There is no denying that iPad is a slick and appealing piece of technology.  The apps are seen by many as a “quiet revolution” for students with autism.  However, there is no scientific research that proves their effectiveness for students with ASD, so perhaps we need to hold-off before we all get carried away.

….another way of looking at the iPad though is that this is just the beginning and the future solutions may be more remarkable than we realize.  Indeed, Harrell (2011) spoke to experts who were looking at the next step for apps…

“…the idea of hooking it up to a discreet wristband being developed in the Media Lab that could wirelessly monitor physiological arousal. The iPad could then have a sense of an autistic child’s frustration level, and when the child became upset, the device could automatically introduce something calming. Maybe it would be music. Maybe the iPad would tell the child to take a deep breath.” (Harrell, 2011, p. 5).