AACs, and Social Skills, and Organization, oh my!

I've been attending an assistive technology conference this week, and man, I am so excited about the new technologies that can help our kids learn SO much and in such a variety of ways.

Wednesday's focus was the iPad, which all of you know, I am obsessed with (sorry, "with which I am obsessed").  I was really encouraged by the speaker, who had years of experience using an iPad with kids with language disorders and autism - and by the audience, largely comprised of school administrators, OTs, PTs, and SLPs.  How great would it be if schools got behind the iPad phenomenon?

Again, not to be a broken record, but what I love about the iPad is how customizable it is - and how affordable.  I want to run through some of the categories of apps that you might not have thought of as helpful to kids with special needs, as well as some of those that are specifically designed for speech, literacy, learning, and other difficulties.

And just as an FYI, I am a cheapskate, so I don't like to spend much money, if any, on apps.  A lot of the ones I've tried are free, but then again, some of the coolest ones require $3 or $4.  Pretty manageable (heck, that's 1/16th of one of Siobhan's speech therapy sessions!)



Speech/Communication:  One of the most vaunted apps, probably across the whole app world, is Proloquo2go.  This app essentially turns the iPad into an AAC, akin to a Vantage Lite or Dynavox.  Both of those systems, as I've mentioned, go for about $7000.  Now, having the iPad be your kiddo's AAC does come with its challenges (e.g., Medicaid won't pay for it, there are other apps on it that might be distracting).  But, really, looking at all the pros and cons - I vote yes on the AAC apps.

There is also TouchChat (uses the same BoardMaker icons as Dynavox) and many other, far less expensive apps.  This is an arena where you get what you pay for - but at least you can try these things out for not much money!

Literacy/Writing:  There are many cool apps for kids - both with and without special needs - to encourage literacy and writing.  I like a lot of the apps by the app developer "Duck Duck Moose".  Very good graphics, lots of interaction, lots of words, and lots of encouraging involvement by the student (frankly, I'm not sure whether "The Wheels on the Bus" should go under 'Literacy' or 'Communication').

I also like iWriteWords, which helps kids practice letter writing, and the "Violet" series of interactive books.

Social Skills: There are lots of ways you can use the iPad to model social behaviors for kids that struggle with social situations.  For one thing, you can use the built-in camera to videotape either the child himself, or perhaps typical peer models, in certain situations.  The child can then review the video and get feedback on their own behavior, or try to mimic others.  Other apps work on storytelling, and sequencing - apps like Pictello and StoryKit help a child create their own books and stories, which develops imaginative skills (with which a lot of kids with special needs struggle).

Organization:  This is one of those areas where the apps are not necessarily targeted at the disability community - but so many of them can be useful.  Examples in this space include: Evernote; the built-in Calendar, Notes, and Clock; GPS maps and navigation tools; and document and notes management systems.

Some that are targeted to the disability community would help with collecting data as part of IEP goals, or help kids on the spectrum with sequencing and planning (e.g., the First Then Visual Schedule app, ASD Timer, BehaviorTrackerPro).

Math/Science:  Frankly, I think this is an area which is a little underserved by the app community, especially at the preschool and elementary school level.  There's not a heck of a lot that's really....awe-inspiring.  And think of the potential!  That said, I do have a few recommendations more in the way of "that's cool" rather than "this is going to teach your child math":

I like the Molecules app, and the Stars app for kicks.  It might be a stretch, but the Rollercoaster app teaches something, at least, about physics.  The BrainPOP app provides short cartoons about a different topic each day (yesterday was "oceans").  I'd say that's pitched to the elementary school set.

Frankly, I would put a link to the Khan Academy on your home screen and access their videos that way (their app isn't any good right now - I'd expect that to change sometime in the future)

Go have fun!  If you'd like my longer, more complete list, just leave a note in the comments.  Also, if you have specific suggestions of other apps that you love, let me know!  I'll be doing future posts on the topic because I am indeed a broken record on this stuff.