Fiddle-Proof iPod For An Autistic Child

By Ricky Buchanan on February 23, 2010

I got a reader question a few days ago which initially had me stumped. The author has a child with autism who is greatly calmed during car journeys by listening to an iPod. However, due to the child’s autism, they fiddle with the iPod buttons incessantly and occasionally turn it off or pause the sound by accident, then being unable to turn the sound back on again and becoming agitated. The reader asked if I had any ideas for preventing this.

After a few days thought, I’ve come up with two ideas that I think would be workable:

iPod Shuffle + Regular Headphones

If you obtain one of the new iPod shuffles, the ones with no buttons on the front, and plug in regular headphones, you effectively have an iPod with no buttons to fiddle with. It’s also small enough that if you use headphones with a band, you can use some tape or elastic to attach the spare cord and the iPod itself to the band of the headphones out of harm’s way.

The iPod Shuffle 3G with some friends. Yes, it's really that small.

When you plug your regular headphones into the shuffle it automatically turns on, and turns off only when you unplug them. When it’s on, the iPod shuffle will play everything in the library in random – shuffle – order, so this would be fine for music but not, for example, for an audiobook that came in multiple parts.

To actually control the songs and volume on an iPod shuffle you can use the headphones which come with the device or specially purchased replacement headphones which have the iPod Shuffle remote built in, or an adapter such as the Belkin Headphone Adapter for iPod Shuffle or Scosche Control Adapter for iPod Shuffle. If you’re trying to find compatible headphones or an adapter, make sure it’s compatible with a “3rd generation iPod Shuffle”.

Full Case + Fiddle Toys

The other possibility is buying a case which completely encloses the iPod, covering all the buttons so they can only be reached when the case is opened. Depending on the capabilities of the child, you may be able to find a case which uses a type of closure that they can’t open. Possibly “fiddle toys” could also be attached to the case to give the child something to keep their fingers occupied.

Keyrings make great fiddle toys

You could get a speciality iPod case such as one designed for joggers who didn’t want the buttons pressed accidentally, or for most situations you could just use any small case that your particular child won’t be able to open – a zip up pencil case or cosmetics bag would do the job nicely. A quick search on Amazon showed me the Zip It Clutch with Handle which even has a perfect handle for attaching keyring-style fiddle-toys to. It appears you can get almost anything attached to a keyring, too. Amongst others, I found:

Do you have a child who fiddles with an iPod and turns it off, and if so how do you cope with it?

- Ricky Buchanan

Photo Credit: iPod Shuffle photo by bfishadow. Keyring photo by Dan Perry.

Responses to "Fiddle-Proof iPod For An Autistic Child"

SR February 23, 2010 at 9:56 pm

I had a student with this issue. For him, using the “lock” slider at the top of the iPod was sufficient, especially as the iPod was in a protective case, making the slider less accessible.
1. Ricky Buchanan February 26, 2010 at 1:13 pm
  
  @SR: Oh, thank you for the hint! I had quite forgotten about the lock slider on top of iPods as I’ve used just my iPod Touch for the past year.
Patrick Black February 24, 2010 at 3:20 am

I continue to have this problem, the biggest is that they are deleting apps off the iPod Touch and I have to go bakc and reinstall! I like the idea of putting in a case or pencil box. This would be great for the AT Blog Carnival, can I put it up Ricky?
1. Ricky Buchanan February 26, 2010 at 1:10 pm
  
  @Patrick: You’re always welcome to use anything I write for a carnival, no need to ask!
Toni February 25, 2010 at 4:33 pm

I am a Speech-Language Pathologist having multiple problems with students who use the iPod Touch and deleting apps is a BIG problem!! I am looking for someone who can write the software portion of a program for an app, anybody know someone? HELP!!
1. Ricky Buchanan February 26, 2010 at 1:09 pm
  
  @Toni: As far as I know there’s not currently any way to “lock” an app so it’s not deletable. It’s certainly a good accessibility request – I suggest you email accessibility@apple.com and make this request, explaining why it’s relevant to accessibility.
  1. Grayson March 22, 2011 at 10:08 am
    
    Hi Ricky,
    
    I don’t recall if it was the 4.2 or 4.3 iOS update but, Apple added the option to disable app deletion. I can verify that this works on the iPad and the 3rd and 4th gen iPod Touch. The option is located in Settings, General, Restrictions. Under “Allow: Deleting Apps”, toggle to OFF. Please note that, to enter the “Restrictions” area you have to set up a 4 digit passcode. Once the app deletion option is turned off, a student can press and hold on an app icon for as long as they want and nothing will happen. I hope this helps.
    1. Grayson March 23, 2011 at 2:56 am
      
      CORRECTION: In my previous post I stated that “nothing will happen” if a student presses and holds an app icon after the app deletion option has been turned off. It would be more accurate to say that the visual cue that an app can be deleted (the little white “X”) is no longer present. So, “nothing will happen” is only true if your intent was to delete an app.
      
      However, when you press and hold on an app icon, all of the apps still do the “wiggle dance” (a reinforcer for some) and you still have the ability to both move apps around and to create app folders. These actions create problems that fall more into the category of minor nuisance, especially when compared to the time it used to take to reload a program like Proloquo2Go and all of its custom user data. Still, Apple should consider adding a new “Restriction” feature. Specifically, presenting the passcode screen in response to a press and hold. That would be the best way to eliminate both the icon dance AND the need to reset apps to their previous locations.
jansos March 10, 2010 at 7:42 am

Fiddle-Proof iPod For An Autistic Child http://tinyurl.com/ybbgpxl

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

Paul Stroud April 29, 2010 at 11:27 am

My son has ASD and ADHD and so ‘fiddling’ is not a case of ‘to fiddle or not to fiddle’ but more of ‘how much will he fiddle and what damage could he do?’ Getting through 4 Nintendo DSs in under 2 years I think we were wise to avoid iPod touch or iPhone as they look rather too breakable anyway. Smaller, simpler devices may be much more suitable. If it’s only music that calms or pleases then app based products aren’t necessary and will likely cause problems. Keep it simple! As for fiddle toys, those clicky iPod buttons are no match for ‘Tangles’ which can be found on eBay, Amazon etc or in most special needs stores.
1. Ricky Buchanan May 11, 2010 at 11:47 am
  
  @Paul: Thanks for the information about the Tangles, I’ll add that to the article next time I edit it. I don’t know how rugged the Nintendo DS is but four of them in 24 months does sound like a lot! I found the iPod Touch was much less breakable than I had expected once I had it in a good rubber case, but I’m sure the torture I put mine through is probably less than what yours is put through. Simple is always a good idea if its possible.
Kathryn Whitaker March 19, 2011 at 10:24 am

I like to take the applications I want left alone and push them three or four pages past the last page with app icons. Then don’t teach them to scroll! (if possible) For autism, you could also put a sticker or sticky note on the home button that says “no.” or “don’t touch.”
1. Susan Monteiro March 28, 2011 at 6:52 pm
  
  Kathryn…Excellent answer! I do the exact same thing. My son LOVES to listen to the music and play his preferred app., a website “starfall.com”, so I push those way past the pages…he still finds them. A sticker wouldn’t work for him as he’d find a way to peel it off. He is 11 yrs. old, DS & Autism.