the basics about iPads for severe disabilities

1. iPads for Learners
with Severe
Disabilities
Kate Ahern, M.S.Ed.
Easter Seals Massachusetts

2. Notes:
Apps, their design, their prices and availability
change frequently, this list was correct at the time
written.
This is NOT meant to be an exhaustive list of all
apps in any categories, instead it aims to show
the variety and selection in each area.
When used as part of an individualized education
program apps should be chosen and used by
experienced educators and therapists.
Assistive Technology and
Augmentative/Alternative Communication should
be chosen only after an evaluation by a qualified
professional which uses feature matching and
data collection during hands on trials.

3. Adjust Your Settings
• Avoid Deleting Apps
–General -> Restrictions ->
Enable Restrictions
• Speak Selection
–General -> Accessibility ->
Speak Selection
• Guided Access
–General -> Accessibility ->
Learning -> Guided Access

4. Cases
• ArmourBox Kiddo
($20)
• GripCase ($35+)
• Big Grips ($35+) • Lifeproof, OtterBox
and similar ($60+)

5. Cases
• ArmourBox Kiddo
($20)
• GripCase ($35+)
• Big Grips ($35+) • Lifeproof, OtterBox
and similar ($60+)

6. Mounts
For wheelchairs, tables
and to prevent “tossing”
• Joy Factory Mount
($170)
• Loc Line Mount ($70-
100)
• Ablenet Mounts
($200-350)

7. Finding Apps
• Pinterest (try following Lauren Enders,
PrAACticalAAC)
• Google and Bookmark Free App Friday and
AppFriday
• Following Omazing Kids on Facebook
• Get the AppAdvice App
• Spectronics Online Website at
http://www.spectronics.com.au/online
• Jane Farrall Consulting www.janefarrall.com
• Techinspecialed Blog
• You Tube to search for reviews of apps you
are thinking of buying

8. Choosing Apps for Education
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9. Great Kids App Makers
• Toca Boca Series
• Duck Duck Moose Series
• Dr. Panda Series
• OM Books Interactive Books

10. Cause and Effect Apps
• Apps that can basically work as
cause and effect activity are
plentiful
• Apps Designed for Infants
– Baby Finger HD
– Look Baby
– Random Touch
– Fireworks
• Apps Designed for Special Needs
Users
– Hippi 1 and 2 by Leripa
– HelpKidzLearn Big Bang Series (switch
accessible)
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11. • Sensory Fun House Series of Apps (switch accessible)
• Fluidity, free, smooth moving response to touch,
relaxing
• Cognable Series of Apps (switch accessible) including
Sensory Cause and Effect Lightbox
Sensory Apps

12. Apps for Cortical Vision
Impairment
• Art of Glow
• Little Bear See and Tap N
See Zoo
• Hatch Plus
• Fluidity
• Baby Fingers

13. Switches
• Built in Switch Access
• Switch Interfaces
– Bluetooth
• Tecla Sheild
• Inclusive TLC Applicator
• RJ Cooper Interface
• Ablenet Blue2
– Plug-in
• Pererro/RLS Steeper
• ZyBox

14. Switch Accessible Apps
• Find Lists at www.Janefarrall.com,
Bridging Apps and other sites
• HelpKidzLearn Apps
• Sensory Lightbox Apps
• Judy Lynn Apps
• Bitsboard
• Attainment Company Apps
• Laurete First Words
• Marblesoft Apps

15. Life Skills: Self Management
• Time Timer
• $2.99
• Customizable, visual
countdown timer
• http://bit.ly/1kE6HW5
• Picture Prompt Timer
• $3.99
• First/Next schedule
with visual countdown
uses your photos
• http://bit.ly/1ss1lhw

16. Life Skills: Vocational and Daily
Tasks
• Judy Lynn Software
• Sorting – Age
Appropriate
• $7.99
• Sequencing – Life Skills
Bundles
• $7.99
http://www.judylynn.co
m/ipad/

