Steve Jobs' legacy could be in helping special needs kids

BALTIMORE - Last week's death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was certainly felt worldwide by those who loved his products. And while Jobs seemed to know what we needed before we did, some of his ideas may be having an unintended impact.

Families of special needs kids say inventions like the iPad are opening doors to their children.

Especially children with autism, where new technology is bringing new opportunity. Gabby Rodriguez has severely limited communication skills and her parents say adding an iPad into her life has had an amazing impact.

"It has brought her to life," says Norma Rodriguez. "Gabby would always look down. She would not give eye contact. It's amazing that this iPad... this little girl woke up."

Special applications seem to sharpen cognitive skills, increase vocabulary and even give voice to those in need.

Trish Kane is familiar with the challenges not only with her work at Pathfinders for Autism, but also with her own son. She, too, has found such devices invaluable.

"So all he needs to do is type in what he wants to say and it will verbalizes it for you," explains Kane about a app that tries to help her non-verbal son to communicate. That inability can result in frustrations.

"If we're absolutely in a situation where he's very upset, one of the things we'll do is go to the iPad or the iTouch and try to talk to him and try to get him to communiate."

As families agree with the impact seen at the home, therapists are beginning to study its potentials in the classroom.

Melissa Handy is a Speech Language Pathologist at Kennedy Krieger School. "We're still in many of the exploring phases with a lot of the tools, what actually will work best. Because there isn't much research to support many of those things. But it's definitely exciting and we want to be on the cusp of what's coming out."

The same excitement shared by Eric and Gabby's parents as they see new hope in the future of their children.

" At first I was a little leery, of my Lord, what was going to happen with our daughter as she gets older," exclaims Rodriguez. "But I will tell you that the iPad has opened her world."

Now experts do warn that while devices like the iPad have shown benefits educationally and socially for families, they are still worried some children with autism will latch on to things like videos and only become more withdrawn.