Tablet computers help treat Asperger’s
by Emily Schettler, Iowa City Press-Citizen
“For many people, the ability to interact with one another is innate, but it’s not simple for these kids. It’s very complicated,” said Monica Ryan-Rausch, a success manager at Four Oaks who helped develop the Asperger’s program for middle and high school students. Playing games and participating in activities with other students using tablet computers helps teach children to adapt to the behavior of others and compromise in certain situations, said Juan Pable Hourcade, an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Iowa. Hourcade and his students began developing tablet applications for children with autism spectrum disorders about four years ago, just before the iPad and tablet computer craze hit. The program now is being used at Four Oaks and at an after-school program for elementary school students at Hoover Elementary in Iowa City.
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