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Responding to the need and request of a community member and his family, Rebecca Harper, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center’s Learning Resource Library Center (LRC) director, held the instructional and encouraging session, “Tech Apps and Autism.” 

The workshop was held as part of the LRC’s Lunch and Learn series on Wednesday, April 24 during Autism Awareness Month at the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus. 

“This was an extremely informative and helpful workshop,” said Kirk Farmer-Berry, of East St. Louis. Farmer-Berry, his wife, Vanessa, and their three children are all on the autism spectrum. “I plan on putting much of what we learned today to use.” 

“I can thank Kirk for this Lunch and Learn, because he initiated this idea,” said Harper of the LRC Lunch and Learn frequent attendee. “He wanted some social help and guides for his family, and I told him that I’d work on it.” 

The subject of autism is of importance and is pertinent to many in the country, Harper informed workshop attendees. 

“The Centers for Disease Control suggests that one in 150 people in the United States could be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD,” she reported, “which means statistically 22,000 children in Illinois have ASD.” 

“There are many ways to help and encourage people with ASDs,” Harper added. 

Harper provided information on ASD including:

• What are some signs of ASD
• What should you do if you think a child or an adult has ASD
• Things to remember when working with children with ASD
• General calming techniques
• ASD resources
• Benefits of and availability of ASD apps 

“Social interaction is a challenge for those with ASD, and now there is technology that can help,”
 said Harper. “One that I’ve looked up and is good is called Model Me Kids. There is also Model Me Going Places. They are a series of videos that you look up online or buy. They show day-to-day life and ways to emotionally react and ways to properly handle real life situations.” 

Other ASD apps that Harper’s research discovered include:

• https://www.autismspeaks.org/technology-and-autism
• http://welcometotheirworldapps.blogspot.com/
• http://www.brainparade.com/ 

The College of Arts and Sciences’ (CAS) Targeted Funding Initiative (TFI) supports the Lunch and Learn program. CAS Dean Greg Budzban, PhD, first created TFI grants in 2015. The program offers a way to continuously innovate and find novel ways of doing things. It utilizes funding acquired through the College’s Winter Session courses and is supplemented with other internal CAS funds. Since the initiative’s launch, Budzban has provided more than $700,000 to faculty and staff.