Changing the life of autistic children

There is a ground swell of stories on the internet and news about iPad and its apps, are engaging autistic children and helping them with communication. Once such story, from a mom of a 9 year old boy with autism, really hit home. My son, Tim didn't speak until almost 5 years old, and desperately tried to communicate with pictures and his own home grown sign language. Now 16, Tim is doing well, but I often wonder if some of his anxiety issues didn't spring from his high frustration levels as a child. How will this new ability to communicate affect these kids going forward? I can't wait for some long term outcomes to start appearing in the media. I would love to hear from parents where the iPad allowed their child to take a learning or mental leap.