17. Behavior and Visual Support Apps
• Prompting and
cueing
• Visual schedules
• Multisensory
time tracking
• Reward charts
• Data collection
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18. First, Then
• Visual schedule app
• Display one, two or
multiple steps on the
screen
• Use stock images or
your own
• Record sounds or
speech for each item
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19. iCommunicate
• Full set of SymbolStix
communication symbols as well as
some photos and clip art and the
ability to use your own photos
• Associate images with speech
• Create visual schedules called
storyboards
• Use their photos and recorded
speech or add your own
• This app has shown dedication to
improving and upgrading
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20. Other Visual Schedule Apps
• Choice Works
• iPrompts
• Visual Cues
• Visual Routine
• Now What
• PicMeCalm
• Autismate
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21. Advanced Visual Schedules
• Visual Schedule
Planner Pocket
Picture Planner
• Niki Agenda
• Wonkido
• Week Planner for Kids
• 4KidsCal Kid's
Calendar
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22. Behavior Tracker Pro
• Take frequency and duration,
ABC and/or high frequency
data
• Ability to add, remove or edit
content
• Track multiple students and
behaviors
• Built in data analysis
• Sync with Behavior Tracker
software or use alone
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23. Intervals and Duration
Recording Apps
• Whole or partial interval /
Duration recording
• Time sampling possible
• Track multiple students and
behaviors
• Export to Excel or other
programs
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24. Percentally
• Track multiple students
and multiple goals
• Tally total responses or
correct versus incorrect
• Automatically tabulates
percentages
• Email data file to yourself
or others
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25. Reward Apps
• A number of apps are
designed to track
rewards for one or
multiple behaviors in
one or more children
• Vary in price and
quality
– iReward
– iReward Chart
– Smart Chart
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26. Talking Photo Albums
• Photo Tell combine photos
with recorded messages
• Click ‘n’ Talk Insert photos
and record speech
• My Pictures Talk multimedia
photo/video album
• My Speech Journal

27. Story and Social Narrative Apps
• Model Me Going Places,
free, six stories each about
going to a community
location
• Social Skills by MDR,
$6.99, six social stories
about common social skills
like turn taking and task
avoidance presented on two
levels

28. Grocery Store Apps
• Photo Grocery List, $.99, create
grocery lists using your own
photos
• Need Food, $2.99, full grocery
store app with images
• Grocery Gadget, $3.99, full
shopping list app with all sorts
of features including photos
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29. Special Skills Apps
• Special Words, $14.99 teach
matching picture to picture, word to
word and word to picture using
included sight words and photos or
your own
• Special Numbers, $14.99 teach
numeracy using simple matching and
basic numerical activities

30. Authoring Interactive Lessons
• Bitsboard, free, create and
download activities created by other
teachers with flashcards and
interactive games
• Choice Board Creator, free, create
choice making activities on any topic
which use audio recordings and
video for rewards
• Educreations, free, turns the iPad
into a whiteboard and you can
record a video of your work on the
whiteboard with narration.

31. Life Skills: Vocational
• MasterTask
• Free or $0.99 for
Dropbox Integration
• Use photos and
videos to create step-
by-step directions
• http://bit.ly/1srGv1Q

32. Life Skills: Daily Living
• Weather Wear
• $0.99
• Shows weather
conditions and how to
dress for it.
• http://bit.ly/1sbargN

33. Life Skills: Fitness
• Foov at the Ball Park
• free
• A fitness app for
most abilities – play
and learn about
baseball
• http://bit.ly/UZ9VHq

34. Life Skills: Age Respectful
Leisure
• Video Star
• free
• A music video making
app that is easy and
fun to use plus save
your videos for later
• http://bit.ly/1mjsXQ0

35. Life Skills: Age Respectful
Leisure
• ChatterPix
• free
• Use any photo, draw a
line for the mouth,
record your voice!
• http://bit.ly/1g5Ul6I

36. Life Skills: Age Respectful
Leisure
• Niki Play
• $2.99
• Create pages with
two to nine choices of
videos from your
video library or
YouTube, easy
access to favorite
videos
• Have Multiple Users
• http://bit.ly/1s8JNZ6

37. Featured App
• Pictello
• $14.99
• Create your own
books with text-to-
speech or recorded
voices, photos and
video clips
• http://bit.ly/1dOcAal

38. Thank You!
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