Special needs students are those who have one or more of the 13 legal definitions qualifying
them for special education services, including but not limited to a learning
disability. More than 6.5 million
American children are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA). In recent years such
disabilities have been on the rise, or at least it seems that way
perhaps due to the increase in awareness and in recognizing early signs and
symptoms. For example, it was recently
reported that Autism Spectrum Disorder affects 1 in 88 children, not 1 in 110
as was previously speculated. For special
needs students, technology can be an invaluable tool. Here I’d like to explore some apps that are
designed for students with special needs but can be beneficial for any young
learner.
Articulation Station
was created by a certified speech-language pathologist to help both children
and adults pronounce letter sounds more clearly. I bought this app for BT who has some trouble making
/s/ and /th/ sounds. The free trial
version installs only the /p/ sound, and users can purchase additional sounds
as needed for as low as $2.99 per sound. There is a “pro” version that includes all 22
target sounds for $49.99. Both versions
have high user ratings and install to iPad only. Users can choose to work with the target
sounds within individual words or in sentences.
Two especially notable features of this app are 1) the ability of the
user to record his/her own voice repeating the sounds back and 2) the ability
to set the target sound as the initial, medial, or final position in a
word.
Speak Colors HD is
another speech therapy app that is designed for preschoolers with language delays,
Autism, Down syndrome, and other developmental disorders. It installs for $1.99 and has a user rating
of 4 out of 5 stars. Children can record
their own voices as they work to increase vocabulary skills and receptive and
expressive language.
Fun with Directions is
just that – it helps little learners follow directions, practice listening, and
work memory and auditory processing of language. There are multiple versions, ranging from a
free trial that includes only two directions to More Fun with Directions HD ($5.99), which includes color,
comparative, and spatial concepts.
Touch and Learn Emotions
is a great tool for helping kids read social cues like facial expressions and
body language. It’s FREE and
customizable in many ways.
For more information about apps for special needs students, visit the link below.
Best Apps for Special Needs Kids
When I was interning, I spent a lot of the day with a student with special needs. His favorite thing to do was use the computer or iPads. He loved being able to play games. All of the games that you put in this blog look very helpful. I like how the student can record their voices on the first two apps. This way they can really hear how what they are saying is different than what they are trying to say.
ReplyDeleteI love these apps. I work with a child who is Autistic and several children with speech delays. Technology is an excellent way of gaining their interest and working toward objectives. Thank you for the link!
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