Winter Workshop 2012 sponsored by The Maryland Speech Language Hearing Association (MSHA) and Loyola College In Maryland

Cutting Edge Affordable Technology Treasures

Top iDevice Apps, Websites, Software and Devices to Enhance Communication, Cognition, Literacy and Learning for Adults
With Joan L. Green, M.A. CCC-SLP

January 28, 2012, 9:00 – 1:00

For more info click here

Reviews sites to learn more about iDevice Apps

I have been speaking quite a bit to private therapy practices, SLP associations, schools, hospitals and families about the iPad. I have added it to my frequently used collection of “technology tools” and bring it out with just about all of my clients in addition to a laptop computer and online interactive sites. Of course now that I have an iPad 1 and an iPad 2 there are reports by credible organizations such as Bloomberg News that the iPad 3 is coming out in March. It appears that it will have a faster processor, better resolution and be able to work with new networks. I don’t think it will be a game changer for those of us who invested in the iPad 2. I try to have the newest devices and gadgets (such as the LeapPad by LeapFrog I just purchased and am becoming familiar with), but I don’t plan on purchasing an iPad 3. At least not for now.

Once you take the plunge and shell out a considerable amount of money to purchase an iPad- the challenge becomes how to use it. What is all the hype about? Was it worth the investment? There are currently hundreds of thousands of apps. Which are best for you and your situation? How should you configure you iPad and what is the best way to do it? I help individuals and organizations, in person as well as online, learn about strategies and apps that are most appropriate for their situation- but I also strive to teach people how to continue this learning process since new apps and features are coming out every day. There are also many ways to use the iPad to help individuals who have communication, cognitive and learning challenges. The calendar, cameras, online access and features such as the contact list can be very helpful.

In past newsletters, I wrote about some of my top picks for apps which are the best value for a wide range of people. I have only skimmed the surface with regard to helpful ways the iDevices can help people. Many people ask me what I do to learn about the apps. How do I keep up with it all? I subscribe to many listserves, blogs, and newsletters. I also connect online with Facebook and LinkedIn Groups. I probably spend at least 5-10 hours a week trying out new technologies/apps. As I prepare for new clients or to give a presentation- I make sure I am up to date on the latest technologies.To me it is fun- I really enjoy it. Finding tools to help others improve their lives is one of the activities I most enjoy about being a speech- language pathologist. I want to empower people to help themselves.

Here are a few of my favorite online resources which review apps that are helpful for individuals with communication, cognitive and literacy challenges. Check them out and let me know what you think…. these sites tend to be well organized and updated. They each have a different focus and are written by individuals or organizations with different sets of experiences, strengths and professions. Some are produced by parents, some by SLPs or teachers and some by organizations.

I’d love to hear from you at Joan@innovativespeech.com which sites you find most helpful. I will try my best to add to this list as appropriate.

• iAutism
• Special Education
• iPad Resources for Autism
• Moms with Apps- This is a link to the “special needs” section
• Apps for Education
• Apps for SLPs
• AAC Apps
• Spectronics APPs for AAC
• Apps for Children With Special Needs- Includes video demonstrations
• There’s a special app for that
• Technology in Special Education
• One Place for Special Needs

Once you select one of the above sites and find a few you think might be helpful- keep the following tips in mind…

Reviews- On the iTunes store there are often helpful reviews and ratings shared by users of the app that can shed unique insights on how they use the app. I also often do a Google search for reviews of the app.

Company Website-Most app pages include a link to the developer’s website. Check it out. Some have reviews on their site and provide instructions and videos on their site or linke to You Tube demo or instructional videos.

Free and Lite Version- Many of the more expensive apps offer limited versions of their product which are a great way to find out if the app is a good match for your situation. Sometimes the difference is that here are no advertisements or requests for in app purchases.

Intended Use- Some apps are produced solely for entertainment and reinforcement, some to improve specific behaviors and some to compensate for areas of weakness. There are apps that are more appropriate for children and others for adults. Some apps are best used by professionals and others are fine for the individuals with the impairments to use on their own. I have found that how I use the app with a client is often at least as important as the quality of the app itself.

The World of Apps- They keep on coming!

My thoughts on some of the challenges of using apps to help individuals with communication and learning impairments

It’s astounding how much this new world of apps is changing the way I do therapy and run my practice. iPad apps. Droid apps. Google apps. Android apps. Mac apps. They just keep on coming!

