iDevices - Known and Shown to be Useful Devices for Individuals with Autism

It's exciting to see the number of iDevices being used to support students within the district.  While a large number of these devices have been purchased by families and sent to school for their child's use, there are a growing number of iDevices purchased with school district funds (via special grants, school funding, and/or assistive technology funding) that are being utilized across the district.  I wanted to share with you a couple of  resources that I have come across that provide further evidence regarding the effectiveness of this technology for individuals with autism.  The first resource is a research study that highlights three case studies documenting how iDevices have supported the needs of individuals with autism in vocational settings (see the following for a more reader friendly anecdote of how Jeffrey uses his iDevice to support him at work). Secondly, because it is very difficult to kept abreast of all the apps that are developed each and every day, check out this online resource of the 50 best iPad apps for reading disabilities.

Local iPad Success Story

On her blog Elvis Sightings, JoyMama recently wrote a comprehensive post outlining her daughter's experiences and success with the iPad.  

I particularly loved JoyMama's comparison between her daughter's use of a GoTalk, SpringBoard Lite and ProLoQuo2Go on the iPad.  She even gives a step-by-step list of what's required to include customized photos on the Go Talk vs. the iPad.  

Cherry on the top of the sundae?  Joy Mama also provides links at the bottom of her post to a PDF and a Google spreadsheet listing helpful apps.   

Hacking Autism: Technology/Innovation/communication

Technology and Hope

When touch-enabled computing was introduced to the world, no one could have anticipated that this technology might help open up a new world of communication, learning and social possibilities for autistic children. Yet it has.

Hacking Autism is a story of technology and hope and the difference it's making in the lives of some people who need it most


Read and see more here (Check out videos, information on apps in progress, ideas posted, and more)
http://hackingautism.org/

Brotherly Love - Brother designs communication app for his autistic brother's use.

This is a great story.  I'm sure you will love the story, and for those of you with access to iPads, here's another app for which you may want to get familiar.  The story goes like this...

Johnathan Izak, founder of SpecialNeedsWare, has a ten-year old brother (Oriel) with autism who struggles with verbal communication.  So what does Johnathan do?  He designs AutismMate, a communication app that allows users to add their own videos, pictures, and voice recordings to create visual scenes.  Johnathan designed this app to address the navigation issues that some people with autism have due to their language and generalization issues. AutisMate uses GPS so that users can interact with familiar scenes around their location and use those scenes to communication.  For example, by pressing the star on the sink of a kitchen scene, Oriel can bring up a video that shows him how to wash his hands and plays a message that says, "I wash my hands in the sink".  A refrigerator icon will display Orie's favorite foods when pressed.  Other features of the app that are currently or soon to be available include:

• Simple content sharing via email iPad to iPad
• The option of set multiple phrases to the same picture/button throughout the app to promote generalization
• In-scene task analysis (step by step video/picture guide to accomplish all tasks
• Visual schedules with a reward/incentive for completing task
• In-app text to speech keyboard

This app is available in the apple store and sells for $49.95.  I've downloaded it and look forward to playing around with it to see how it may be of use in supporting the communication and instructional needs of students with autism.

Free Instructional Resources

Are you looking for instructional resources to utilize with students to support their learning in academic content areas?  Check out Pete's Power Point Station for power point presentations and interactive activities to use with your students.  Down load power point presentations to supplement your instruction -- use as is or modify to suit your purposes.  This is a great site that you, your students and their families will find very useful!

Blog Love: January/February

We're halfway through the school year! Can you believe it? Here are my blog highlights from the past month; hope they help get you and your students to Spring Break!


The Assistive Technology Blog

• Tots 'n Tech Helpdesk: nice website compiling assistive technology resources for all the early childhood folks out there from ASU. Resource areas include: communication & socialization, getting around, arms & hands, and problem solving. This resource is SERIOUSLY worth the exploration time.

• Microsoft Word graphic organizers: nice reminder of the capabilities of Word, including a short set of directions. Sometimes it's nice to keep it simple!

