60 Minutes ran a segment on "Apps for Autism" last night that is going to do a lot of good. People who watched it may be a little more likely to look at autistic people as people, even those of us who don't talk. The writers got most of the science right, too, which is impressive considering how complex it is and how broad the range of this story was.
I am very grateful to CBS for focusing on the difference that education and support can make for people with autism. Too often, stories about us focus on what causes autism and on the problems we create for people around us. Television viewers have rarely been shown the progress that has been made in education and support for autistic people-- they are usually just told that we need more research. And that is true, but we also need more money spent on just getting the stuff that we know works to the people who need it.
A lot of people who watched 60 Minutes last night are going to want to get iPads into the hands of as many autistic kids as possible. Thanks, CBS, for making the whole thing available on the web-- where I hope it will used both by formal charities seeking donations and by parents looking for help from friends and families to get an iPad for their child.
Also, I appreciated that it was clear that the device is not going to work for every person who has autism. You should "test drive" an iPad with your autie before investing in one.
I am proud that we have come this far in seeing realistic depictions of autistic people and our challenges on television, and I am grateful to CBS.
The rest of this is going to focus on the progress we still need to make and what frustrated me about the "Apps for Autism" segment.