Perkins School for the Blind - New Transition Program

Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

Supporting Adolescents with Autism Using Technology to Interact with Peers

Friendships are a vital part of adolescence. Friends provide advice and help with navigating through tough topics. As children grow into adolescence, they begin to rely more on the opinions of friends than parents to make sense of the world. Thus, adolescent friendships are an important resource...

The Scene Cue: A Tool Delivered via Mobile Technology for Improving Independence in Direction-Following

The introduction of visual supports can often augment spoken language comprehension for learners who are minimally verbal. For example, when directing a learner to put a box into a bag, a symbolate sentence strip of “box in bag” (see Figure 1) could improve understanding assuming the learner...

This Is Me: Using a Personalized, Electronic Transition Tool to Support Self-Advocacy in Transition-Aged Young Adults

For young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)1, transition to post-school life brings with it both new opportunities and new challenges. The transition to post-secondary education settings, vocational programs, community-based day programs, and/or supported living means having to teach all...

What Autistics Can Contribute to Technology

Technology can support autistic people in many ways, but autistic people also have so much to offer in the field of technology. Autistic people with an interest in STEM-related fields (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), combined with their natural cognitive and character strengths,...

Technology Continues to Enhance Lives of People AHRC New York City Supports

What started as a discussion about how to keep the people AHRC New York City supports and their families more connected amid the pandemic has turned into a popular virtual Friday Night Dance Party. With the city on lockdown and summer camp closed, there were no opportunities for in-person...

A Clinician’s Perspective on Robot-Assisted Instruction for Autistic Children

I’ve been licensed in California as a Marriage and Family Therapist for over 18 years and my career passion and good fortune has allowed me to treat children with developmental disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), as well as high functioning adults. Therapy is a profound...

Smart Home Technology and Autism

Good parents worry about their children’s safety. For most, this centers on keeping toddlers away from medicine, sharp objects, electrical outlets and other physical dangers in the home. As children grow, parents can usually start worrying less about these things and focus on their children’s...

Robot-Assisted Instruction for Children with Autism: How Can Robots Be Used in Special Education?

In today’s high-tech world, quality teaching in special education is an essential factor that many specialists need to fulfill. Special education teachers are well-trained and often receive the latest skills and resources to provide effective intervention for children with autism. However, high...

Maintaining and Improving Skills During COVID-19 with Robot-Assisted Instruction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many children are falling behind due to compromises in therapy and education services. Children with disabilities who previously had stable access to regular in-person therapy are losing that access, leading to regression (Jones, 2020). While tele-care and remote video...

A Technology Safety Guide for Parents of Children With Autism

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly one in 59 children in the United States have been identified as having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Caregivers of these unique children face a host of challenges, and tech safety is one of those challenges. Technology can...