Josh's iPad from Hearts and Minds helps him to stay calm

Josh is a 10 year old boy with autism who used to love his Wii, but also got very distressed by it when a game didn't go to plan.  And in the end Mum Nichola felt she had to remove it.  But the iPad was different...

"On the Wii, if he lost a race against Mario etc, there would be tears, meltdowns, and even a broken TV screen, so I had to remove the Wii," she says.  "Then I decided to do the Hearts and Minds Challenge to get him an iPad instead by collecting old mobile phones.  I got my Facebook friends to help me collect, also my work colleagues, and my colleagues at head office.  I was quite surprised how many people helped, and how quickly I collected them, and how easy the whole process was."

"Then the iPad arrived.....And he absolutely loves his iPad!  It has calmed him down loads and he has many more happy times in the day, than frustrated times.  It is amazing what he has learned himself to do in his own time.   He loves the sensory Apps you can get, and is learning when he needs to use them."

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Could an iPad help your child too?

If you live in Britain, simply collect 165 old mobile phones and the Manchester-based charity Hearts and Minds will exchange them for a new iPad.

Details here:

Website: : heartsandmindsphones.co.uk/
Facebook: facebook.com/HeartsAndMindsUK 

Twitter: @handmchallenge

Pinterest: Hearts and Minds

YouTube: HeartsAndMindsUK

Google+: Hearts and Minds

More about the charity here: Hearts & Minds Challenge