When I heard the announcement of nursery and school closures brought on by the novel coronavirus last Spring, my heart sank. My son, Sidney, had just received an official diagnosis of autism, and here we were condemned to months of isolation.

I knew I was in tune with Sidney and his needs, but I'm not a special needs educator. My biggest fear was that despite my best efforts, Sidney might lose some of his hard-fought language and engagement skills while suffering mentally.

As the particularities of Sidney’s challenges have become more clear, I’ve done my best to understand him and help him thrive in a world that in many ways is not set up for him. For a while, I saw avoiding screens and technology as critical to that effort.

When my son’s speech and language delay was first highlighted, in 2016, there was a negative stigma attached to screen time with children, both for neurotypical and neurodivergent kids.

The professionals who worked with us explained that the best way to support Sidney’s progress was to encourage as much face-to-face communication and turn-taking as possible. Unable to see then how screen time would help with either of those things, it was a short mental leap to thinking of digital devices as the enemy.

It took a global lockdown to dislodge that viewpoint, and I'm glad that it did.

  1. Ask questions (of Alexa)
    Sidney is verbal but his ability to understand and comprehend language is still somewhat limited for his age. Without kids his age to hang out with, I was concerned that his progress would plateau or worse, go backwards.
  2. Time to learn and time to play
    I've come to realize Sidney is a digital native and will grow up surrounded by screens and all manner of autonomous gadgets. So, as long as he’s not glued to a smartphone or tablet 24/7, what’s the harm?
  3. Show the robot around
    Stimming—also referred to as self-stimulating behaviors—is a common autistic trait. By performing repetitive behaviours for long periods, autistic people can restore a sense of order in a world that is chaotic, unpredictable, and overwhelming.
  4. Go deep into his interests
    YouTube isn’t exactly a well-kept secret—I’ve been getting lost in music videos and TED Talks for years. But, what has amazed me recently as a parent is just how immersive you can make a YouTube experience. When Sidney is in need of comfort, I’ve found YouTube to be an excellent tool for stimulating his imagination while raising a few extra smiles.

Read the full article about using technology to help children with autism by Dan Hughes at Mashable.