(Owen Cain using the iPad with his mother and brother.)

In a New York City hospital, Owen Cain is discovering how easy it is to use an iPad. When he first noticed the iPad, he was able to open apps by touching them instinctively, even though he has had trouble with moving a computer mouse. Even tough his parents have tried many devices to help him communicate and discover new things; the iPad was the first device he was able to use on his first try. His mother has also noticed the potential of the iPad as a learning device for Owen.

One of the things the iPad was able to give Owen was independence. He was able to turn pages on the screen while "Alice in Wonderland" by himself, meaning he will be able to learn on his own. Since Owen is suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, his disease is physical, not mental, meaning he is able to have coherent thoughts, but is unable to articulate them. One app that he uses to communicate with those around him is " Proloquo2Go" which is a tex-to-speech app.

Source: www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/nyregion/31owen.html