Adult son with with autism and other conditions wants smartphone - need advice

BSmallwood

hello,I am mother to a 37 year old young man who has profound hearing loss, ,autism, moderate learning disability ,mild cerebral palsy and has a stoma. I joined the discussion forum because he dearly wants to have a smart phone and I hope someone has some advice. He can just use a ipad -only for face time and one other app-right move! 

Blue Frog

Hi @BSmallwood if your son had an iPhone, it would be pretty much the same as his IPad but with the added feature of being able to use it for calls, or away from a WiFi network.

You could set it up with the same apps so it looks almost the same as the iPad.

Second hand iPhones e.g. 5C are not expensive and would do what he needs - and also not as desirable to thieves 

if you get a pay as you go SIM card, he can't run up any big bills.. FaceTime works via wifi so doesn't cost as much as calls, but he would need credit on it to use if not in a wifi area.  

there are insurance policies that cover against loss/damage of phone handsets.  

Amazon have several rugged cases which reduce risk of damage 

BSmallwood

Thank you so much. I had begun to think that would be an option . The cost of a new one would be prohibitive. I have wondered about the doro smart phone but I agree with you the apps would look the same on an old iPhone.At the moment he's obsessive about changing his phone but doesn't understand about maintaining it re anti virus etc.

Blue Frog

It can be a huge minefield, if it's any help my brother (34 with Autism and a moderate learning disability) has had an iPhone for a few years now.

It can be very useful, e.g. The find my friends app to locate him when he wanders off! It is also great for helping to calm down when he is 'stressed' by looking at his car photos and playing games.  

He has sent me photos of things that he can't describe, like day he said his flat was on fire - thankfully followed by a photo of a lightly smoking grill element

I put all the settings, App Store and things he could mess the phone up fiddling with into a folder called 'do not faff' but, the phones are pretty easy to reset if all else fails and if backed up he won't lose any data. 

BSmallwood

That's really helpful, thanks. I wouldn't have thought of hiding the apps in a folder. I'm feeling more positive about it now. The photo / communication is definitely important. My son is deaf without speech and his spelling isn't east to fathom but he does manage with basic texting. 

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BSmallwood

Thank you for you ur reply. My son is deaf without speech. his main aim is to have a video phone that he can take around with him. 

Sam_Alumni

Hi @BSmallwood did you make a decision on this? How is it going?

BSmallwood

I got for him a second hand iPhone 5s. He lives in supported living accommodation and staff are advising against giving it to him. There are several issues apart from it being easy to steal if he is signing on FaceTime in a public place. I think he really wants to look fashionable with it but he doesn't understand that joining a public wifi network needs a bit of literacy etc. I'm waiting to make a decision. I don't want to contradict staff  who are responsible for him when he's in there care. Thank you for your interest. I'll let you know when we decide. 

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Sam_Alumni

Thanks for updating us! Im sure it's an issue lots of people are dealing with.

Helsbels41

@BSmallwood my 19 yr old was desperate for a smart phone but has difficultly with gadgets in general.i bought him a sim free generic Android phone from Amazon for just £40 so no great loss when ( not if ) he breaks or loses it. It's exactly like my Samsung Galaxy s6 in design with a nice big touch screen x

BSmallwood

Thanks for that. It's not  the init

BSmallwood

It's not the initial cost that worries me. It's tariff cost and ability to use the system. Staff generally don't have time to supervise mobile or tablet use.

Helsbels41

I just put a pay as you go sim in my sons phone x