I, John LeSieur, (CEO of People CD, Inc.) believe that the time has come for technology to direct more attention to social issues of great importance. To that end, I have created a unique web browser called ZAC Browser that was built solely to protect and enhance the life of its young autistic users capturing both cutting edge technology and addressing social wellbeing at the same time. ZAC Browser provides safe Internet access intentionally directed to meet the specific needs and limitations of the 750,000 autistic children who benefit from using it.
In the fast paced world of technology, where nanoseconds wait for no one, where Web 2.0 is chased fervently by Web 3.0, something strange is happening...the hand of technology is being extended to a community of people whose lives and progress seem to move at an alarmingly minuscule rate. As technological innovations are being tailored to meet the needs of the autistic global community, the true worth of technology is being realized.
Since 1938, when Hans Asperger introduced the modern sense of the word autism, children have been diagnosed with this disorder which is characterized by an overwhelming severely sub-normal ability in the areas of social interactions and communication, coupled with acutely restricted interests and frequent displays of highly repetitive behavior. The physiology of autism is that it is a brain development disorder which has two distinct elements; abnormality in brain structure, and abnormality in the link between the brain structure and behavior. In the seventy-one years since autism spectrum disorders were labeled, very little progress has been made toward truly understanding the causes of autism and even less is know about effective treatment. In fact, the only "treatment" for autism is management of the disorder, and further alarming news is that only a small percentage of children diagnosed with severe forms of autism spectrum disorders will be successful in living independently as adults.
An astonishing 1 out of every 150 people world wide have some form of autism. Based on a world population of 6.75 billion in February 2009, there are an astonishing 45 million individuals whose lives are affected by severe limitations in their social interactive and communication skills as a result of their autistic disorder.
Aggression, destruction of property, and violent tantrums are common side effects with autistic children. Frustration caused by the inability to have successful interactions is often the trigger for these destructive behaviors. Unfortunately, parents, siblings and caregivers are often caught in the middle of these tantrums with little or no effective way to subdue the frustrated child. Interestingly, this is where technology is stepping in to enhance the quality of life for individuals diagnosed with autism and to support and reduce stress on the families of those with autism.
Historically, and commonly, using computer applications have a certain level of built in stress and frustration to the average individual, so it seems odd that this medium of technology would be the perfect place for autism and technology to collide. While it is certainly true that the unharnessed Internet verses the autistic child is a battle that will ultimately be won by a child in tantrum standing over a pile of metal that was once the family computer, in an interesting turn of technology the Internet has become a best friend for over 750,000 autistic individuals since April of 2008.
In April 2008, People CD Inc. had the great pleasure of introducing the first ever web browser designed specifically for use by the autistic community - it is called ZAC Browser (www.zacbrowser.com). As creator we did something that has never been done before in the area of Internet technology...by simply listening to the needs of autistic individuals. Absolutely revolutionary! By listening to and understanding the needs of these special users I came to view the Internet through the eyes of an autistic child. We discovered that the freedom and flexibility that normal functioning individuals appreciate in their Internet interactions was actually a huge source of frustration for people living with autism. In addition, the multi functionality of various key strokes (opening windows, closing windows, printing and etc.) and the inconsistency of key stroke results over many websites only compounded these users level of frustration. This frustration would lead to low self-esteem and often to aggressive outbursts. Obviously, caretakers of autistic children would keep those children away from computers and certainly away from Internet interaction.
I used my understanding of the limitations of autistic children to develop an Internet application that functions in a way that is safe, entertaining, rewarding, and consistently successful for users living with autism. Autistic users of ZAC Browser experience a calmness and sense of accomplishment when using this web browser. Finally they have a means of communication that they excel at instead of continually feeling incapable, misunderstood, and frustrated. It all began with listening to the needs of these very special users, and translating that information into a completely new Internet web browser.
ZAC Browser provides an environment of safety for all users. By operating exclusively in a full screen mode ZAC Browser ensures that the autistic user cannot roam onto other websites, or to other applications resident on the computer´s hard drive. ZAC Browser also blocks all pop-ups, deactivates advertising links residing in approved websites, and prohibits instant message type of transmissions so that no unapproved source will have access, in anyway, to the delicate minds who laugh, play and learn at ZAC Browser. It is understood that no tool can be successful if it doesn´t consider the protection of children as its first priority, and ZAC Browser does just that.
ZAC Browser is dedicated to providing an ever expanding Internet experience to the autistic user. There are certain areas of ZAC Browser that are dedicated to uniformity, such as narrowly defined key stroke functionality that remains uniform regardless of the individual website, regimented presentation of web applications, and fullscreen capture that protects the user and the computer hard drive. All of these qualities are targeted to satisfy the autistic brain´s craving for repetition which is a calming trigger for the individual. Just as important as the consistency of ZAC Browser is the unlimited ability of ZAC Browser to bring access to new websites, new ideas, and new experiences to the autistic user. Children with autism spectrum disorders often experience an intense interest in a very specific area, so ZAC Browser is designed to be ever expanding in a community-fashion. As new web sites are evaluated and added automatically to the ZAC Browser menu, autistic children will be able to indulge their craving for more exposure to a focused area of interest. This quality is targeting the feeling of successful communication and interaction which creates and feeds a growing self-esteem.
Naturally providing the basic needs of autistic children by offering a medium through which they can experience positive repetitive interaction, a wide variety of exposure to areas of intense interest, and successful communication and interaction is resulting in the reduction of frustration in a big way. This is a victory for the autistic child as they are no longer continually incapable, but often are more capable in the area of computer interaction than non-autistic children. This satisfaction with their independent ability to succeed is creating periods of calm in the children and in their environments as well.
ZAC Browser was a labor of love developed to benefit autistic children. In fact, I developed this web browser as a means to help my own grandson, Zachary, who was diagnosed with low-functioning autism at an early age. However, this application is now being used by over 750,000 autistic children around the world (in several languages). Autistic children are being encouraged to use ZAC Browser on the family computer because as it benefits the autistic child in the family, the entire family experiences a more peaceful, calm and loving environment in the home. The amazingly positive changes that my own family have witnessed in our lives is the same as the other 750,000 users of ZAC Browser- and it is the result of the collision of technology with autism.
Article Notes: Certain facts and information related to autism were derived from the following websites: http://autism.about.com and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism.
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