#FergusonStrong with iPads for Autism

My Students

A normal day in my classroom begins when my five students with autism walk in and give me a bright "good morning!" We work hard to practice social skills, math, reading, and communication in small groups, the ultimate goal being to increase integration into their gen ed classrooms.

My students are eager to learn and enjoy coming to school.

All on the autism spectrum, they work hard to interact with their gen ed peers and progress towards their goals. On a daily basis, my students face challenges such as how to interact with a friend, how to focus on work, or how to communicate why they're frustrated. On top of these personal frustrations, they are also living in a community that is going through much pain and communal frustration. Because Ferguson-Florissant is a low-income school, we are not always able to provide the resources from which students could greatly benefit.

My Project

For many of my students, communicating does not come easily. Yet, there are hundreds of apps today that help increase communication skills, many of which are specifically for students with autism. Instead of getting upset and frustrated with not being able to find the words to say, students could utilize the iPad to vocalize their wants and needs in an appropriate way. iPads could also increase student engagement and focus. We do many hands-on and music related activities, but students still often find it difficult to focus their attention. Because they enjoy working for computer time, however, my students would greatly benefit from apps that are both captivating and academic.

I know that this project will help my students find their voices, largely because I've seen it work with past students from different districts.

Currently, Ferguson-Florissant has limited access to e-tablets. Consistent access to these resources would be a great benefit to these young members of a hurting community, and would build a solid foundation for future social engagement.