Recently Jonathan's school schedule changed. He was taken from a full school day within the school to being on campus for a half-day and the other half-day at home. Now this was not an effort to keep him out of school but taking his education to another level. Jonathan is approaching junior high and with those challenges ahead of him, and his autism being pronounced enough to eliminate the possibility of mainstreaming at this time, Jonathan has a lot to learn. A lot about life. Life skills and how to do the normal, everyday things every child learns to do. Of course, with a child with autism, this is a bit more of a challenge. Granted, no 11-year-old boy wants to brush his teeth any more than absolutely necessary. But when it is an autistic boy, well let's just say that it somewhat exceeds the normal struggle.

So, the morning has been divided in half. One half has been dedicated to what is known as the "activities of daily living" (ADLs). The other half? Educational pursuits that will serve him as he goes back into the schoolroom environment, with the goal of the foundation of his education being stronger than before. This includes working on creating and maintaining a schedule, sign language and computers. Computers? Yes. They aren't just for chat rooms anymore as most parents have discovered. Couched within some very fun games are some valuable lessons that provide excellent foundations for further learning.

One such source I have found for software for children with autism can be found at Autism Coach. Jonathan recently test-drove some of the "games" and I found his reactions interesting. Clearly he enjoys them, most of them anyway, but more on that later, and I believe I am seeing results that will benefit him in many ways throughout his life.

MusicBox 2 from Topologika

The front of the box says, "If you enjoy teaching or making music, Version 2 of this award-winning notation-free pack is for you!" I would have to agree. This program is outstanding and Jonathan gives it two thumbs up. At least when his hands aren't on the keyboard, he will. This is a program we have to set limits on because he will play with it for as long as allowed. He has developed musical patterns that amaze me. My primary skill in playing music involves deciding whether it will be AM or FM. But Jonathan has musical talents I was unaware of until this program became part of his daily routine.

Many parents believe, and rightly so, that their child with autism has musical abilities. But when they attempt to begin a music lesson on piano or trumpet or whatever, it is a dismal failure. Music is conceptual and that is always a struggle for the child with ASD. This program crosses that barrier and somehow, in a way I'll never fully understand, teaches the basic concepts behind much of what music is.

Jonathan has learned to work with different rhythms, different instruments, different tunes, and all the possible variations of the above. I did not, to be honest, believe he could create his own music that would follow the "rules" of music. But he did. And he did it beautifully. I am amazed at the complexity of the creations he has put together and I believe that someday as he gets older, this will transfer into a skill on a musical instrument.

Scally's World of Verbs from Topologika

I don't know what it is with kids and aliens, but they seem to go together. Scary thought isn't it. This little alien by the name of Scally (no there is no Mulder type character) can actually make verbs interesting. Before you yawn, consider this: Verbs are action. And what child isn't interested in action. Scally does things - at least he will with some help from a child. With five different levels, this game works from the basic step of watching Scally perform an action for a child up through interacting to cause Scally to act out the verb or recognize the verb he is performing through the advanced level of typing a sequence of words to make a concept. All of these steps involve the child and Scally working together.

Jonathan has approved of this game as well. As a parent, I see how this can help my son take a word, comprehend it represents an actual action in the real world, and then help him transfer that understanding to his behavior or the behavior of others. I also feel this will be instrumental in Jonathan with his reading and learning to paint a visual picture in his mind of what he is reading for greater understanding.

I would recommend this game for parents of any age children. If you have other children who are in preschool, I feel it would also be beneficial for them as they are learning to read. For the child with autism, it will help move a concept into something meaningful and relevant to their life.

Speaking For Myself from Topologika

They can't all be winners for Jonathan, and this one just does not make him as happy as I would have hoped. It is a great program and I see much potential in it for some children.

For a child who is willing to verbalize, I believe this program has some great potential. Jonathan is very unwilling to speak, for reasons I do not believe are as much related to his autism as his very high palate. His voice and many of the sounds he creates in speech do not sound right, and he is aware of it. He uses his voice as little as possible because of it or speaks very softly. So the reluctance to use the program I do not believe is a flaw with the program, but an individual issue with my son.

The one major advantage to this program is that there is a bridge from the spoken word to the signed word. This has been the useful part of the program for our family and once Jonathan is convinced we aren't going to force him to speak, I believe he will give it a second chance.

The program has four sections: Flash cards, stories, nursery rhymes, and exercises. All of these sections are interactive, work on increasing skills and understanding and there are even some coloring games. In conjunction with Scally's verbs, I think there can be good results achieved by a child.

DoIT Bumper Pack from Topologika

Would you like a software program that is just plain fun? Never mind that your child will have fun with it - that can be your secret. This program has over three dozen activities that teach with no one being the wiser. And these are practical lessons that children need to survive in the world. Problem-solving skills are the most important skills a child can ever learn for they form the basis of every educational step taken by a person.

This program is greatly favored by Jonathan. We print out sheets that he can then do further activity on. It works with him on his abilities to understand numbers and math, words and literacy, design and patterns and various problem-solving puzzles. With 16 different programs and 40 different activities, this one should keep him busy for a long time.

If you are doing a home-school program, or a partial home-school as we are, consider ending your lesson time with this program. It finishes the teaching session on a light note and it is nice to see smiles instead of tension or a tantrum beginning to form. Both mom and son give this one a double thumbs-up.

All of these programs work on Windows 95 or better. Jonathan's programs are running on Windows 2000 with no problem. You will need a sound card and a printer, full color being the best. I have had no problems with the software locking up the computer Jonathan uses and he is able to set them up and get going on them himself unassisted if necessary. They are user-friendly, even for those who aren't extremely computer savvy. There are also extensive manuals and printed aids to enhance the child's experience and help the parent or teacher get the most out of the programs.