John LeSieur is in the software business, so he was interested when computers seemed mostly useless to his 6-year-old grandson, Zackary. The boy has autism, and the whirlwind of options in PCs so confounded the child that he threw the mouse in frustration.
After not finding any satisfactory online tool that could guide autistic children around the Web, US-based LeSieur had one built – named it the Zac Browser For Autistic Children in honour of his grandson – and has now made it available for free at www.zacbrowser.com
The Zac Browser greatly simplifies the experience of using a computer. It seals off most Web sites from view, blocking violent, sexual or otherwise adult-themed material.
Instead, it presents choices from free, public Web sites, with an emphasis on educational games, music, videos and visually entertaining images, such as a virtual aquarium.
“We’re trying to avoid aggressive, dark or complicated Web sites, because it’s all about self-esteem,” said LeSieur, who runs the software firm People CD Inc. “If they’re not under control, they will get easily frustrated.”
Other children’s programs already offer this approach to the Web. But the Zac browser aims to go further: It essentially takes over the PC and reduces the controls available for children who find too many choices overwhelming.
For example, the browser disables extraneous keyboard buttons like ‘Print Screen’ and turns off the right button on the mouse, eliminating commands most children don’t need anyway. This reduces the chance of a child losing confidence after making a counter-productive click.
Children select activities by clicking on large icons, such as a football for games and a stack of books for stories. The browser also disables all advertisements or other flashing distractions.
Zackary’s mother, Emmanuelle Villeneuve, said he can start the Zac Browser himself. He enjoys listening to music through the program and trying puzzles – things he always liked before, but hadn’t been able to explore online. Perhaps most tellingly, while he still acts out aggressively against the TV, she said, he doesn’t try to harm the computer.
LeSieur didn’t create the browser by consulting with autism experts. His company designed it to meet Zackary’s needs; but later figured that it would likely help other autistic children.
Early reviews have been positive, though LeSieur plans to tweak the program so parents can suggest new content to add.
His approach of limiting distractions and using the software as a confidence-boosting tool “is a very good idea,” said Dianne Zager, director of the Centre for Teaching and Research in Autism at Pace University in the US.
Several autism experts were pleased to hear of LeSieur’s work, and not surprised that he had not previously found anything suitable.
After all, the autism spectrum is so wide that a particular pattern of abilities or impairments in one autistic person might be reversed in another. Hence, creating universally appealing software becomes difficult.
Indeed, the Zac Browser might do nothing for another autistic child. But one huge advantage is that the browser is free, while many assistive technologies are very expensive and work only on specialised devices, said Chris Vacek, chief innovation officer at Heartspring, a special-education centre in the US.
But the Zac Browser’s best credential, Vacek said, is that it has a high chance of increasing a child’s ability to do things independently. AP
