In 2002, I was extremely happy to welcome my third grandson Zackary into the family. He was an awesome baby with the looks of a mini Daniel Craig (James Bond).
The first 2 years of Zackary’s life went exactly as with any other typical child but when he turned 3, things changed radically practically overnight. Zackary started to regress and we were losing eye contact. He also started making strange sounds.
After multiple appointments with specialists my daughter finally received a diagnosis for Zackary – Zac had an autism spectrum disorder. No one in the family knew what it was and how we could help Zackary.
The doctor explained that autism was a brain disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain impacting areas such as social interaction and communication skills. It’s a broad spectrum from mild to severe. He also said that Zackary might remain non verbal for his entire life.
At age 5, Zackary was enrolled in a specialized school. One of the proposed activities was to have him spend time using the computer. Zackary didn’t like this activity at all. It seemed that every click lead to a different result than what he expected. On several occasions he simply pushed away the keyboard or threw the mouse.
When I heard about his experience using the computer I asked what software his school was using and I was surprised to find out that Zackary was using a conventional browser with a popular search engine. I thought to myself, “Wow, How frustrating for Zackary” – Zac needed a tool to provide the best sites and protect him from undesirable content.
At the time I was offering a safe browser called Kidz CD. Zackary tried it and he quickly adopted the software. A few weeks later we released a new version of Kidz CD and I was anxious to share it with Zackary. In the new version we had added a powerful feature that shuffled the menu. It was a good way to provide a new experience each time the main menu was accessed.
After testing this new version I was surprised to find out that Zackary didn’t like it at all and he was expressing the same frustrations of pushing away the keyboard or throwing the mouse. The new feature of shuffling the menu turned out to be a terrible idea for someone with an autism spectrum disorder. I have since learned from experience that people on the spectrum prefer that things always stay in the same order and perform better when working with a structured daily routine.
It was now time to get to work on a special gift for my Grandson, his own browser.
Zackary was passionate about fish so the home screen had to be an aquarium. Zac likes to do puzzles, so I wanted to make sure that he had loads for his enjoyment. He also likes to watch videos, play games, read stories, draw and listen to music. So I made sure that he would be able to draw from the best. Lastly, we decided to call the software Zac Browser and wrapped up his present by hosting his software online at zacbrowser.com with his picture and a download link.
I called my daughter and asked if she had seen the breaking news about a new software called Zac Browser. She said that she hadn’t. I told her to check online at www.zacbrowser.com and call me later.
She laughed when she saw her son on the homepage and installed the browser on her computer before she showed the software to Zackary. He instantly fell in love with it. He played maybe 20 times that day and he was so calm and kind with the computer that Mom and Dad also fell in love with Zac Browser.
Once we recognized the benefits for Zackary it became obvious that this immense virtual playground should be shared with the whole world.
We know that parents who raise a child with autism have to spend a lot of money to ensure their well-being and proper development. We wished to contribute in our own way and decided to offer Zac Browser absolutely free of charge.
The official launch was at the end of April 2008 and it became an instant success thanks to the wide media coverage that we were lucky to benefit from. Today we are pleased to serve over 2 million users around the world.
We have had the chance to receive thousands of messages from parents for whom Zac Browser has made a difference in their child’s life. Technology is so important for people on the spectrum. Computers don’t judge, don’t lose patience and don’t mind doing the same task over and over again. Some parents told us that Zac Browser helped their child to speak, to sing and to show emotion. In one case a mother told us that her 10-year old son said “I Love You” for the first time after using Zac Browser.
With a proper environment, a good computer and software designed for people with autism, everything is possible!
John LeSieur,
Grandfather of 2 special grandchildren on the spectrum
and founder of People CD Inc.