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.