April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day

[TexasTowelie]

VICTORIA, British Columbia (CNN) -

Joseph Sheppard has an IQ above 130. Ask him about his life or worldview and he'll start drawing connections to cosmology and quantum mechanics. He'll toss around names of great intellectuals -- Nietzsche, Spinoza -- as if they're as culturally relevant as Justin Bieber.

It might not be obvious that Sheppard has a hard time with small tasks that most of us take for granted -- washing dishes, sending packages, filling out online forms. Or that he finds it challenging to break out of routines, or to say something appropriate at meaningful moments.

Sheppard, 42, has high-functioning autism. He found out only about six years ago, but the diagnosis explained the odd patterns of behavior and speech that he'd struggled with throughout his life. And it gave him the impetus to reinvent himself as an autism advocate.

"I was invisible until I found my inner splendor," he told me in one of many long, philosophical, reflective e-mails last week. "My ability to interpret and alter my throughput of judgments, feelings, memories, plans, facts, perceptions, etc., and imprint them all with what I chose to be and chose to do.

http://www.ksat.com/lifestyle/health/Autism-no-longer-an-invisible-disorder/-/478162/10002826/-/4rv7mtz/-/index.html

[font color=green]This story is of personal interest since I have a nephew who is autistic.[/font]

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1. Speaking of useful apps, this one's a genuine life-changer

John Mavrothalassitis used to communicate using pictures and one or two words. But over the past 18 months, the seven-year-old, who has autism, has started speaking in sentences with the help of an iPad application.

His family said he requested or commented on things they didn't realise he understood. This year he moved from a school for autistic students to a satellite class in a mainstream school.

His mother, Yvette, said he was ''infinitely happier. He no longer gets frustrated and upset by not being able to communicate with us and every day his speech is progressing''.
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John uses the Proloquo2go app, which turns pictures into sentences then voices them out loud so they can be repeated.

http://m.smh.com.au/digital-life/smartphone-apps/speaking-of-useful-apps-this-ones-a-genuine-lifechanger-20120401-1w6n4.html

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2. Many developers are offering their apps for free on World Autism Awareness Day

More good news in the area of assistive technology: keep an eye out for free apps this week. Many developers are offering their apps for free on World Autism Awareness Day.  In addition, Technology is (Spl) Education is having a series of app giveaways on their site.

We couldn’t possibly list them all, but here are some of our picks for apps in different areas. Many of these apps incorporate visual learning, a pedagogical practice that is used successfully with many individuals with autism.

Please note that app selection (especially those for augmentative and alternative communication – AAC) should always be based on individual assessment:

http://www.inov8-ed.com/2012/04/world-autism-awareness-day-2012/