![]() Ault, assistant professor in special education at the University of Kentucky.Īll the experts interviewed for this article were hesitant to recommend specific apps because of their shared belief that each child needs to be assessed on an individual basis although Dr. “For children with disabilities, you’re going to want to individualize an app for their particular need,” adds Dr. Bausch, associate professor in special education at the University of Kentucky, adding, “You usually get what you pay for.” Fee-based versions allow customization as well as more options in terms of colors and font, and number of games and exercises. There’s much more depth to the paid versions, says Dr. This (marketing) technique usually works if the fundamental app is solid but the options in the robust feature-rich paid version are exponentially better. Many apps offer a “lite” version, which is free and acts as a teaser to the fee-based one. Shane and his Boston Children’s Hospital colleagues have created something similar called Feature Matching that you can download for personal use. This list is featured in a new book, “ Apps for All Students: A Teacher’s Desktop Guide. With thousands of apps and no recognized industry paradigm to evaluate them, how does a parent know which ones to choose? Enter the “Apps Consideration Checklist” that can aid parents and caregivers in this very process. “There’s just no decent reasonable filtering system, which is an issue that at some point needs to be addressed.” “We really have no Consumer Reports strategy where there’s an evaluation that comes up with some systematic way of telling whether an app is useful,” he says. Shane recommend that parents identify the child’s needs and capabilities first and then try to match them with an app. Ditto for an apps search at the iTunes store. ![]() Google “special needs apps” and the sheer volume of search results might leave you reeling. The rapid-fire speed in which apps are being developed has made it difficult to distinguish the good from the bad, he says. Shane, Director of the Center for Communication Enhancement in the department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement at Boston’s Children’s Hospital. “I’m extraordinarily excited about what’s going on with this technology and how it’s changing the very nature of the kind of work that we do,” says Dr. “There’s been a democratization of communication and learning software,” says Howard Shane, PhD, “except now we just call them apps.” The ultimate equalizer in all this, however, is the almighty app. ![]() Mobile devices like the iPad, enable children with developmental delays and other special needs to acquire life skills, engage in self-directed play, and perhaps most importantly facilitate communication with their caregivers. Technology has been - and continues to be - a boon to people with disabilities, especially children. ![]()
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