Contribution of tablets to the support of children and adolescents with autistic disorders: Case studies

Abstract

Despite their recent arrival on the high-tech market, touch-screen devices are becoming increasingly present in our everyday lives. In this study, we have focused on the potential advantages of these devices, in particular to children and adolescents presenting an autistic disorder. Two exploratory studies were carried out to collect and to analyze information regarding the behavior of children/adolescents with autism when a tactile device is used. One presents the results obtained during a self-confrontation task carried out with adolescents presenting Asperger's syndrome, and the second as part of a categorization task for young children with autism using two different situations (so-called classic teaching materials, consisting of paper illustrations, and an iPad tablet). Although the tablet generates a lot of interest in all subjects, study one demonstrates that it tends to be the best exercise device for the children whereas study two serves to identify the advantages of self-confrontation. Even though these studies remain exploratory due to the low number of participants and the range of their autistic disorders, they reinforce the results obtained during previous work (also carried out with a low number of subjects) and encourage further research in the field of technological innovation and cognitive disability.