is measured in small steps.
A couple of weeks ago, Rosa and Leo headed home from Seattle, where they had spent two days on a boat. Her husband and the girls were staying longer to partake in activities they knew Leo wouldn't enjoy, so Rosa and her son were flying back together.
When it was time for them to board their plane, the flight was delayed, supposedly for just 10 minutes. Then an announcement said it would be another 10 minutes. This unexpected change was problematic for Leo, because Rosa had told him he could not eat Nutter Butter cookies until they were in the air. Because their flight might be ready at any time, she was unable to go and buy him another snack.
Leo was getting cranky, which scared Rosa. She worried he might have another airport meltdown, like the one that had once ended their family vacation. Her only hope was the iPad.
She took it out and opened iEarnedThat, which allows the user to divide a photograph into any number of animated puzzle pieces. As the puzzle is completed, players earn rewards. Leo usually does puzzles of about 15 pieces. Rosa bit her lip and created one with twice that many. "I wasn't sure he would have the patience," she said.
For the next half-hour, he sat quietly and finished the puzzle. Then they boarded the plane, and Leo got his Nutter Butter.
Not only did the iPad help them avert a crisis, but Rosa also found out that her son was capable of going one step further in completing a puzzle. He was up for the challenge. With every small advance Leo makes on the iPad, his parents' hope swells.
They find themselves wondering what else he can do. Beyond the progress Leo will make, the iPad also gives them a window into the enigmatic mind of their son. That's something more than a near-miracle.
ashley.harrell@sfweekly.com
Ashley Harrell is a staff writer for SF Weekly, a Village Voice Media publication. Taylor Friedman contributed reporting to this story.