I recently gave up my Blackberry for my first iPhone- the iphone 4s just began to explore my KindleFire which arrived a few days ago, ordered a Velocity Micro Cruz Android 7 inch Tablet on Woot two days ago for a deep discount of $70.00, and am about to get a hand-me-down Mac from one of my kids that I will upgrade to run the Lion operating system so I can start to learn about Mac apps rather than just read about them. I strive to use all apps prior to suggesting them to clients or speaking about them in my presentations. In my spare time while I take my son to swimming practice or my daughter to piano lessons, I find myself bringing along my iPad 1 or iPad 2 with headphones to review apps.

My private practice has constantly evolved over the past 19 years, but lately there has been so much to learn I find myself spending more and more time keeping up with the cutting-edge technologies. I feel like I have become an “app consultant.” Calls keep coming in. Everyone wants to know which apps are right for their situations. It’s overwhelming to start from scratch in the iTunes store, Mac Apps store, Amazon store for Kindle Fire apps or Android Marketplace. An increasing number of bloggers feature their favorite apps and offer reviews, but there again, the lists now are quite long. Apps are usually not very expensive except for some of the AAC apps or very robust professionally developed apps, but the cost adds up quickly and it takes time to download and give them a try.

Yesterday I talked to families about apps to help: a woman who had a brain tumor removed, another woman who has memory loss, a man with aphasia and apraxia after a stroke, a 5 year old boy with severe autism, a 3 year old boy with Down syndrome, a 12 year old boy with executive functioning challenges and an 8 year old girl with severe apraxia of speech. I can’t offer concrete guidance on the phone. I have to see each person, learn about their individual strengths and weaknesses as well as goals and interests, explore their environments, speak to others who help them in daily activities and try out what I think may work with the person before sending them on their way with apps that are customized as needed to practice. With each new client I find myself doing research to make sure they have the latest information. I am also preparing for a few presentations and it is incredible how much has changed since the last full day presentation I gave just this past summer. No two presentations are ever alike. Too much changes.

Although I truly believe that the new tablets have quite a bit to offer and may be the most appropriate tool to use in a variety of activities- they aren’t always the most appropriate solution and there are still plenty of challenges to be faced. Some recent publicity has made them appear to be the perfect solution when, in reality, many hurdles still have to be jumped. We can’t forget about the often more robust computer programs which may be more effective for cognitive retraining, reading and studying, communicating or writing essays.

Here are a few of my concerns and thoughts regarding app use and the reasons why I don’t have generic lists of apps to recommend for different diagnoses:

• It is challenging to select the most appropriate apps as well as online programs and other technology tools to make sure that they are a good fit for the client and their needs and interests.
• There are some apps that the user is meant to practice with alone, apps that are more appropriate to be used by an education or rehabilitation professional, apps which need to be customized to be effective, and apps which don’t work directly on the skills to be developed but which are great to use for joint attention or to encourage interaction while working on skills in person.
• Many individuals need to be behaviorally managed while using the apps. These individuals may try to exit the apps, mistakenly touch the wrong locations and need skilled human intervention (with good training from a clinician such as a speech-language pathologist) to maximize the benefit from them.
• Not everyone has the motor control to interact with apps and may need special accommodations such as switches for input or a different type of device.
• Insurance companies and schools are now starting to suggest iPads be used as primary dedicated communication devices when children or adults can’t speak, when a more robust dedicated communication device (which is typically much more expensive and takes longer to acquire) with integrated environmental controls, and features to accommodate for poor motor control or learning abilities may be more appropriate. Finding the most effective communication tool is a process and setting it up, teaching the client how to use it and integrating it into daily routines to promote communication skills takes time and expertise. In most cases purchasing an iPad and an app to use is just the beginning and may not always be most appropriate but is often the least expensive and easiest way to provide fast access to a communication tool. In some cases using it as an intermediate step or backup system is more appropriate.
• Individuals who are “let loose” with a tablet computer to entertain themselves are often difficult to pull back and structure in therapy tasks using apps on the device.
• If the iPad is going to be an individual’s primary means of communication, these individuals need another device with a different color cover to use as a learning tool or for entertainment. There are now less expensive devices such as the Kindle Fire which makes having two a more affordable option.
• It is important to keep in mind that if an individual does have a tablet such as an iPad, we should take advantage of the many wonderful integrated tools it has to enhance learning, executive functioning and communication. There is a calendar, address book, still camera, video camera, email, Internet access and many accessibility options such as enlarging print and reading aloud. When used creatively these are also really wonderful supports for individuals with communication, cognitive, learning and literacy challenges.

