Verbal Victor iPad App – AAC for beginning communicators

Father finds his calling through son’s disability – USATODAY.com.

The link above is a story from USA Today about the creator of the Verbal Victor iPad app. I have not had a chance to see the app in action but it seems like a great AAC app option for use with kids who are considered emerging or beginning communicators. I also like the $6.99 price point because it is significantly lower than some of the other AAC apps available. The app uses real pictures of objects and also is reported to allow for easy addition of your own pictures.

This app looks like a great, budget friendly resource for kids that may not be ready for more advanced AAC apps like Proloquo2Go or Look2Learn.

 

Film gives voice to autism’s silent minority – USATODAY.com

Film gives voice to autism’s silent minority – USATODAY.com.

This film sounds like an interesting look into the lives of some adults with autism. It seems to be focused on “facilitated communication” which is a very controversial communication style in which a person with autism types messages with the help of an aide or “facilitator”. Most research has discredited the use of facilitated communication so hopefully the film looks into other areas of the adult’s lives also.

Family trades temper tantrums for iPad | Health Tech – CNET News

Family trades temper tantrums for iPad | Health Tech – CNET News.

More good press related to using the iPad with kids with autism. I hope that press likes this leads to more apps and innovations that help kids with special needs communicate and interact with the world more effectively!

Build Your Own Social Stories and More iPad App

Pictello is an iPad/iPhone  app that I recently discovered that is a great resource for making social stories for students with autism. I like taking pictures of kids to make individualized social stories but it always takes me a few days to get the pictures taken, printed out, and then put together into a social story. Pictello allows iPad and iPhone users to quickly create customized, talking social stories that they can take on the go. The app has text to speech capabilities which makes it more engaging for kids than a regular, printed social story and allows them to listen to their story without an adult sitting with them reading it aloud.

Pictello also has other uses besides social stories. I can see using it to practice sequencing and retelling stories, creating picture schedules, or working on vocabulary.

At a price of $14.99 Pictello is a little pricey but it seems like its versatility may make it worth the price. It would be nice if it also allowed playback of videos but maybe that is asking a little too much!

View video demos of Pictello in action here:

http://a4cwsn.com/?p=783

How To Prevent iPad App Buyers Remorse

It seems that more and more apps are coming out every day that may be beneficial for kids with autism or speech and language delays. It can be very frustrating to pay for an app that turns out to be disappointing for one reason or another. I recently found a great site that offers video reviews of many iPad Apps that are geared toward special needs kids.  Apps for Children with Special Needs has video reviews of many of the apps that may be of interest to parents or teachers of special needs kids. The site is easy to navigate and appears to be adding more reviews daily. There is also a section where you can request an app video review if there is a specific app that you would like reviewed that they have not already done.

I will be checking the site from now on before I purchase an app to prevent app buyers remorse!

To iPad or to not iPad?

I was recently asked by a parent of one of my preschoolers with autism whether I thought it was a good idea to get her son an iPad. I am a big proponent of using technology whenever possible if it can add to a student’s communication skills so my initial response was “Go for it! What a lucky 4 year old!” There are already many apps available geared to preschoolers’ academic learning and more apps arriving everyday focusing on communication skills.

After I thought about the question some more though I realized that the wonders of the iPad can also be a reason to be cautious when giving a child with autism access to one. The area that I think we need to proceed with caution about is whether an iPad is interfering with social interactions and learning in the “real world”. Because social interactions and pragmatic language can be such major areas of weakness for children with autism, if the iPad is becoming an additional thing pulling a child away from people interactions then a big red flag has been raised in my mind.

I would still recommend the iPad as a tool for learning with kids with autism as long as some important points are remembered:

• Limit the amount of time a child spends on the iPad
• Use the iPad as a reinforcer not the primary toy a child uses
• If your child is showing less interest in other toys and interactions with people it may be necessary to take away access from the iPad completely
• Look for apps that focus on areas of weakness for your child. The link below has a great list of apps for children with autism:

http://www.gadgetsdna.com/10-revolutionary-ipad-apps-to-help-autistic-children/5522/