UPDATE 11/27: Our Random.org-selected winner is Courtney W.! Congratulations, Courtney.

Thank you to everyone who participated, and we encourage you to read the more than 100 wonderful comments left below. -SR

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The good folks at Motorola sent me (Shannon) a Xoom tablet to give away. No hidden agenda, no stipulations — they had simply heard how tablet computers can help people with autism, and they wanted to get two of their devices to people in the autism communities — one to my son Leo, and one to a blog reader. A blog reader who could be you!

We TPGA editors had already planned to kick off the holiday season by seeding some positivity: putting up a gratitude post, and asking you readers to leave a comment about something that makes you feel happy or grateful — and we still hope you will. But now, if you like, you can also make that comment an entry for our giveaway.

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Our entire family has been playing around with our gifted Xoom, and we like it. It works well for Leo for many of the same reasons as his iPad — size, intuitive touchscreen interface, and lots of apps, music, video, and other options. We also appreciate its Flash capabilities that allow Leo to view embedded YouTube videos, etc. And as you can see, it is easy to operate while holding not one but two stim objects.

Our boy was also delighted to see favorite apps like the Dr. Seuss OmBooks, I’m intrigued by the variety of apps available — Android Market does not require developers to ask for formal approval before publishing. Here are two Android apps resources for Autism/AAC that I’m going to be perusing, and I’ll keep looking for others (suggestions welcome):

If you’d like a chance to win your own Xoom, leave a comment on this page telling everyone about something that brings joy into your life, or fills you with gratitude. Good luck!

Participants must abide by our Giveaway rules. Additional stipulations:

  • Your shipping address must be in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico.
  • Only one comment per person will be counted, though you can certainly leave as many gratitude comments as you wish!
  • Only comments on this website page will be counted — not those from Facebook or Twitter.
  • The eligibility period will be over at 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Saturday,  November 26, 2011. Comments left after that time will not be counted.
  • Only one winner will be selected, and will be announced on this site on Sunday, November 27th.