• Motivating older students: links to the BadA** project, which really makes you think about focusing on what you CAN do rather than what you CAN'T.
  

Classroom Freebies

• The Leader in Me: nice 14 page packet to use if you are using Stephen Covey's work in your classroom.
  

Differentiation Daily

• New visual for comprehension checks: Using paint swatch cards in new and different ways are kind of a hot thing out there in blogging land these days. Check out the neat classroom strategy for students to indicate their level of understanding from "My Life as a Fifth Grade Teacher". Quick way to assess a larger group AND aesthetically pleasing!

• Problem solving graphic organizer: Who doesn't have kids who respond, "because that's the answer" when asked about their process for a problem? This predictable organizer might help our students have more success in knowing what is expected when asked how they got their answer(s).

• Use Microsoft Word: another reminder of the capabilities of Word! This might be a sign that you need to use it for more than just typing simple documents ...
  

• Money management: praises the vending machine activity on the Goodwill Foundation Community site, check it out! (especially if you have access to an interactive white board)
  

First Grader at Last!

• Classroom cheers: great community builder and reinforcement! love! You can use her post as inspiration to create your own cheers or you can go to her TPT site and pay $4 to get the printables for keeps.

A Fly on the Classroom Wall

• Wordle, Storybird, Voicethread, Google Earth: sometimes new sites can be overwhelming; this post outlines how to use them in lesson plans. They're all laid out for you!
  

Free Technology for Teachers

• Resources for visual fractions lessons: You know how much value we PSTs place on visuals. This is a nice roundup of websites with visual fraction activities.
  

• Get to know your school: great rundown of ways to become more familiar with a large school, a new school or as a way of community building ...
  

• Color coded literature charts: highlights use of LitCharts to use as a study aid for students. Very helpful for visual learners!

• Math measurement word wall posters: save yourself some time, and print these!

• New comic creation site: students can create comic and/or graphic novel stories on site ComicMaster.
  

KidCrave

• Visual boundaries for spaces: this may be from a parenting site, but you can use this idea for creating boundaries within the classroom.
  

PreKandKSharing

• Class pledge with visuals: nice, approachable visual for younger grades to see what behaviors are expected in a classroom. Plus, who doesn't have extra Mr. Potato Head pieces laying around their house or room?

TechMamas

• Nuance PaperPort Notes for iPad: highlights a new app that allows dictation through Dragon.
  

There's an app for that!

This year, many students will be getting iPads and iPod touches for the holidays.  Humor has it that some of our schools in the district also will be purchasing iPads for use with students and staff in their buildings; now that is exciting!.   

There are 1,000s of apps and it can be challenging to sort through and know just what is out there and useful for students. There are a number of online resources available to help you sort through the maze.  Of course you can start with the Apple Store and do a search via the online store.  You can search through their categories (they even have a category for Special Education apps) or do a search for specific types of apps for which you have an interest (e.g. reading, autism, social). Various groups have assembled a list of "special education apps" that they feel are useful for students.  Check out this list or you might find something different here.

There also are a growing number of websites that regularly update their lists and recommendations of apps:

iPad Apps for Autism A Google docs site maintained by Ms. Rosa that grew out of a project she did for the Hollyrod Foundation. The apps she has reviewed and recommended are classified into categories like art, language and music. Jordan Sadler, a professional speech therapist in Chicago, and Corina Becker, an adult with autism, are among the main reviewers.

a4cwsn.com This site, which stands for Apps for Children With Special Needs, features 500 video reviews done by Gary James of Oxford, Conn., who has a son with autism and a daughter with epilepsy. He says he has reviewed some 5,000 apps, but only lists reviews of apps that he believes do what they promise. If an app passes that test and is listed, developers can pay to be on the home page of his site.

·         

iAutism.info This database contains over 400 apps for iPad/iPhone and nearly 70 for Android. The site was started by Francesc Sistach and his wife, Susana Vila, who live in Spain. Iván Soriano, another parent of a child with autism, is also a main reviewer. 

There also are a couple of free apps that you can purchase through the app store; one is called "Autism Apps" and the other is called “Moms with Apps”.  Both provide a catalog of great children’s and family-family apps.  Search by educational categories and age groups to discover new apps and developers.

I hope that you find these resources helpful in making choices and recommendations regarding apps to use with students with whom you support.

60 Minutes: Apps for Autism

I just caught up on my DVR and wanted to share this week's feature on 60 Minutes regarding the hot topic of iPads and iTouches in the world of autism. I had mixed reactions throughout the piece, but I think it's worth a view if you have time.

My favorites were definitely the University of Pittsburgh's brain scan work (with a Temple Grandin appearance!) and the discovery of a new passion (opera! can you believe that?) for Nuno, a 10-year old with autism that was featured during the piece.

Click here to watch the general feature that appeared this past Sunday.

Click below to watch the web extras:

• Temple Grandin - Understanding Autism
• Studying autism and iPads
• Are autism apps overblown?
• Temple Grandin's unique brain
• Autistic and passionate about Pavarotti

Blog Love: October

Here's another round of blog posts I loved this month! Hope you enjoy these ideas!

Differentiation Daily (Paula Kluth)

• A new website devoted to visual recipes: Recipics! I appreciate that this site has more complex recipes versus the perennial favorites - Gorp, Chex Mix, and Mud Pies. Something that would be great for those cooking groups that we might have in our schools, some differentiated instruction for FCE classes, and/or some daily living skills instruction that might need to take place.

• Fun idea for getting all learners involved with vocabulary learning - whether it be synonyms, antonyms, idioms, figurative language ....
  

• A visual rubric for the entire classroom! Love it.

• Notebooking for social studies - can be used by the student as a learning support AND by the team as a running record of the student's progress and work.

• Multiplication punch card: as a person who may hoard cute paper items, I had to say "aww" about this. It also might be a good motivator for some of our students!

• Blackout poetry: great idea for literacy instruction. I am excited to try this with many of my more poetic-leaning students and teams.

• Reader of the Week: what a memorable experience for students! I can only imagine how special they must feel! And how yummy is it that it's around literacy experiences?

• Entrance slip math problems: what a great informal assessment for all learners in a classroom!

• The Educator's PLN - cool website where educators give tips to one another, including tips for DI.

• Online teleprompter at CuePrompter.com: great visual support for learners who benefit from them for presentations and beyond!

• Have any Legos or Duplos hanging around your house or classroom? Here's a fun repurposing of them with literacy in mind! Great idea for those who find writing to be burdensome (or those who have a passion for everything Legos!).

Assistive Technology Blog (Virginia Department of Education)

• Free printable art booklet from Crayola: "Creative Art Experiences for Children with Special Needs". Cool new resource to check out for art ideas for those who may need a little tweaking or even for those who need a replacement activity.

• Coordinate grid stamper: how did I not think of this? I just bought a name stamp for a student the other day! What a time saver.

• You know I love an opportunity to use a highlighter. Try it in math!

• Coinulator. Wow!

• If you're trying desperately to keep up with all the new AAC (alternative and augmentative communication) apps that are available for Apple products, use this site to lessen the weight of your load!

LetterSoup

• Stickman stories: a cool potential twist on social narratives or even a way to engage kids in literacy instruction/activities.

Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs

• The ultimate list of communication symbol sets, sites, and so on! Bookmark this one.

• Getting tired of velcro and manipulatives as pencil and paper alternatives? Magnetic math tiles: 'nuff said.

• Masking devices: I've been using this one at a bunch of my schools this year. A great support solution for focusing attention.

• I have used an adaptation toolbox for many years, thanks to the teachings of one of my graduate school professors. Here is a helpful listing of items you might want to include. I am definitely planning some of these to my kit!

• Need ideas for adaptations to science experiments and curricula? Follow these two sites for ideas that people across the country are sharing!