As a participant in a pilot program, Rachel received a Palm handheld device as part of Geneva Centre for Autism’s new e-Learning initiative, developed with Palm Inc., a global leader in mobile products, and funded by the generosity of Palm Inc. and its foundation.

Without the help of visual supports, individuals with autism can experience tremendous anxiety in everyday social situations. They often carry printed cue cards and social scripts to help remember appropriate behaviours for things like starting a conversation with a classmate or greeting someone on the street.

The Palm’s touch-screen technology, agenda and contacts and other organizational tools and functions are highly visible and are a good match for the visual learning capabilities of someone with autism.

Geneva Centre’s new e-Learning program helps teens and young adults with autism learn how to organize their day and remember daily tasks and school assignments. It also reduces their need for paper cue cards by allowing them to import pictures, symbols, words and social scripts onto Palm handhelds. It also offers teens in particular a more discrete and tech savvy approach to managing the challenges of autism.