Tips needed for calssroom issue. ASD obsession.

[PeachyAndTheSucklingBas]

DS3 has an obsession with PC's / Wii etc.

if there is no PC in a place he is ak but if there is he gets on to a 'loop' where he just says 'wii' or 'puter', doesnt look at you whilst saying it and refuses toa cknowledge your answers uless they are a yes; just repeats himself getting more andm ore into a trance. It's all day all night- he's usually still up and down 'puter-ing' at midnight and beyond. he gets a time allowance on the OPc and Wii (ghe has amrvellos skills compaed to his 'rl') but when on he is 100% in his world.

School just set up whiteboards in every class 9the smart ones) and he's reacting the same way.

Any tips please?

ds is the same and his school got them last year he to loves them, sorry carnt help though

I'm glad its not just him.

The troule is they have zero chance of compliance as far as I can see in terms of school work. It also will get V V V annoying for his teacher and she's an impatient type with a bit of a shouty nature.

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Aha. You say "he has marvellous skills compared to his 'rl'" when he's on a computer.

I can see exactly what he means, and why he's doing it.

Imagine being a child who's blind, and if you sit at a computer you can suddenly see, but you can't when you're not at it any more. Away from it, the world is a scary dark place full of surprises and unseen furniture and potholes to fall into, but whilst you're on it, you can see something at long last, you can do some things others can do, and even better than they can. How excited would you be? How relieved? How scary would it be if you could only 'work properly' when you're on it, and people won't let you be?

It's like that for a lot of children with an ASD, for example. Computers are exactly how our brain works. They make total sense to us. There's no eye contact, no tone of voice, no body language to decode. It's absolutely ideal most of the time. Away from it, the world can be a scary place where we have few skills to know how to make it 'work'.

He's desperate to learn, to 'see', to grow - and he's not being just obsessional and silly (which might be what the teacher thinks). He's asking to use the one tool that makes life possible for him at the moment. He doesn't understand how important the social skills are, yet.

Of course he can't use one 24 hrs a day, so he's got to learn ways to cope with the real world too. But it might need a plan with some experts working with him so that he can build his knowledge of the world through and with that computer interface over the years. Art? He can draw a computer. Science? He could work out the basics of computers. Literature? He could read or view books on the computer. Communication? He can learn about computers talking to each other on networks and how they transfer information, and use that skill to see if he can understand that people do the same thing using words and gestures. The knack may be to use his special interest to get him interested in everything else.

And the teacher is going to have to understand that this is all part of who he is. He's trying to help himself, not annoy people. He probably can't understand why others won't let him use something that works for him, but want him to use something that seems 'broken' to him (social ways of communicating information).

Have you looked at VOCAs at all (voice output communication aids)? I may be way off track but it might be something he could use effectively. They are for communication only, my DH calls them a Hawkins device so that gives you some idea of what I mean! You would need an assessment by Cenmac (google them or I can find info) who go into schools to assess. For further info contact organisation in Oxford called Communication Matters. The Wolfson also does these sort of work but they have mixed reports with ASD. I may be way off but its worth considering as he obv needs support with communication and is able to use a PC-type device well.

Thank you both.

Amber- I agree thats what is happening and you're right about the teacher she does think its silly. We are excited about the ability because we believe it may make his life livable if that makes sense? Internet shopping, chat forums, related work (Dh has a fledgeling technology company and we'd be able to train ds3 to either help with the technical stuff or if thats not possible (he has poor dexterity atm) help with books etc). Indeed to us the OPC is the possible key to the difference between total dependence and and possible being able to have some level of supported living. It's fingers crossed on that really (there are issues, for example he ould just not eat for days if he ahd unlimited PC access, and he will sit in wet trousers until we realise, oblivious). Thank you. The key is getting school to realise that- and I suspect that may take the formal dx; until then harry is 'a child with a speech impediment' (!!!).

Davros- at first I thought of noooo, he's not that severe- then I realised what you meant! Harry can talk I believe, but I don't think he understands the point of it. If he could use a device I think he would see it as a wonderful game, and it would also take away the complications caused by the lack of clarity of speech that SALT think is an undiagnosed physical issue. I think it would really work (and whats more I am certain Dh could knock me one up in very basic format if SALT said no- something like a very absic PEXs board, yes?). I shall raise the idea with his Paed when I see her shortly. Ta

Also have a look at the boardmaker activity pad. It can be used as a VOCA or a teaching aid. It's bloody expensive but by VOCA standards is a pound shop version.

We've decided to get ds1 one (in part from contributions from wider family) - it looks easy for me to use and change regularly. You don't need Boardmaker software to use it either. IN part I'm getting it because ds1 has responded so well to the white board - his school use it really well though with very clear aims and objectives.

Technology will be a huge bonus for just about any SEN soon, I think. They are already doing a lot with the Wii controllers for those who are non-verbal, since they can use them to signal something to a computer. If they can make it work properly, it should be possible to get an interactive system set up for almost any child that they can use at their own level. And computers can also spot if someone hasn't moved for a while and remind them. They can tell if a seat is wet and set an alarm or a reminder or call for staff to help. So much is then possible. And those who can't use speech or find socialisation difficult have a whole world to explore online. 'Second Life' (sorry, not advertising it, honest ) has a lot of ASD people who use it to practise social skills, for example. I can get 90% of what I need online - shopping, sorting things out etc. It's a lifeline for me. And a talent for computers enabled me to get a job I could cope with, too.

Very interesting Amber & Jimjams. The thing is, we know our children like cause/effect, we know they have difficulty communicating, we know they respond well to visual cues (whether picture or printed word), we know that many of them have IT skills at a level above some of their other skills, we know they can have problems with retrieval and organisation etc. If nothing else, if they find it enjoyable its more than half way to being useful.

Yep exactly the only concern I have with ds1 is that he might repetitively turn something on and off- although he seems to have gone past that stage now. HIs dyspraxia means that things he can touch (like the BAP) make life a lot easier. You can shove things like photos in the BAP, record on various bits of it. And you can force a certain order so I hope it will help with learning sentences. As soon as I get paid I'm ordering