I’d really like to hear from those of you who are reading this to let me know which apps or computer software/ websites you use and find helpful and whether or not you agree with my concerns. It’s one of my favorite parts about speaking to large groups of people and interacting with you all online. I am always learning from everyone else.

I can be reached at Joan@innovativespeech.com if you would like to discuss the possibility of setting up an individual consultation or  webinar/presentation for your group or organization.

Two New App Goldmines by Tactus Therapy

I spend a great deal of time trying out new Apple apps- and currently have over 900.  It’s hard to believe that iTunes currently features over 425,000 apps. There are very few apps which are created specifically to help adults who have aphasia. Tactus Therapy Solutions has recently released two which are wonderful! I find myself using them daily in therapy with adults as well as children who have a wide variety of language and learning challenges. They are a great extension to traditional speech therapy techniques and make it much easier for families to practice at home with guidance about the most appropriate way to configure the apps. They each cost $24.99 and are well worth it!

   

 Naming TherAppy     

This app is very helpful for children and adults who have word retrieval challenges.

• The home screen presents four modes: Naming Practice, Describe, Naming Test, and Flashcards.
• In the upper right corner is the Settings button which will allow you to choose your desired number of trials, the email address to which you want results to be sent, and the Child-Friendly toggle button which takes out pictures that contain alcohol, violence, and adult themes.
• The upper left corner holds the Info button and contains the basic instructions the user needs in order to use the app. So far I find myself using the “naming practice” mode the most.
• This app includes over 400 high quality pictured nouns with a flexible cueing hierarchy and optional scoring.
• The nouns are divided into 10 categories and one or more can be selected for targeted practice.
• The voice output is a high quality male voice with a neutral accent in slow natural speech to facilitate comprehension.
• Scoring allows a therapist or partner to indicate when the word is correct or incorrect. The app records which cue was used to get the correct answers and produces a score report for email.

Naming Practice Cueing Hierarchy:

Description: plays a short definition and works as a semantic cue
First Letter: shows the first letter of the target word
Whole Word/Written Word cue: shows the complete written word above the picture
Phrase completion: plays a phrase that the client can complete by supplying the target word
First Sound/Phonemic cue: plays the first sound of the target word
Repetition: plays the entire spoke word for the client to repeat

Describe Cueing Hierarchy
This activity includes over 460 pictures with 4-6 question prompts, with each prompt programmed to be appropriate to the picture currently being shown. The Describe Mode offers questions based on semantic properties such as location, function, smell, color, texture, appearance, shape, size, person, time, sound, taste, sound, category, and association.

Comprehension

TherAppy

I find that I am using Comprehension TherAppy daily with adults and children who have aphasia, auditory processing issues and a variety of attention and cognitive challenges. The pictures and voice are very high quality and there are many ways that this app can be configured to work toward goals. Many nouns are initially includes and expansion packs can be purchased with verbs and adjectives.
There are 3 modes:

• “Listen“: match an auditory stimulus (spoken word) to a picture
• “Read“: match a written stimulus (printed word) to a picture
• “Listen & Read“: match an auditory stimulus (spoken word) to a written word

• 10 categories of nouns are available  including animals, foods, objects, concepts, places, people, body parts and more. Specific categories can be selected.
• Users are able to determine the number of photos on the screen (2-6) or the “Auto” feature can be selected to automatically adjust the field size based on performance
• There are 3 levels of difficulty which adjust the relatedness of foils (semantic and phonemic) to move from Easy to Hard
• Automatic scoring tracks success and progress on-screen

I look forward to new releases in the near future for Tactus Therapy Solutions. Writing TherAppy will soon be available.

To learn about other ways technology can be used to help adults or children who have a wide range of communication, cognitive, literacy and learning challenges – check out my website at  www.innovativespeech.com, contact me at Joan@innovativespeech.com or buy my newest book titled The Ultimate Guide to Assistive Technology in Special Education which is full of info about computer software, iPad apps and other tools and strategies which are helpful for improving speaking, understanding, reading, writing and thinking  for adults as well as children.

Back to School Tips

Start Strong:

It’s that time of year again- back to school. Some parents see this as a relief from the day to day challenges of having kids at home during the summer. Others feel burdened by the school related challenges and the new balancing act required to transport kids to all the places they need to be. My kids are now in their 3rd week of school. I have one college student, 2 in high school and 1 in middle school. Never a dull moment! I truly believe that it is critical to get the kids off to a strong start. I know first hand how hard it can be to balance it all!

