Occupational Therapy

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, Autism, PDD) often creates a serious communication barrier of limited communication between children and adults diagnosed with autism and their caregivers, families, peers, teachers and therapists. A personal computer is a powerful tool that builds a bridge that connects both sides, however the keyboards may play a role of an additional distraction factor that may be an obstacle.
Teachers with Project Blue Skies are giving children with autism the ability to communicate and to explore the virtual reality of Online World by using a unique keyboard with only two "keys" and a novel curriculum.

With Project Blue Skies, the hardware is matched to lesson plans, training aids such as games, and assessment tools. The two-grip device is ideal for people with autism because it is less distracting than a keyboard and does not require finger motion.
In addition, the various letter and number combinations are created by matching color schemes indicated on the two grips, so the training curriculum matches well to a game-like environment.
Teachers guide the students and monitor their progress, ultimately helping the kids better communicate with their families. While the primary goal of Project Blue Skies is to help people with autism develop stronger social skills, McAlindon is working with partners to start integrating standard coursework into the program.