Top 10 iPad Apps for Special Ed

The iPad takeover of public education isn’t just confined to the mainstream classroom: Special needs educators, too, are finding that iPads can be a vital tool to support independence. What sets the iPad apart from other devices is the simple and visually robust user interface that can be used by almost everyone. It’s also a highly customizable device that can be set up with applications and features to support a variety of special needs.
With nearly a million apps in the iTunes App Store, identifying effective apps is often an overwhelming task for educators.

'Look at Me'

From Age of Autism Contributing Editor Cathy Jameson.

“Look at me!
Look at me!
Look at me NOW!
It is fun to have fun
But you have to know how.” –Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Ronan has loved his Dr. Seuss books for several years now. He really enjoys ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and ‘Green Eggs and Ham’. Flipping back and forth to his favorite pages, he hands us his books so we can read aloud to him. Since he loves the books so much, I’ve memorized several of the pages. To Ronan’s delight, I offer these silly sentences to him at random times of the day.  Ronan’s siblings do a really good job at keeping Ronan engaged too.  Big Sis adds silly sounds and acts out certain scenes. Little Buddy offers goofy expressions at the really funny pages while pointing to the words he’s reading. Ronan’s little sisters wait patiently to see the pictures while Ronan eagerly looks for his next favorite part of the story. Ronan’s been thumbing through, scanning and reading books for several years now. We have multiple copies and other Dr. Seuss media—board books, apps for the iPad, DVDs, flip books and have bookmarked favorite youtube videos. I love that while I read aloud, Ronan is able to fill in many of the words. It’s not verbal language yet, so he signs everything to me.  

Word to Your Mom (or Dad)

When we hear the word communication, we most often think of speaking. This is fair and quite logical, as most of us use words to convey messages each and every day with a variety of people. We talk about our weekends and the tastes of the foods we eat and how we feel about Hurricane Sandy, Argo or the upcoming election.
But many children with special needs are often unable to effectively express even their most basic needs and desires. They do not have the words to say, " I absolutely despise broccoli," or "I'd rather watch SpongeBob," or "I need help in the bathroom."

Non-Speaking at Times: Autistic Provides Insight Into Communication Differences

From Ariane Zurcher of Huffington Post's Healthy Living.

AZ: Paula, you've described yourself as a "non-speaking (at times) autistic."
Yes. I think the phrase "non-speaking at times" captures my experience and also that of others who do have speech capabilities but can't always access them. I could also say "partially speaking" or "intermittent speaker." Just because one can speak at times does not mean speech is a reliable form of communication for that person. Also, when a person can speak part of the time, others may not notice they are having trouble speaking. I have sometimes not been able to speak and other people just thought I was "being quiet" or did not have anything to say; that dates back to childhood.

Airline iPad Policy Sparks Disability Debate

Carly Fleischmann is a 17-year-old author who has a form of autism that prevents her from speaking. Doctors said she would never intellectually develop beyond the abilities of a small child, but Carly eventually began using a computer to communicate and now carries an iPad with her so she can "talk" on the go.
Last week, a flight attendant asked Carly to put away her iPad before a flight, something she says had never happened before, even though she travels often for media and autism advocacy-related reasons. Carly explained that she needed it to communicate, but the fight attendant still insisted that she put it in the front of her seat, out of her reach, due to FAA regulations that require passengers to turn off electronic devices during take-off and landing.

Power of Technology Inspires Benefactor

FLORENCE, S.C. -- Watching a recent episode of the venerable CBS News magazine “60 Minutes,” Bill Hinson of Conway was stunned to see touch screen computers – iPads – and other, similar technology helping severely autistic children communicate and learn.

So, he did something stunning himself.

Chef Aids Communication and Social Skills

WHITTIER, Calif. - A group of California High School special education students Thursday received a visit from a "Top Chef."
Celebrity chef Antonia Lofaso from Bravo's hit show, "Top Chef" joined special ed students in a fun, food-oriented class developed by United Cerebral Palsy's UCPlay Project as part of an eight-week program to help disabled students gain communication and social skills for the adult phase of their lives.
"I love using food as a way to build bridges with kids," Lofaso said during the event. "When you use food as a way to communicate and connect, build memories and gain new skills, it's fantastic. Food is universal."

iPad Gives Children with Autism a Voice

POCATELLO, Idaho - Ryder McBride sat anxiously squeezing an empty 2-liter pop bottle as family and a few strangers filled his family's living room Wednesday morning.
He did not speak.
Pocatello's 8-year-old Ryder has a severe form of autism which makes verbal communication difficult, if not impossible. Help may be on the way. Gary James, originally from London, has a son he classifies as "nonverbal." He turned to the use of an Apple iPad to interact and help his 2-year-old son learn and communicate.
James presented the Mc-Bride family with a free iPad and a host of educational applications to better work with Ryder.
"He'll have a voice," James said.

Playing on a Tablet as Therapy

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Griffin Wajda normally doesn't answer questions. Often, the 10-year-old boy will mumble repeated phrases before being coaxed to talk.
But at a once-a-week afterschool program run by University of Iowa researchers at an elementary school here, he has started opening up. Recently sitting in front of a Dell touch-screen tablet computer, he traced a big circle with a stylus around a group of stick figures drawn moments before by his brother seated across from him. When his mother asked him to explain the picture, he replied, "Summer school."

Decoding the Language of Autism

A very interesting piece about communication--for both children on the spectrum and for their families.

