Autism and information technology: therapy with computers

My concern in this chapter is with computers primarily as a therapeutic and secondarily as an educational resource. Their educational potential is very well recognised, and access to computer-assisted learning is becoming progressively more widespread (some access points are listed at the end of this chapter). It is also widely recognised that an element of therapy is essential in the education of children with autism (Jordan and Powell, 1995). The boundary is blurred. I suggest that the more directly educational potential may not be accessed, especially by non-verbal children, unless the calming, controllable, aspects of working with computers have fi rst been explored freely. What is more, that phase of exploration and discovery can be an ideal basis for communication with a sensitive helper.