The latest trend is to purchase an iPad or computer and assume that this will teach your child everything!
There are three important things to note about the use of an electronic device.

First, the computer itself does not teach your child. If the software has reinforcers built into the games or activities that you purchased then this might work. However, if your child does not like the particular reinforcer in the program then the child will not learn. For example, if your child likes music and the reinforcer in the game is music delivered for a correct response then the child will not learn.  Before purchasing a game it is important to look at the game and see if the reinforcers are included.

Secondly, it should be noted that many games are specifically designed to include reinforcers and many are not.  Some are based on psychological research including games such as those developed by "Headsprout" ( recently purchased  by another company) and many others. Parents should read and look at the information about the games to see if they are based on research or psychological principles such as reinforcement. 

Third, parents should also consider the skills taught by the electronic device. Are these skills you want your child to learn. There are games to learn most anything such as spelling, reading, self-care skills, morals, social skills and much more.  I contrast it should be noted that children might model some behavior in games and there is such discussion and research that indicates that some aggression can be learned from modeling of television or games. This should be considered in your purchase of a game. Games your children might like might have some benefits and some deficits in their affect on your child's' behavior. All of these factors should be weighed and considered before purchasing a device and programs for your child. 

The latest trend is to buy and iPad, Ipod or other computer gadget and expect learning to magically occur. In most cases more is needed. I a few cases the child may learn on their own but in most cases parents should consider the following in order to have success. One point is that often a child with autism is not visually motivated to use the equipment. In this case the parent can motivate the child with extrinsic reinforcers for use of the equipment. For example, if the child plays one educational game or looks around on the web for 30  minutes then the child receives a preferred food snack such as chips or an activity.  Another point is that the computer must have reinforcers within the aps that reward the child automatically. For example there are programs such as "head sprout" that include reinforcers within the educational game at the end of a correct response by the child. Parents should be careful to set-up reinforcers within the device programs and extrinsic reinforcers in order to achieve optimal chances of success when purchasing an electronic gadget so that the money is put to good use and learning occurs in the child!!