My Generically-Titled Autism Post (Formerly Autism Works)

Sweetie showed this to me, and I had to wait until I got home from work to watch it.

Neither Mr F nor Mr Bunches is as far along the autism spectrum as this girl:



But Mr F is pretty close.

That dad waited 10 years to meet his daughter. Mr Bunches this year began being more able to express himself and we know what his personality is like now.

We're still waiting to meet Mr F.

But this made me cry with hope.

I know exactly what that dad means when he says you could see the intelligence in her. When I look at Mr F's eyes, I can tell how smart he is. He's just looking for a way to show it.

Autism Works: Hacking Autism

Autism Works is an across-the-board post I'm doing to help keep people informed of recent events affecting those who have autism and their families. The goal of Autism Works is to raise awareness of, and collect information for, people on the autism spectrum by providing news and information about autism-friendly businesses and developments in treatments and identification of this condition.

Michael Offutt, who writes the blog SLC Kismet, pointed out a while back that there are a great many autism-related apps on the iPad, and it looks like there might be more, so I'll take a look at those today:

First, autism apps. I have a Droid smart phone, one I got in part because Mr F's and Mr Bunches' teachers suggested an iPad last year as something to help the boys learn to communicate. Rather than invest $800 plus right off the bat on something that may not work, I went cheap by getting the touch-screen phone and trying that out.

Finding apps hasn't been difficult. Finding apps suited for autistic kids has -- there is, so far as I can tell, no "keyword" or "tag" type of search for the Droid store.

On the one hand, any app that lets the boys use the phone is a good one, and the smart phone (or touch screen pad) works great for that: Mr Bunches, who particularly likes the computer, had a lot of trouble originally learning how to use the mouse and keyboard, and still has trouble clicking, so a touch screen was great in getting them to play games and use the screen.

That let them play games -- they liked Angry Birds, in particular -- and watch videos all by touching, rather than clicking, and Mr Bunches in particular learned to get around Youtube pretty successfully on my phone, which was also portable enough for him to carry around.

Specific games that I found worked particularly well on the small touch screen included Fisher Price's online learning games: they have counting and ABC games that work well on a touch screen, and some "learning about opposites" and "animal sounds" games that even on a 3-by-1 inch screen look good and are easy to work. They're free and easy to access.

Another game Mr Bunches particularly enjoys, and which can be played on a small or large screen for free, is the "Jumping Box" game, where a person has to click-and-drag on a box to make it slide and jump through obstacles. (I like that one, too.)

"Talking Tom" was an app suggested by the teachers -- it's a cat that repeats everything you say in a slightly higher voice, and reacts to certain touches and other input. It's available for free and for $0.99, but don't bother paying; there's no difference between the two.



This site was suggested by the school teachers to find apps for an iPad. I'd give you the name, but it doesn't seem to have one. I haven't checked it out at all yet, but I'll try to download and review some of the apps in the future.

Then there's "Hacking Autism." This is a project I just learned about yesterday, an attempt to help "give people with autism a voice." They're going to have a Hackathon to get volunteer software developers in touch with autism specialists to develop new touch-enabled apps for the autism community.

You don't have to be a programmer or expert to participate: the site is seeking comments on existing ideas, and suggestions for apps to be developed, so if you have autism or are related to someone who does, weigh in and let them know.

You might even get some inspiration from the Hacking Autism's "Stories Of Hope," which includes a touching story written by an autistic boy who had never spoken until he was given a "Lightwriter," after which he was able to have a conversation with his older brother -- a conversation that was so special, they videotaped it for his parents and made it their Christmas present.

Autism Works: Help others who have autism or other special needs.

Page down for links of interest: businesses, games, websites, opportunities... and more.


It was only a little while ago that I began openly writing about what it's like to raise twins with autism -- for a long time, we didn't know they had autism and then for a longer time I didn't feel it was the kind of thing that should be shared publicly.

That all changed, as you probably know, on a trip to the library a while back, when I decided that it was my obligation -- and Mr F's and Mr Bunches' obligation -- to help teach people what it's like to live with autism, and so I began my series of posts "Life With Unicorns."

As the Babies! have gotten older, I've begun more and more to worry about their fitting into society, and Sweetie and I have also had to spend more and more time looking for places they can go for help, or social opportunities, and the like. For example, both boys have (traditionally) hated to get hair cuts -- screaming and crying through the whole process. But we've found a place that welcomes them and makes sure that they're comfortable, and that's helped so much that the last time we went there, neither boy had any problems. (That place, by the way, is the Supercuts in Middleton Hills, a great business with a great bunch of stylists who work there.)

We have to try to find a dentist for the boys, who will need their first checkup soon -- but they don't like doctors and probably will need to be sedated. When we go to parks, we have to find a park that isn't too near traffic and has a variety of different things to do all close by, because we can't leave one kid playing on the slide while the other goes on the swings, like other parents might be able to do.

But despite constantly looking, and subscribing to several email alerts and being members of various organizations, I've yet to find a single, comprehensive source anywhere that will tell people whose children have special needs (or who may themselves have special needs) -- autism or otherwise -- which businesses, playgrounds, employers, or other people are especially friendly (or unfriendly) to them and their family.

So I'm starting a series of posts I call Autism Works -- as you may have guessed, by the title -- which will help spread the word about those places that people with special needs and their families can feel welcome, or can get some help, or which they otherwise should know about.

Think of it as an Angie's List for special needs families. And if you hear of something that you think should be on the list, let me know.

Businesses:
Reviews of businesses I've taken my kids to:

Supercuts in Middleton Hills (see above): great business for autistic people & kids.

Sears Photo Studio, West Towne Mall: semi-autism-friendly.

Websites:

My Autism Team.com: A website to help share information about providers and businesses.

A website to help find apps for autism.

Blogs:

My world of mismatched socks: A blog by a woman with autism, about her and her also-autistic brother. Well-written, interesting, with some helpful tips.

Lou's Land: A father blogs about his oldest child, who has autism.

Projects/Opportunities:

Hack Autism: Have an idea for an app to help autistic people? Are you a programmer or autism expert? This project wants to create new programs for touch-enabled computers.

College-bound? Autism Speaks has a post and links to information about the Rehabilitation Act, which can help with accommodations.

Games & Toys:

Fisher-Price online games.

Jumping Box

Therapy Swings.
Talking Tom

Safety:

Project Lifesaver: helps fit autistic kids with GPS-locater bracelets to keep wanderers safer. But read this important update from the Dane County Sheriff's Office, which is dropping the program.