Technology Workshop Highlights

We missed many of you during our "Using Technology with Children with Special Needs" workshop!

The four professionals who participated in the session shared iPad apps and other technology tips for working with young children. I feel so lucky to be part of such a high-quality child development center that is able to offer workshops such as these. Feel free to join us for any of our classes, you will probably learn something new and meet new people!

Here are some of the highlights from the App discussion.

Visual Aids/Behavior Issues

·         Clock App – Use the timer for a visual aid. Ex. “When the circle is green, it will be time to clean up.”

·         SoundingBoard (AbleNet) – Visual Aid for giving choices, such as Yes/No or Cars/Ball.

Baby or Finger Isolation

·         Light Box & Sound Box (Cognable) – Cause and Effect. Sensory Light/Sound Box. Finger Isolation

·         Sound Box (Sago) – Music. Finger Isolation.

·         Baby Finger (DJ International) – Fun for baby. Finger Isolation.

·         Laugh & Learn Where’s Puppy’s Nose (Fisher-Price) – Body Parts. Music.

·         Doodle Buddy (Pinger) – Drawing. Can use finger or stylus for pre-writing skills.

Speech Specific

·         Talking Ginger (Out Fit 7 Ltd.) – Speech. Follow Directions.

·         Camera App – Talk to self. Take picture and learn body parts.

Animals

·         Feed The Animals (Curious Fingers) – Animal habitats and foods.

·         Make a Scene: Farmyard (Innivo) – Animals. Creativity.

·         Animals iSpy Junior (ToyTek) – Puzzles with different habitats of animals. Spanish and English.

Identification & Therapy

·         Preschool Games-Farm Animals by Photo Touch (GrasshopperApps.com) – Identify correct animals.

·         Touch and Learn Emotions (Innovative Mobile Apps) – Older children, teaches emotions and feelings. Coping skills.

·         Things That Go Together (GrasshopperApps.com) – Match objects that go together.

·         Little Writer (Innovative Mobile Apps) – Tracing. Pre-writing skills.

·         VocabuLarry’s Things That Go! (BabyFirst) – Label vehicles in a story format.

·         AR Flashcards (Mitchlehan Media LLC) – Label and identify animals through augmented reality. *Must print off flashcards*

·         Injini (NCSOFT) – Puzzles. Tracing. Identify colors. Matching. Search and find. **Generally good OT/Speech App**

·         Dexteria & Dexteria Jr. (BinaryLabs) – Fine motor skill development. **Good OT**

Educational Games

·         AlphaTots & TallyTots (Spinlight Studio) – Mini-games with every letter or number. Teaches alphabet and counting.

·         My PlayHome (Shimon Young) – Pretend play. Virtual doll house.

·         Mr.PotatoHead Create & Play (Callaway Digital Arts) – Body Parts. Creativity.

·         Swapsies (Spinlight Studio) – Community Occupations. Mini-games.

·         Toca Kitchen (Toca Boca AB) – Creativity. Pretend to cook food. Follow directions.

·         Toca Train (Toca Boca) – I use as a reward, especially for boys who love trains.

·         Zoo Train (Busy Bee Studios) – Puzzle. Put train pieces together. Label animals.

·         Bugs & Bubbles/Bugs & Buttons (Little Bit Studio) – Mini-games for OT, Speech.

Autism

·         Autism and PDD Reasoning and Problem Solving (Linguisystems) – Problem solving

·         Going Places (Model Me Kids) – Social skills training. Real peers demonstrate appropriate behavior while going places.

·         AutismApps (TouchAutism) – Search apps by price and category that are great for children with autism.

·         IEPPAL (Perceptum Solutions) – Collect data easily during sessions.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE APPS TO USE WITH YOUR PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN?

Katie Zink, Infant-Toddler Family Specialist/P