COMPUTERIZED
TOOLS FOR PROMOTING SOCIAL AND
COMMUNICATIONAL
SKILLS AMONGST CHILDREN AND
TEENAGERS
WITH AUTISM AND OTHER DISABILITIES
O.
Almog, O. Perlstein, R. Neeman
Center
for Educational Technology ,
Israel
The use of
computerized tools for children and teenagers with autism
and other
disabilities has numerable advantages. The computerized
environment is
consistent, predictable and not demanding; it gives the
user a sense of
control; it enables a gradual progression and it has
multimedia options
which can ease learning and make it more fun.
The department of
special needs in CET has developed three
websites for
students with autism and other disabilities: "Medabrim
Comics" - a
website that enables the creation of comics. Researchers
have recognized the
potential of comic strips as an effective tool for
teaching
autistic children conversation and social skills. The website
provides a variety
of backgrounds, characters with various moods,
objects and a
bubble library that can serve the student, the teacher, or
the caretaker, to
create a rich individualized comics story. "Bein
Chaverim" – A
pool of activities designed to improve social and
communicational
skills. The activities are based on short illustrated
texts, depicting
frequent daily social situations that have a potential
challenge for
people with autism. "Mi-Po?" – A social network
designed especially
for children and adolescents with special needs. It
provides a clear,
easy to use environment that invites the users to
interact with each
other and to enjoy the benefits of social networks in
a safe and
protected environment.
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