Help is available:

In my private speech therapy practice (Innovative Speech Therapy) , I have been helping more and more families establish their own “back to school” routines and learn about the many assistive technologies and drill and practice iPad apps, devices and computer programs that can help with literacy and learning. Many parents dread the homework, nagging and increased stress that school often brings. The diagnoses of executive functioning disorder, attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities are becoming increasingly common. We all want the best for their children. Many parents invest a great deal of time and money to have educational specialists and neuropsychologists complete thorough workups, and families receive insightful reports- but not enough guidance regarding the implementation of the worthwhile suggestions. Hired tutors and teachers are often not aware of the many ways technology can make learning easier and more fun.

To ease the burden of parents and to maximize student success, I share with families, as well as the professionals who they hire for academic assistance, strategies that I have found to work. Rather than place extra burdens on parents, most of the strategies I use are meant to make life easier. Here are a few suggestions that you or someone you know may find helpful. I am available for individualized help as needed- online or in person. If you live in the greater Washington area- I may be able to have our session in your home.

Decluttering and Organization:

Since they were in kindergarten, my 4 children have been exposed to a “back to school” routine to promote organization and school success. They know that just before school starts and during the first few weeks, their desks, closets and rooms needs to be organized and ready. We spend time decluttering the house and add upcoming dates to our family calendar. We focus on their individual work spaces and make sure that each person has whatever they need for school and home in terms of paper, ink, folders, backup systems etc. Ever since they were very young, I have provided my kids with file folders and a box or desk drawer to arrange school papers which will be saved for future reference/ admiration. We also take a look at the computers they use and set up files for each class as well as remove unnecessary icons from the desktop and make sure their digital equipment is functioning well.

Calendars:

I believe that in addition to a family calendar- each student should have their own calendar which is their responsibility to look at each day and to keep current. I want them to get used to keeping track of their sports practices, games, music lessons, rehearsals, meetings and daily homework assignments and projects. It’s great training for their future! Younger children can use stickers and digital pictures. Older kids can use a paper or digital calendar- but I have a strong preference for web based digital systems to plan for the future and manage time. It’s helpful if they can view items by day, week or month. They need to keep a to-do list. It’s also very helpful if calendars can be accessed from multiple computers. All students benefit if their information can be shared with a parent or teacher who can help with data entry if needed. Calendars can be downloaded online to insert items such as school events and holidays. Time can be saved by setting up recurring events such as a soccer practice each Friday afternoon for 10 weeks.

Task Lists and Portability:

Task lists can be established and large projects can be broken up into smaller chunks and target dates placed on the calendar. I especially like it when notes can be written which pertain to certain events and emails with specific info can be cut and pasted into an area that can be viewed which corresponds to an entry. Once children enter high school- I think it is great if their calendar can be synced to a phone, iTouch or other digital device so that it is accessible at all times to facilitate good organization and time management skills.

Many families are already comfortable with Microsoft Outlook for PCs and iCal for Macs. These calendars can continue to be used and synced with web based calendars and task management sites such as calendar.google.com , www.todoist.com or Myhomework app for idevices.

Picture Schedules/Calendars:

For younger children, visual calendars/schedules are a great way to go. When shown pictures of activities that are scheduled, transitions are often much easier to manage. Visual calendars can be as simple as pictured activities cut out and laminated and arranged on a daily board. Poster board and sticky-backed velcro work great. Real photographs may work best for some kids- others may do fine with pictures taken from images.google.com. I encourage parents to think about the circle times the young kids have in school and to recreate that at home with discussion in the morning about events of the day supported by pictures. I find myself using iPads more and more with the young kids I see in therapy. If you are interested in learning more about some visual scheduling apps, check out First Then Visual Scheduler and iPrompts.

Reading and Writing:

 My children have been blessed with many wonderful teachers and schools. However, I have always done my best to supplement learning at home. Teachers have a really difficult job. They need to meet the demands of administrators, know the strengths and weaknesses of all their students, fulfill the expectations of IEP and 504 plans and work with tight time constraints and budget limits. Classes are getting larger and resources fewer. Educating our children is a team effort and using technology at home can sometimes show incredible gains!

