For children with autism spectrum disorder, math problems become much easier if they involve pictures. Addition, for example, could be made clearer if both the equation and the answer are accompanied by pictures that represent the mathematical operations. Three candies plus two candies can be logically illustrated by five candies. Representing each question with a visual example makes learning more accessible and concrete. And that’s exactly what the “Math on the Farm” app does.
The development team of the “Math on the Farm” app has first-hand experience of working with autistic children as therapists and special educators and was therefore inspired to do something for those children. They also created the “Just Match” app that teaches object sorting, number matching and other skills, using approaches that resonate with autistic children.
Special educators Karen Edwards and Patricia Graf have been teaching children with autism spectrum disorder for several years. You have noticed a great disconnect between these children. Most of the children’s families had iPads and tablets, but none had a suitable app that would effectively teach the children the lessons they needed to learn. The percentage of children with autism spectrum disorder has increased in the two decades that Karen and Patricia have been in the field.
Patricia’s younger brother, in fact, was diagnosed with the disorder at the age of five, and she knows how difficult it is to raise an autistic child. Her family was from a small town in Ohio and she did not have the resources to support her brother’s special education needs.
One in 68 children today has an autism spectrum disorder. The rate has increased by more than 600% in the last two decades alone. However, services and resources have not been able to keep pace with the growing number of autistic children. The lack of specialists for autistic children is creating a waiting time for both diagnosis and treatment of at least two months to a year. Even if a family that has children with autism can use the services, the therapy could be very unaffordable. Most of the recognized interventions are based on 40 hours per week of rigorous individual therapy.
For the “Math on the Farm” and “Just Match” development team, the numbers were simply unacceptable. They felt that access to life-changing resources, such as apps for autistic children, should be available and affordable. Families of autistic children should not search in the dark for the right technology. They are developing technology that incorporates the best strategies for autism, increasing the availability of applications and reducing the cost.
