Tag: children

App helps children manage their health care routines

App helps children manage their health care routines.

App from Vanderbilt University. This is a free app at the moment but may have a charge in the future. They provide a sample (for children) about visiting the doctor which includes photos of e.g. getting your height and weight taken. Although this app was developed for children It’s generic so you can add your own routines quickly, it’s very simple to use and is good for breaking larger tasks into a sequence of smaller tasks or steps. Here’s some screenshots of an example of my own showing a visit to the autism team, I just used photos but you do have the option to use video instead.

    1. Choosing a routine

Choosing a routine

    1. Showing steps in the task
      If there are more steps than will fit in the screen then you’ll see arrows to let you scroll to them.
      Showing steps in the task
    2. Completing tasks
      You just touch the square when you’ve completed a task. It’s easy to see which steps have still to be done.

Completing tasks

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and apps

“The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) develops evidence based clinical practice guidelines for the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland. SIGN guidelines are derived from a systematic review of the scientific literature and are designed as a vehicle for accelerating the translation of new knowledge into action to meet our aim of reducing variations in practice, and improving patient-important outcomes.”

If you want to know about a particular health condition the guidelines can be very helpful for giving you an overview and an indication of potential therapies that may be available. For those in Social Care/Work they could help you understand treatment plans of your service users e.g. if your autistic clients have comorbid conditions such as epilepsy or depression. There are over 100 guidelines available and the guidelines are provided as downloadable PDF documents.
There is a free SIGN Guidelines app [Android]  and  SIGN Guidelines app [Apple]
They currently have one guideline and an app specifically for autism in children.  

Assessment, diagnosis and clinical interventions for children and young people with autism spectrum disorders [Guideline 98]SIGN Autism patient guide

Autistic Children Communicate with Horses and iPads

From Icatha College USA, a project involving Tina Caswell – Clinical Instructor, Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology

With Horses and iPads, Autistic Children Learn to Communicate [Press release]

Interesting to note that they found that the light weight of an iPad device was an important factor

“…traditional assisted speech-generating devices can be cumbersome and heavy and children tend to abandon them due to lack of interest with their limited communication options. On the contrary, iPads loaded with speech-generating applications only weigh around 1 pound, cost significantly less than traditional assisted speaking devices and are more user friendly. …”

In the project they also utilise Dynavox Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) devices.

 

Good communication is essential for children with autism and their families

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (England and Wales) provides guidance and advice to improve health and social care. On 28 August 2013 they published clinical guidelines offering evidence-based advice on the care and management of children and young people with autism.