Autism has its own language. Just ask any parent whose child has received a diagnosis of PDD-NOS and now has an IEP mandating EI that includes OT. But the specialized language of how we talk about autism is actually easier to master than the language -- spoken or not -- that autistic people themselves use.

This point came home to my wife and me during a trip we took to the Bay Area last month with our autistic son, Sam. Erika's grandmother died two years ago at age 97, and her family made the trip to California to inter her ashes in the East Bay city where she had lived for many years.

Our initial plan was for Sam and me to stay behind at the hotel while the rest of the family went to the cemetery. We figured the service wouldn't mean much to him and that he might be disruptive. Ultimately, though, we decided that since only immediate family would be there, there was no harm in bringing Sam. We told him we were going to "say goodbye" and crossed our fingers.

Ipad App for Individuals with Autism

Advances in technology can really do astounding things!


CARY, Ill. – After 25 years of working in special education, Victor Morris wanted to assist individuals with disabilities even further.

Nine months later, he has done just that.

Morris created Augie AAC (Augmented Alternative Communication), an application for the iPad that assists people with autism and their families.

“Augie provides a means of functional communication for people who struggle with language; they can’t talk,” Morris said. “This gives them a common vocabulary to communicate and express their needs, wants, likes and dislikes, in the easiest way possible. [The app] gives them a daily schedule to support self-regulation and behavioral patterns.

“This can have a real positive impact on people’s lives.”

Apple's iPad App Creates Communication Device for Children with Special Needs

Interesting segment from New York 1 News. So wonderful that mainstream companies are developing apps to help children with special needs.

For children and parents, Apple's line of iOS devices can be a great resource for learning. Take, for example, "Scene & Heard," which turns the iPad into what's called an "augmentative and alternative communication device," or AAC for short.
Essentially, it allows kids with autism to both learn and communicate with others by pushing or arranging pictures, helping them clearly communicate what they're trying to say. What makes this app different from some of the others out there is that it allows users, parents or anyone helping that child to easily upload their own pictures, videos and sounds to create their own so-called "scenes." Developers say that in doing so, the app can be customized to feel more comfortable for each user.

When Your Brother Has Autism

As Autism Awareness Month comes to a close, a nice perspective from Patty Hastings, a student at Northwestern University's Medill journalism school.


CHICAGO -- One in 110 people is identified as autistic, up from one in every 10,000 in 1990 — the year my brother was diagnosed. Does the increasing prevalence signal an autism epidemic or, simply, that the autism spectrum is too wide?
"It's supposed to be worse than being blind, not being able to communicate," said my mom, Debbie Hastings.
I wouldn’t know because my older brother, William, can't tell me what it's like to be on the spectrum.
National Autism Awareness Month is coming to a close, but families of people with autism are aware of this pervasive disorder 24/7, 365 days a year.

Making Sense of Social Contact

CORVALIS, Calif. -- Julie Balderston’s clients, whether they be in school settings, college, an office or just at home, often feel as if they’re struggling to fit in.
Part of those struggles, she said, involve communication roadblocks. Her clients often don’t know how to bridge the gap to communicate better with teachers, colleagues and family members.
That’s where her Social Communication Clinic comes in.

iPad Connecting with Autism

Steve Jobs called it a magical device. For the parents of autistic children, it actually might be.
Experts say the Apple iPad lessens the symptoms of the disorder, helping kids deal with life's sensory overload -- in a sense "curing" the disorder, one parent says.
That's what Laura Holmquist believes, at least. Her son Hudson was having 8 or 9 violent meltdowns per day. One morning he started screaming in his bedroom -- and didn't stop until late that evening. The family of eight could not go to public events or out to dinner and had a hard time communicating with him.
"The iPad has given us our family back," Laura told FoxNews.com. "It's unlocked a new part of our son that we hadn't seen before, and given us insight into the way he connects with his world."

Teen With Autism Hopes To Find His Voice

MIAMI -- Raquel Ferreiro has a simple wish for her 13-year-old son Anthony: ``I want him to someday talk too much.''
But for what most parents may take for granted, Ferreiro can only hope. Anthony has severe autism, and not only has problems communicating but also has problems making eye contact.
Anthony has a very limited vocabulary -- he uses some words for food, but struggles to be understood and gets angry when he can't get his message across.
His social worker Isabel Castano, a support coordinator for Unike Support Services who nominated Anthony for Wish Book, wants to buy him a device that can be used for teaching and also records audio. Anthony could use it as a tool to communicate.
``He can improve his social skills, which is not only important for him but for the family,'' Castano said. ``He's going to learn more words and most likely decrease his aggressive behaviors.''
The device, called ``Cheap Talk 8 -- 1-Level Communicators Direct,'' costs about $200. That's out of reach for Anthony's parents -- his father Armando works two jobs, as a valet and security guard, and his mother works part-time as a security guard. Their jobs don't have health insurance to help cover the costs, and the Medicaid benefits they receive to help with Anthony's care don't apply to such devices.

Project May Help Children with Autism Find their 'Voice'

Great work coming out of the University of Kansas (yes, even Jayhawks do some good things -- go Mizzou) to help children on he spectrum develop communications skills.

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Eleven-year-old Tait Holter pushes a button that has a picture of a heart on a hand-held device. It has the word “love” underneath.
“I love you,” a voice says when pushed.
The device serves as Tait’s voice, and he uses it to tell his parents, Mark and Maria Holter, that he loves them.
The technology helps the Lawrence boy who has autism, a complex developmental disability that causes problems with social interaction and communication.