Destructive but non-communicative : is an iPad a good idea?

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My 8yo has emerging verbal skills but still requires a lot of guidance and structure so I was thinking that an iPad would be a great communicative aide. The problem is that my son is EXTREMELY destructive (he seems to break things when angry and strong reactions of surprise sometimes seem to bring him joy) and I fear that in a moment the iPad would be destroyed. Still, I think that he does these behaviors out of boredom and frustration so I'm hoping that it gives him the tools he needs to communicate his wants and needs.

My wife is the breadwinner and she balks at the price tag - especially since he's damaged 2 televisions and 2 laptop computers here at home. His school also mentioned procuring an iPad but then seemed to go back on that idea when he damaged most of the computers in the school.

Am I living in denial? Could he handle using under close supervision? We could probably get a grant for one but what about a protective case? He i strongly drawn to water so are such cases even waterproof as well as impact resistant? What do you all think? Is this an idea that should be given up on or should I press this and keep it under lock and key when not in use?

I think it is a bad idea, because based on what you said, I think you would be setting him up for failure. Maybe use it as a carrot, and tell him that you are willing to look into buying one, but he has to learn how to control his feelings better, and then help him do so.

I suspect the problem is he cannot identify and control his emotions and a bribe won't help until he has the internal tools to help him exercise self control.

#1-He has to learn to identify his emotions, preferably before meltdown.
#2-He has to learn to redirect himself from dangerous and destructive forms of expression, to other more acceptable ones.

My son usually just cries and shrieks or rips up paper or something; but even then it is really hard to redirect him to quieter calming methods. We struggle with this a lot. He has a calming corner at school, and we have tried to teach him some calming techniques, but the key is getting him to identify what is going on before the neurons start firing uncontrollably in his brain. I have found that it has gotten better at the very end of this summer because he seems to have some understanding now about what anger and fear are at least.

From what the OP says I don't think a bribe is going to work as his son is still not very verbal. I don't think he'd understand.

Personally based on the destructiveness I'd just skip the Ipad--these are very expensive.

If you really want a tablet computer there are other cheaper ones on the market anyway, have you considered any of those? I am not sure about the cases etc as I don't own any of these devices.

to protect the ipad: search for ipad covers for special needs, ipad covers autism, ipad covers military, ipad covers rugged, ipad covers waterproof. This is just from a quick search. There are many, many options available now.

http://www.autismepicenter.com/autism-b ... &tb=1&pb=1

http://www.autismpluggedin.com/2012/03/ ... utism.html

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/30 ... 5&tstart=0

http://store.griffintechnology.com/survivor-ipad-3

http://www.moxiware.com/

What about an ipod touch instead? They cost far less than an ipad, do pretty well all the same stuff, and you can buy very rugged cases for them like the ones from otterbox that make them virtually indestructible.

I have known parents with nonverbal kids who have found them to be quite helpful. I don't know if they had the issues with destroying property or not, though. Can you get insurance on stuff like that?

Maybe I should rephrase my original title. He's not "noncommunicative" inasmuch as he's nonverbal. His language is emerging and he can mand quite well and his able to request things in the form of 5 word sentences, though he has low muscle tone and has trouble with bilabial closure so his diction is bad and his syntax is truncated. That being said he's not conversational; he mostly says "I want _______" but his receptive language skills are good enough to understand two step instructions. He remembers people he doesn't see regularly and recalls places he doesn't go to regularly. He also seems to really respond well to music.

Mostly what I'd like to use it for though is as an alternative to PECS. We've tried using it for the past 5 years but we're reliant on his school or wraparound (who has access to the Boardmaker software) to provide us with the velcro-backed pictures and they often get ruined or lost. He relies on it to function in school and can get along quite well with it.

As for the throwing, I don't know what to do. I know that there are cases out there but when frustrated or overstimulated or just "done" with something he'll throw it. If anything I'd be with him while he used it and would put it away when I wasn't able to directly supervise him. An iPod touch might be a good alternative while out in the community or in the car but at home I could see it going in the sink or in a toilet;; he likes to "submerge" things and watch water run off them.

