Tablets, apps help autistic people communicate
CBS' "60 Minutes" examines how tablet computers and special apps is helping special-needs people to improve communication and give them a better sense of self worth.
As a companion piece to an interview this evening with Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson, CBS' "60 Minutes" focused on how touch-screen tablet computers--like those introduced by Apple--are helping non-verbal autistic children communicate with their parents.
The app used by one autistic person in the segment is Proloquo2Go. It's marketed to the parents of kids with special needs--specifically those with autism, apraxia, and other disabilities that affect their communication. Proloque2Go is just one of a growing number of apps that supplement existing speech or replace speech that is not functional to improve social interaction, school performance, and give the kids a better sense of self-worth.
Special-needs people whose condition prevents them from speaking are making breakthroughs with the help of tablet computers and special apps like Proloquo2Go that allow them to communicate, some for the first time. Lesley Stahl reports: