Discounted App Listings

The good folks at iautism.info have a nice comprehensive list of sale apps that can be found at :  www.iautism.info app listing



 

Another listing of apps can be found here:
theiteachhub.com Autism Awareness apps
 

And yet another resource can be found here:  
smartappsforkids.com 200 Sale Apps

April is Autism Awareness Month

If you have an app that you feel needs to be highlighted in the community, or know of any app that is on sale or FREE for this month - please contact us at the: Enabling Tech Foundation April 2013 Apps Updates and we will post updates to our facebook group and here on the blog.  Make sure to include the name and link to the app - dates of sale - and perhaps a brief overview of how the app would be used or could benefit someone on the spectrum.  Thanks!

iPad 101 Presentation October 9, 2012

Attention Syracuse Readers: There will be an iPad 101 for Special Needs Presentation October 9th from 6:30 pm to 8:30 at Marcellus Free Library. This workshop is FREE.

Please register by emailing Enabling Tech Foundation with your name and date of this workshop.

 The iPad 101 presentation is an introductory workshop on the iPad for those considering purchasing an iPad for an individual with special needs and those who might have just recently taken the plunge!

 Continuing workshops on more advanced topics will be coming soon.

App Locking is Here: iOS6 Guided Access

From Apple: See link here for more info
"Guided Access helps students with disabilities such as autism remain on task and focused on content. It allows a parent, teacher, or administrator to limit an iOS device to one app by disabling the Home button, as well as restrict touch input on certain areas of the screen. "

 
To Enable the Guided Access:

• Launch Settings, then tap on General.
• Scroll down and tap on Accessibility, then scroll again to the Learning section.
• Tap on Guided Access, and toggle it to ON.
• Tap on Set Passcode to require a code to get out of Guided Access mode.
• When in the app you want to use with Guided Access, for some children with an ASD this could be their AAC app like Proloquo2go, triple-click the Home button to bring up the Guided Access option.
• Tap Options to set the Hardware buttons to OFF, and toggle Touch or Motion controls.
•  Triple click the Home button to disable Guided Access and enter your password if you set one up.

 A video that explains this can be found below

Publisher Collins makes apps now FREE

Collins Big Cat iPad apps are now FREE to download!

"Collins Big Cat apps help to aid language acquisition with an animated book, containing audio and sound effects.  "These apps are interactive and "children can record their own narration and play it back as they read the book."

These Big Cat iPad apps are available to download for free in the App Store:

  Around the World 

 

It Was a Cold, Dark Night

The Steam Train

In The Garden

 My Bike Ride

At the Dump



Playing Story




The Farmer's Lunch

LIMITED TIME FREE APP: iLearn with Poko

iLearn with Poko:  Fun Counting and Addition!



 iTunes Link

FREE LABOR DAY ONLY

Timer + Touch HD
By SixAxis LLC

Temporarily free - visual timer.  Works on iPhone too! Check it out!

Download Here - iTunes Link

Give Speech Foundation: FREE AAC App

 

  
Check out their website at givespeech

 This new organization is dedicated to providing affordable assistive technology to people who are nonverbal.  Their founders have fantastic technical credentials and a great background as some have worked at the Yale Child Study Center with some of the top autism researchers in the world.  One founder has a sibling with autism who is non-verbal who uses the product. 

 Their flagship software, FreeSpeech, is an AAC app that can be used to assist those with communication difficulties.  A great entry software for those looking to get started with AAC - this app allows you to customize it by taking your own pictures and recording your own voice.  Much like Boardmaker share, this app intends to allow you to share your creations with others in a unique online community.


 We love this concept!  Check it out
  iTunes Link
** Please note  iOS 5.1 is required for this app

FREE App sale: ends Thursday

Temporarily FREE app until end of Thursday EST.

Aeir Talk is a custom flashcard applicatio.

You can find it in iTunes here.

Also look for more info at these websites:

techcrunch.com

aeirtalk.com

bestappsforkids.com

New Free Trial Version AAC App

From Heidi LoStracco, SLP and app developer:

SFY-Lite, a FREE Lite version of Speak for Yourself, is now available! The full version price has been reduced to $189.99 USD for the month of May for Better Speech and Hearing Month.

You can check it out here on iTunes.  

Introductory video is here.

FREE App May 18th ONLY

Thanks to contributor Rebecca Williams Billings for sharing this app and it's sale price for today only.  Check it out!

Touch and Write
"Touch and Write has moved to the top of my list for learning to write. It's extremely fun for my 4 year old with classic autism and the easiest app for me to customize!" - a parent review


Find it in iTunes here.

FoxNews Article

Bronx school PS176X has more than 700 students special needs, most of them autism.  This article briefly discusses how they use the iPad in the classroom for a snack time activity.  The video shows some great examples of how this looks. Kudos to the fantastic teachers and therapists and administrators who are using this resource in a  meaningful way. 

 Read the article here.

CNN News Item

CNN iReport ran a story on the iPad and autism.

A quote from the story:

David Niemeijer, founder and CEO of Amsterdam-based AssistiveWare, creator of Proloquo2Go, said that 90% of AAC users use an iPad for communication, and more than 25% use an iPhone or iPod Touch, according to the company's surveys. About half of them reported improved speech abilities.

Check the rest of the story our here.  

Some Interesting Suggestions

A reporter from Mashable.com wrote an article entitled "10 Ways to Optimize Your iPad for Kids With Special Needs" that has some nice recommendations for tweeking your iPad to your child's specific needs. I am still interested in learning more about key-guards and this was the first article that I have seen mentions a DIY keyguard for the iPad which I know will explore further. Check out the article here.

AAC App "So Much to Say" to go on sale for Teacher Appreciation Week

Kirsten Ferguson, app developer, announced the following:

What a difference a great teacher can make! In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Close 2 Home Apps is reducing the price of So Much 2 Say from $24.99 to $7.99! Sale begins tonight at midnight (EST). The price reduction will stay in effect until Sunday at midnight (EST). We know many of you spend your own money to purchase apps to use on your own iPad with students. This is just our way of saying, "Thank you!"

Check it out after midnight tonight!

iTunes Link


This app is optimized for the iPad2.  A great price for a basic AAC app.

Math App Recommendations

A blog doing similar things to this blog had an intriguing post about FREE math apps. Another great resource to add to your toolbox.

Check out
 Autism Plugged In.

Act Quickly - Free App Opportunity

Tappie Puzzles Mobile free temporarily.  

Children are encouraged to navigate their way around the world from the icy extremes of the Arctic to the heat of the desert. In each animated scene visited, children will find crucial parts of the picture missing, for example the monkey’s bridge or the polar bear’s igloo. The challenge is to solve puzzles by matching shapes to the missing areas. By using the drag and drop technique, the scene can be completed and further animation of the characters in the scene is triggered.

Find it in iTunes here. 

Technology from a Speech Professionals Point of View

A neat resource to add to your toolbox, an SLP(speech language pathologist) who is also an Instructional Technology Specialist has a blog and maintains a great app list for SLPs.  Check out SpeechTechie - "Looking at technology through a language lens" for great tips and app recommendations. The webiste can be found here.

Khan Academy

The Khan Academy is a website that offers a free online collection of more than 3,100 video lectures created to support learning .  The Academy started when Salman Khan began remotely tutoring one of his cousins using Yahoo Doodle images. Eventually , Khan transitioned to making YouTube video tutorials.  "We're a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere"

And this makes it a good resource for some of our learners with special needs who are visual learners and those who choose to home school their children.  

To learn more about the academy - check out their website.
And yes, there is an app for that.  Check that out iOS app here and what is available in the Android market here.  

Temporary FREE app: Shape Galaxy

Check out this fun app that is temporarily free! iTunes Link