Apple iPod Touch helps autistics function productively in workplace

Case studies have demonstrated the use of Apple iPod touch PDAs as vocational supports.

Strategies that provide enlightened workplace supports are clearly needed in order to help people with ASD find useful work and perform successfully on the job, said lead investigator Tony Gentry,PhD,of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond,VA.

The cases involve participants in a 4-year randomized trial examining the use of iPod touch PDAs as job coaching aids in the workplace.

Each individual was given a vocational placement and paired with a job coach. An occupational therapist programmed an iPod touch with an individualized suite of applications to provide support that included task reminders and lists,video prompts,tools for self-managing behaviour,and other supports. The occupational therapist trained the participant and the job coach in using the device as a vocational aid.

One participant,Jeffrey,worked as a daytime custodian at a fast-food restaurant. He had difficulty moving from one task to another,and couldnt remember the multiple steps involved in retrieving and stocking condiments and cleaning the bathrooms.

When he became stressed,he would display calming behaviors, such as spinning and humming.

The occupational therapist set reminder alarms on the iPod touch to cue Jeffrey to move from task to task during his shift. Using the Notes application,step-by-step checklists were created for each of Jeffreys tasks so he would be sure to complete them properly.

Within a week,he was successfully responding to the reminder cues and checking his task notes. A year later,Jeffrey continues to use his iPod touch on the job,and is recognized as a reliable employee.

For Grace,a 60-year-old woman with a diagnosis of autism,mild cerebral palsy,and epilepsy,the iPod touch helps manage her commute on a specialized transportation bus.

If the bus was late,Grace worried that it had missed her,and she would frequently leave her purse on a park bench and step into the busy street to see if it was coming.

Now,reminders alert her to go to the bus stop and to call the transportation company if the bus is late. Podcasts of some of her favorite radio shows and music help alleviate her anxiety while waiting for the bus.

A custom-made video shows Grace how to wait for the bus safely,and the steps to take if the bus doesnt arrive. Her iPod touch also helps her move from task to task and manage her duties at work. After six months,her manager reports that Grace works independently and ably.

Dr. Gentry noted that a wide range of variables in personal characteristics,work settings,and duties make it difficult to make any generalizations from these cases.

However,they do demonstrate the versatility of PDAs as workplace supports for people with ASD.

The case studies were published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation.