See and Learn Saying Words

By Down Syndrome Education Enteprises CIC:

See and Learn Saying Words is designed to support the development of clear speech for children with Down syndrome and other children with similar speech difficulties.

See and Learn Saying Words is designed to help children to say words and improve the accuracy of their word productions through simple activities that encourage the imitation and repetition of one- and two-syllable words. It includes eight sets of words, each starting with a speech sound that usually develops early in typical development.

See and Learn Saying Words can help parents, teachers and therapists to support the regular speech practice that research evidence suggests is necessary to develop clearer speech. It is part of See and Learn Speech - an evidence-based teaching scheme developed by Down Syndrome Education International – a widely recognised leader in research and effective interventions for children with Down syndrome.

The See and Learn Saying Words app features three activities:

• Learning to Say Words – using picture prompt cards and speechreading cues to encourage first attempts at saying words
• Practising Saying Words – using sets of picture prompt cards in games to encourage more complete word production
• Rehearsing Saying Words – multiple repetitions of specific words to improve the clarity and consistency of word production

Apple’s Accessibility Options Improve Lives

by Juli from Pad Gadget:
Apple is known for having some of the most robust and advanced accessibility options on its iDevices, allowing people with vision, motor, and hearing impairments to have full access to the iPad and the iPhone.
For example, with VoiceOver options people with vision impairments can have everything on the screen read aloud, which lets them access a range of different apps and features on iDevices.

One man, David Woodbridge, uses Apple’s accessibility options with great success. Woodbridge, who has been blind since he was a teenager, owns several different Apple devices, including iPads, iPhones, and MacBooks. Woodbridge was interviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald, where he detailed his life with Apple’s products.
VoiceOver is the main feature that allows Woodbridge to use his iDevices to run a successful business and to interact with his wife and children. Here’s what Woodbridge has to say about the feature:

“With VoiceOver I can support not only myself but also my boys and my wife. I press the Home button on the iPhone three times to turn VoiceOver on or off when I need to help them. For example, if my wife gets an SMS when she is driving I can call up VoiceOver on her iPhone to read the message to her and we can reply using Siri, which is one of the great iOS developments, getting better all the time.
Or, say an app on one of the iPads is not working properly. I use VoiceOver to shut the app down from App Switcher, relaunch it and triple-click to hand the iPad back with the app running as good as new.’’

He goes on to describe how he operates his Apple TV with VoiceOver and Apple’s Remote app, and explains that one of his favorite apps is Light Detector, which tells him if all of the lights in the house are off.
There are actually hundreds of apps designed for people with disabilities in the App Store, which is yet another reason why Apple has a leg up on the competition when it comes to accessibility.
Woodbridge is certainly not alone. Just a look at a few of his favorite apps, including the aforementioned Light Detector, Fleksy, a typing assistant, and the Looktel Money Reader, used for identifying money, reveal quite a few positive reviews from other folks with visual impairments.
Even I had the chance to explore Apple’s accessibility options when I had eye surgery two months ago. I couldn’t read my phone or my iPad for several days, but both devices were able to read to me, which was a total lifesaver.
Kudos to Apple for its continued dedication to accessibility – the company rarely gets enough recognition for all that it does to help disabled users – and kudos to Woodbridge, a man who makes the most out of the technology at his fingertips.

Apple Puts Spotlight On Disability Offerings In App Store

By Shaun Heasley from Disabiltiy Scoop:

Apple is highlighting a growing number of apps catering to individuals with special needs with a featured special education section in its App Store.

The section titled “Special Education” launched in 2010 and includes many applications for the iPhone and iPad in 10 categories ranging from communication to emotional development and life skills, according to Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman.

The special education category is currently showcased as one of four editorial features n the App Store.

Apps, which can be used on Apple’s iPhone, iPad or iPod devices, have become increasingly popular in the special needs community in recent years, serving as everything from assistive technology devices to organizational tools and teaching aids.

More apps for children with special needs

Continuing our focus on apps for kids with special needs:

• a4cwsn - a4cwsn is committed to helping the families and carers of children with special needs and the wider community of educators and therapists who support them, by producing videos that demonstrate how products designed to educate children and build their life skills really work from a user perspective. Our aim is that these videos, along with relevant information and advice from an independent source you can trust, provides valuable insight into whether a product is suitable for its intended purpose or not, enabling sensible buying decisions to be made.

• SNApps4kids - SNApps4Kids is a volunteer community of parents, therapists, doctors, and teachers who share information on how we are using the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android devices with children who have special needs.  We have found these mobile devices to provide accessibility for children who may have been previously disengaged from the world because of challenging language, motor, or other developmental delays.

• Special Needs Apps - There are several apps available geared toward people with special needs/ communication issues, as well as those geared towards babies/toddlers/prek that work well for kids with special needs. 

• 10 Websites to Find Special Needs Apps for the iPad & iPhone

iPad, iPod, and iPhone apps to help early development

from Down Syndrome Education International:

Down Syndrome Education International is working with developers to create new learning opportunities for children with Down syndrome using portable devices including iPads and iPods. Recently released apps support language, memory and number skills development.

Computerised educational activities have the potential to offer significant benefits for young people with Down syndrome, with an emphasis on the visual presentation of information and opportunities to encourage lots of practice. DSE is working with partners in the UK, Europe and the US to create apps that target the developmental needs and learning styles of young people with Down syndrome. Some of the first of these apps are now available.

Special Words from Special iApps

Special Words teaches children to recognise written words, using pictures and sounds, on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The app has 3 games with increasing difficulty, Match Pictures, Match Words and Match Both.

Special Words comes with the vocabulary and pictures from the early steps of DSE’s See and Learn Language and Reading program, comprising of 96 written words children use in their early vocabulary.

It includes matching pictures, written and spoken words, in 8 languages: American and British English, Spanish, Catalan, French, German, Italian and Swedish. Users can easily replace the words and re-record the audio in any other language their child uses. Users can add more words, pictures and sounds for family members, friends, and familiar objects, to increase their child’s interest, and further develop their vocabulary.

Special Words was developed by Special iApps, a social enterprise founded by parents of a child with Down syndrome who have many years of experience in both education and software. Special iApps is donating a proportion of the global sales of Special Words to Down Syndrome Education International.

• Special Words on the App Store (US edition)
• Special Words on the App Store (UK edition)

 

Memory Fun and Counting Fun from Felix Education Apps

Memory Fun is a memory game where the user has to remember the position of picture cards in order to recall the location of two matching cards. Starting with just four cards to choose from, up to 18 cards can be displayed with a vocabulary of over 100 words.

Counting Fun is a simple counting game designed to encourage practising counting from 1 to 10. Sound effects and animation engage the child’s attention while they tap each item displayed on the screen to hear and see each digit.

Felix Education Apps is a family run business based in Oslo, Norway, designing educational apps. Felix Education Apps is donating a proportion of the global sales of their apps to Down Syndrome Education International.

• Memory Fun on the App Store (US Edition)
• Counting Fun on the App Store (US Edition)

200 iPad, iPhone, and iPod Apps for Special Ed

Learning via iPad, iPhone, and iPod is gaining popularity among parents and children. It is not only effective but a relatively less expensive way to promote learning in hours and locations where your child learns best. A popular app in our home is Monkey Preschool Lunchbox, and we highly recommend it. Another popular app is Little Speller.

Click here for a resource of 200 apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod to help you find the perfect apps for your child from community.babycenter.com. 

Apple’s Commitment to Accessibility

You may not be aware that Apple has web section dedicated to people with special needs.

For more than 20 years, Apple has provided new and innovative solutions for people with disabilities, allowing them to access — and enjoy using — the Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

Apple includes assistive technology in its products as standard features — at no additional cost. For example, iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Mac OS X include screen magnification and VoiceOver, a screen-access technology, for the blind and visually impaired. To assist those with cognitive and learning disabilities, every Mac includes an alternative, simplified user interface that rewards exploration and learning. And, for those who find it difficult to use a mouse, every Mac computer includes Mouse Keys, Slow Keys, and Sticky Keys, which adapt the computer to the user’s needs and capabilities.

As part of our commitment to accessibility, our Retail Associates are specially trained to serve customers with disabilities. Please ask an Associate for assistance if you have difficulty viewing a product when you visit an Apple Retail Store. The Associate will be happy to assist you by moving displayed products to more accessible locations if possible.

On this site, you’ll find additional information about the many accessibility features built into Apple products.