From the Associated Press in the [Toronto] Globe and Mail:

Six-year-old Zackary LeSieur wanted to use the Internet, but became overwhelmed by all the choices that confronted him on the computer screen. So his grandfather, who works in the computer industry, had a simplified browser built to serve Zackary and other children with autism.

The result of John LeSieur’s brainstorm, called the Zac Browser for Autistic Children, is available by free download. It simplifies the Internet experience by blocking advertisements, flashing distractions and adult content. It also seals off most websites from view and disables extraneous keys to keep kids from hitting the wrong button and getting frustrated. While there’s no assurance the browser will help other kids with autism, experts were hopeful.

Mr. LeSieur’s approach of limiting distractions and using the software as a confidence-boosting tool “is a very good idea,” said Dianne Zager, director of the Center for Teaching and Research in Autism at Pace University. She said many autistic students tend to do best with educational materials that make unnecessary stimuli fade from view.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 6th, 2008 at 7:43 am and is filed under autism, technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post