Young children at the pre-literacy level can benefit from spending time online on sites such as Starfall and Literactive. If they have an iDevice an app such as First Words Deluxe can really help with phonics. Elementary and Middle School kids can benefit from spending time on Brain Pop and Spelling City. If students have difficulty reading, they may benefit from having digital versions of books read aloud to them from Bookshare.org or Reading Ally. Research has shown the if individuals listen to words being read aloud as they read the text, retention and comprehension improve along with reading ability. Children who have difficulty writing may want to improve their typing ability with a free site called Dance Mat Typing or benefit from word prediction, text to speech and voice recognition with a product such as WordQ/SpeakQ. Older students in high school and college can benefit from online flashcards at memorize.com or Quizlet. Online sites can be organized for research projects with a Diigo account. Notes can be taken while recording lectures and the paper and recordings can be synced and uploaded and saved and shared on a computer with a Livescribe Pen.

Rewards- It would be ideal if all students were intrinsically rewarded by feelings of success and accomplishment when they do something to help the family or do well in school. As we all know, this is often not the case. Many students need external rewards, but finding a fun and motivating way to reward kids can be hard. When my kids were young I remember setting up many systems for this- butthey typically failed because the burden was on me to implement them and life was always so busy! Now- whenever I can- the burden needs to be placed on the kids with a sufficiently motivating reward system that they will be inspired to use regularly. Here are two that I have found helpful in a number of situations: ChoreWars.com which is ideal for elementary and middle school age kids and iRewards Chart on the iPad for younger kids.

As I write this newsletter- I feel that I could write pages and pages about suggestions about how to help kids using easy to implement affordable technology. Actually- I already have:) The title is The Ultimate Guide to Assistive Technology in Special Education. It became available Spring, 2011. Most of the suggestions can help all students and adults- not just children who have been diagnosed with “special needs.”

Signing Time Apple App

There are many sign language apps available and several which are targeted toward helping young children. I have recently been working with a few young children who are using signs/gestures to facilitate the development of expressive language.  I have also been helping a couple of speech-language pathologists explore apps to help make speech therapy more fun and everyone has really been enjoying this app when I show it to them.   Lately, I find myself using Signing Time app the most often. It was produced by Rachel Colemen. According to her website, prior to producing this series of products, Rachel was writing music and performing with her folk rock band. She then had a child who at the age of 14 months was found to be deaf. She mmediately began to study American Sign Language and to teach it to her daughter. As it says on her blog, by the time her daughter was 18 months old, her sign language vocabulary far surpassed the spoken vocabulary of hearing children her same age. Rachel had a second daughter who was born with spina bifida and cerebral palsy. Rachel was told this daughter would never speak, but after much work- after two years of no communication, Rachel’s second daughter Lucy began to sign along with Signing Time, despite her physical challenges. Shortly thereafter, Lucy started talking. At age five, Lucy attended mainstream Kindergarten, something Rachel never imagined possible. The application contains a collection of 48 flash cards with  accompanying video demonstrations and an explanation of how to perform the sign and tips on how to remember it. It also includes very engaging music videos. After watching the videos a couple of times they begin to learn the signs and are stimulated to use their voices to interact with what they see on the screen. From the main menu, users can search a list of signs or type in a word. There are only basic signs included. Other apps are more appropriate for more extensive dictionaries. A unique feature of this app is that there is a challenge section in which you select one of 4 possible meanings of the pictured sign. Progress can be tracked. Other Sign Language apps I have used include: Baby Sign Baby Signing Smart hands iSign

Talking Tom Cat Free App

Recently, I have been using this free app all the time during speech therapy sessions with children- very young and older.  Everyone ends up laughing- it’s a great way to entice a reluctant child to participate. They love Tom the cat and often come to our next session asking for it! It is extremely motivating for encouraging children to vocalize, working to improve breath support for speech, and practicing saying sounds. I’ve even had kids who are working on high level language skills try to give the cat directions on how to follow a difficult task and then have the cat repeat back each direction or tell back parts of a story and the child pretends they are the teacher:)

Children can touch the cat  and it purrs. One aspect of the app I did not like is that when children touched it too hard, the cat reacted as if it were being hit and I didn’t want to joke around about that. I was quite pleased to discover in the settings section that that the “violence” feature could be turned off. Users can also change the setting for a longer listening time and record the cat for up to 45 seconds and then post the video on YouTube or send it in an email. Children can also interact with the cat and offer it a drink. Younger ones often respond well when asked to teach the cat to count to 10.  It helps them remember to speak slowly in small chunks.  There are also a few other talking friends available:)

Here is the iTunes link for Apple app…Click Here
Here is the link to download the Droid app.. Click here

To learn more about my new book which highlights apps, software, websites and other cutting-edge technologies Click here

Now Available!! The Ultimate Guide to Assistive Technology in Special Education

My new book is now available which highlights effective resources for education, intervention and rehabilitation. It can be ordered from www.prufrock.com or www.amazon.com.

