Conley's line of "TapSpeak" programs are among scores of new apps available to help children with autism or other conditions that interfere with their ability to speak, learn or socialize.
Most of the early apps have been associated with Apple's iPad, but some are available for a variety of touch-screen gadgets, including those running Google's Android. Hewlett-Packard recently announced plans for a volunteer "hackathon" to create a series of touch-screen apps in conjunction with a national advocacy group, Autism Speaks.
Parents and educators say the ease of use, visual impact and intuitive nature of a touch screen, combined with the portability and "cool factor" of a tablet computer, have led to near-miraculous breakthroughs for children with a variety of disabilities.
"These tablets are giving children a voice," said Gary James, a Connecticut father who started a website to review apps for children with special needs, based on his own experience with a 6-year-old son, Benjamin, who has autism.
For some children with autism, experts say, images on a computer screen draw closer attention than pictures on paper. For older kids, a sleek tablet doesn't carry the stigma of bulky, conspicuous special education equipment. Most importantly, a touch screen eliminates the difficulty that a child with autism or motor disabilities might have with manipulating a keyboard or understanding the connection between a mouse and cursor.
"All you need is a finger on the screen. There's no disconnect," said Shannon Des Roches Rosa, a Redwood City, Calif., blogger and mother of a 10-year-old with autism; her son Leo is learning to recognize words and read them with the help of iPad apps.