I think you should definitely try some sort of pecs replacement. See if they have the apps you need on one of the cheaper Android devices like the kindle fire. I think that would run about $200 instead of $400. Also look into refurbished equipment and whether you can get some sort of replacement insurance.

I do not know if this will help but there are plenty of sources for free clipart, some of which is specifically designed to be like PECS. You can try to make your own social stories, and make them very visual in PowerPoint. I have never used the PECS Storyboard stuff, but I bet you could simulate it pretty well with PowerPoint printouts. Create a file system on -your- computer and print them out as necessary, laminate them, whatever. If he trashes them, no biggie, just reprint them.

I say GO FOR IT! It may get broken, but it may get your son communicating too... absolutely worth any risk. My son sounds like yours, he got an ipad on a grant from his therapists... it slipped out of the case and got a big crack across the screen, in the first few months. We took it in to the apple store and they replaced it with a refurbished one (as new for $250). Still we didn't want to be paying $250 every whenever, so I found this case/frame.
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/201 ... th-bounce/
Since then not a problem. He drops it all the time. He is 13, rough, clumsy and learning to communicate! The ipad has literally given him his voice. Now I'm not working for apple or anything, so I know there are lots of other types of devices with the same kind of capability. Maybe you could try some under close supervision and then get him one and gaurd it closely until you are sure he can handle it. There are many ways to protect them, get the case that suits his needs. For us it was drop hazards, he's past the stage of putting things in the toilet, so the rebound case is good for us. You may need the full drop protection, waterproof fullon thing though. I saw some links above. Insurance, supervision and then time to see if he will take to it. Please don't be too scared that he may break it, this may be the key to really helping him.
When my son was 8, he had a big, clunky tech talker type thing. It had only 24 buttons and 8 layers of communication... so only the possibility for under 200 words/phrases. You had to change overlays for each level and switch buttons. It was more complicated than the ipad and he wasn't able to do that himself, so we were still trying to read his mind. He has also had a PODD book and PECS charts, he never really took to them that well. Not that portable and cumbersome to use. The app on his ipad has a type to speak function as well as thousands of words he can access. This kid who has been doing the same repetitive kindergarten work his whole school life, who everyone thought was bright... but they could never "get it out of him" is so engaged with this device. It is allowing him to communicate in a way that is finally working. If your son is 8 and nonverbal, speech is very difficult for him, he will need some help.
Also on the ipod touch, you may want to test that. We got one first for our son. His touch is not accurate enough, not enough precision? to use it properly which led to frustration and us having to do things for him on it which is the opposite of what we wanted it for. Something to consider.
So, I've rambled on, so sorry. Your idea can't get enough yes votes from me!

You might consider a toughbook instead.

They are laptop computers built to withstand a range of abuse.

Ipads are not designed to withstand abuse.

Thanks! From what I understand, Best Buy has a pretty comprehensive aftermarket warranty. A friend claims that they even replace broken items but they didn't admit to that when I asked during a recent TV purchase.

FWIW my younger NT son has been asking for an iPad too but he's very possessive so getting one for older brother would lead to another conflict.

BTW, we've tried using the laptop with Zac Browser but our laptop is no longer portable - Justin smashed the screen on it twice. He also nags my wife and I when we are sitting and playing with out iPhone or Droid phones. One of our TSS's lets Justin use her iPhone under supervision but it's not part of his treatment plan; it's just used as a diversion while riding in the car between community outings.

http://www.panasonic.com/business/tough ... puters.asp

I've seen people beat the crap out of these things and they still work.

They sell cases for the ipad that is basically like a pillow or a stuffed animal that it goes into. But there are cheaper pads, I have a kindle. However there are not as many autism apps. I don't have a need for the communication apps as my daughter has aspergers, but in doing a search for autism apps, I don't see many.

I know that this is probably done, but I saw this and thought of this post.

http://mashable.com/2012/04/15/childpro ... 11-GripCse