Tech Tools for Autism

Sara Stroud’s article, “A New Way Forward” in the T.H.E. Journal (December 2009), discusses tech solutions such as virtual worlds, interactive whiteboards, blogs, and notebook computers to help autistic students learn to communicate more effectively.  Using the virtual community Second Life, high school students with autism went to a “block party” where they practiced meeting others online.  With digital technologies such as interactive white boards and notebook computers, students are able to practice how to read facial expressions, raise their hands, do peer monitoring, and increase attention. Some are even writing their own blogs and are boasting about being published authors.