In this easy to read 250 page paperback book which sells for $39.95, I highlight interactive multi-sensory software, Apps, and cool new cutting edge devices that can be used to help improve speaking, understanding, reading, writing, executive functioning skills, learning and memory. All the info was updated just  before it went to press.  Technology changes fast, but this guide is a great way to get started learning more about the many ways powerful affordable technologies can maximize progress.  It’s great for individuals who are struggling as well as those who just want to benefit from all technology has to offer!

I wrote this book for families as well as professionals to help everyone zero in quickly on the tools and resources which can be used to improve communication, cognition and literacy.  I  provide a brief description and information about where to learn more about many wonderful products, strategies and websites for people of all ages who have speech and language related issues, are “twice exceptional”, “on the spectrum”, who have ” learning disabilities”,  who have been classified as “gifted” and who have had strokes,  head injuries or other illness  which may have caused a delay or disorder relating to speech, language or learning. Everyone has “special needs.” Differentiated instruction is the way to go in terms of maximizing the potential of each individual. Everyone has different learning styles, interests, strengths and weaknesses. Many parents, caregivers, therapists and educators realize that the use of technology is very motivating for young children, older students and adults, but they don’t know where to start in the search for the most appropriate technology tools for their situation.

This book features:

• My favorite 45 Apple apps out of over 350,000 which are currently available from iTunes.com
• Over 125 carefully selected software programs
• More than 40 free online interactive websites

In addition to specific chapters focusing on technology and strategies to improve verbal expression, auditory comprehension, reading, writing, cognition, learning and memory, this guide includes information and resources about:

• switch software
• dedicated communication devices
• voice amplifiers and a clarifier
• accessible cell and landline phones
• videoconferencing
• captioning
• assistive listening devices
• text readers
• word based talking word processors with assistive reading, writing and studying tools
• picture based talking word processors
• alternative book formats
• adapted online newspapers
• portable eBook readers
• reading aloud handheld devices
• word prediction programs
• online dictionaries
• graphic organizers
• typing programs
• voice recognition software
• recording pen
• digital calendars
• time management tools
• online document sharing
• online flashcards
• social bookmarking and annotation
• online collaboration
• adapted email
• specialized search engines and web browsers

This book highlights a wide range of resources that are appropriate for children as well as adults who have a wide range of communication, cognitive and literacy challenges including aphasia and deteriorating illnesses even though the cover makes it appear that it is most appropriate for students. To continue to be informed of new helpful affordable technologies as they become available free free to sign up for my free e-newsletter at www.innovativespeech.com. I am proud to say that there are approximately 7,000 other subscribers:)

Splashtop Apple App

I work with quite a few children and adults who have cognitive challenges or limb apraxia and have difficulty using a mouse. It’s very helpful for me if I can provide them with direct access using a touch screen , but a touch screen computer is not always available. The touch screen on the iDevices such as the iPad is wonderful, but sometimes I want to be working on software that only can be used on a Windows computer.

The Splashtop Apple app which sells in the iTunes store for $1.99 can turn the iPad ( or iPhone of iPod Touch) into a touchscreen device for programs that run on a Windows based computer. It turns into a remote desktop.
I can then have my clients touch the screen on my iPad while working on software to help with language and cognition.

With the help of the Splashtop Apple app I can also watch Flash based videos and access my entire PC from my iPad or iTouch.

http://www.splashtopremote.com/

Literactive.com – Free online site for early readers

I’d like to share with you information about this free online website I have been using with early readers. It’s a great way for parents to help their young children at home!

Literactive is a comprehensive phonics based reading program for early readers that provides a library of carefully graded interactive storybooks. To use the site it is necessary to register, then log in- but there is no fee. Parents, therapists and teachers can then decide to work online with guided reading or download activities and worksheets. Many of the activities are available in Spanish.

Guided reading activities start with nursery rhymes, proceed with levels 1-5 and then offer a spelling bee, poetry and traditional tales. I love the bright, colorful graphics and children respond favorably to the cartoon characters in the stories. The stories are entertaining as well as repetitive to facilitate learning. I have seen the successful quick learning create incredible enthusiasm for kids who had not before shown an interest in reading. Children can try to read the text on their own or listen to the story first. If the child needs help on a work, they click on it and the computer then highlights the word and says it then breaks it down into the phonemes visually and auditorally.

The worksheets can be downloaded in a PDF format and contain activities for working on ABCs and pre-writing skills. The Activities section includes ideas for engaging in a number of interactive games.