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Tomorrow’s Voices, Bermuda Autism Early Intervention Centre, received a gift in honour of Autism Awareness Month.

Digicel Bermuda donated six iPads to assist with their programme.

Tomorrow’s Voices, which opened in October 2007, is designed to assist children between the ages of 2 and 21 who are diagnosed with autism or are on the autism spectrum.

Autism is characterised by severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development: reciprocal social interaction skills, communication skills, or the presence of stereotyped (repetitive) behaviour, interests, and activities.

 Wayne Caines, Digicel Bermuda CEO, said in a statement: “Digicel has supported Tomorrow’s Voices for several years and we are pleased to continue this relationship.”

Shane McDonnell, sales director of Digicel Bermuda, added:“Researchers are learning more about autism on an ongoing basis and it is incredible to see how technology can assist these children.”

Tablets like the iPad have benefits for autistic children who may find it easier to interact with a predictable tablet interface using touch and images. Tablets can be very useful tools in encouraging communication, motor and cognitive skills.

Tomorrow’s Voices co-founder and board chair, Thea Furbert states: “Some studies have shown that certain apps can be instructive for autistic children, assisting them to visualize tasks and learn how to perform these tasks in real life.

We are very grateful to Digicel for their generous donation and we are excited to see the benefits to the children.”

For more information about Tomorrow’s Voices, please visit www.tomorrowsvoices.bm.

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