I-MAG STS Corporation
Some years ago
- long before iTunes - we were demonstrating to a parent outside a special
education classroom how a computer could play a child's preferred music as a reward for some
achievement like completing a lesson. What got played was the third movement from Ludwig
Beethoven's String Quartet in a minor, opus 132. Wondering what all the racket was, a young
autistic boy walked over. Among other things, the picture on the right was on the screen as part
of a menu from which a child with an expressive language disability could select a prayer. We had
been persuaded by several clerics that prayers had more uses than simply extending cognitive
education classroom how a computer could play a child's preferred music as a reward for some
achievement like completing a lesson. What got played was the third movement from Ludwig
Beethoven's String Quartet in a minor, opus 132. Wondering what all the racket was, a young
autistic boy walked over. Among other things, the picture on the right was on the screen as part
of a menu from which a child with an expressive language disability could select a prayer. We had
been persuaded by several clerics that prayers had more uses than simply extending cognitive
stack depth. Accordingly, we had arranged a phillemic sequence - as one clicked a series of pictures text to speech
software would pronounce, in this case, the Spanish words written by Pope John Paul II as a prayer to the Blessed
Virgin of Guadaloupe, patron saint of Mexico. To everyone's surprise, the boy pointed and said "Spanish". One
diagnostic for autism is children do not point. The boy had never said anything without being prompted, and it
was not known that he knew the word 'Spanish' . His English vocabulary was about forty words. Upon subsequent
re-testing in SPANISH he had a working vocabulary of more than 400 words. The diagnosis was changed from
autism, he was assigned a Spanish-speaking aide and had a much better experience at school. Upon hearing of the
result, a Jesuit priest familiar with our software pointed out we should not have been surprised as "The Church
does not let just anyone be Pope". Beethoven's own inscription for the movement, written after he recovered from
a life-threatening illness, was: Holy Song of Thanksgiving by a Convalescent to the Divinity, in the Lydian Mode
software would pronounce, in this case, the Spanish words written by Pope John Paul II as a prayer to the Blessed
Virgin of Guadaloupe, patron saint of Mexico. To everyone's surprise, the boy pointed and said "Spanish". One
diagnostic for autism is children do not point. The boy had never said anything without being prompted, and it
was not known that he knew the word 'Spanish' . His English vocabulary was about forty words. Upon subsequent
re-testing in SPANISH he had a working vocabulary of more than 400 words. The diagnosis was changed from
autism, he was assigned a Spanish-speaking aide and had a much better experience at school. Upon hearing of the
result, a Jesuit priest familiar with our software pointed out we should not have been surprised as "The Church
does not let just anyone be Pope". Beethoven's own inscription for the movement, written after he recovered from
a life-threatening illness, was: Holy Song of Thanksgiving by a Convalescent to the Divinity, in the Lydian Mode
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