Apps for Autism Highlights- iballz

By:Friendly Integration LLC

iBallz cost: $24.55
Bags and cases range from $27.99-$39.95

www.iballz.info

From The Developer

iBallz Original is a shock-absorbing harness for Apple iPad (1st, 2nd and 3rd generation). Four shock-absorbing balls fit over the corners of your iPad and are held in place by an adjustable elastic cord. Easy to attach and remove, iBallz provide ultimate drop protection without adding weight or concealing your iPad. Dropped from any angle, it never touches the floor and is elevated above spills and sticky surfaces.

From The Customer

Simple, yet effective and functional iBallz protects your iPad from tumbles and drops with four lightweight balls held in place with an adjustable bungee cord. This makes a striking visual impression that generates curiosity and draws student’s attention to the iDevice. And yes, they can survive a drop. Since using iBallz my iPad has made it unharmed through multiple accidental falls and spills.

Initially, I thought my students would pull the balls off or focus their attention on playing with the balls. I was wrong, most students simply looked, touched and maybe squeezed the brightly colored balls and then continued onto the iPad activity.

If that’s not enough, Friendly Integration gives you a choice of 4 bags and cases (Lid, Satchel, Hard Case or Soft Sleeve) custom made to fit perfectly with your iBallz harness. From a unique hand held folding sleeve to a shock-absorbing Satchel with a padded shoulder sling each bag or case serves a different purpose to fit your individual needs.

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Apps for Autism- A Finalist in The Benjamin Franklin Awards

The Benjamin Franklin award is regarded as one of the highest national honors in small and independent publishing.

To be considered for the award was an honor, to be a finalist is just amazing; to win the award would be the ultimate recognition of hard work and dedication.

There’s a tremendous amount of work that goes into the Apps for Autism book. I say goes in, even though the book is finished and published, because work has been on going on the companion website that will be launched in the coming months.

The website will keep the book up to date by continually reviewing and adding the latest iPad and iPhone apps along with techniques as they apply to the special needs community.

Purchasers of the book will be able to log in and get the latest iPad, iPhone app reviews. The website will also have a forum where parents, teachers and therapists can share experiences, ask questions and share ideas and personal stories.

With so many apps for the iPad and iPhone continually coming into the market our goal is to show case those that are particularly effective in the area of interest, whether it’s communication, social, behavioral or learning fun.

Many of the apps are similar in function and purpose; however, they are different in the details like, characters, colors, and sequence and user friendliness. No big deal to many of us, but for someone on the spectrum it may be the difference between having a session that is engaging and productive and a frustrating session where the student wants to do anything and everything but engage.

We put the apps through their paces on daily basis with many students of varying abilities and goals. This allows us to tease out the most effective apps and show case them in the “Apps for Autism” book and soon on the website.

Although the apps show cased work with many students there will always be exceptions. If there weren’t, it would be a perfect world and there is no such place.

I’m always looking for suggestions, ideas and success stories that I can share with the community. Feel free to leave a comment.

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Discover Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)

In Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) the human-animal bond is utilized to help meet therapeutic goals and reach individuals who are otherwise difficult to engage in verbal therapies.

AAT is considered an emerging therapy at this time, and more research is needed to determine the effects and confirm the benefits. Nevertheless, there is a growing body of research and case studies that illustrate the considerable therapeutic potential of using animals in therapy.

AAT has been associated with improving outcomes in four areas: autism-spectrum symptoms, medical difficulties, behavioral problems, and emotional well-being.

So, you decide you want to give AAT a try. Picking an animal companion to help you in a therapy session is the easy part. Effectively using your furry friend as a key player in the therapy environment can be a little more complex.

This course is designed to provide therapists, educators, and caregivers with the information and techniques needed to begin using the human-animal bond successfully to meet individual therapeutic goals.

After completing this course you will have covered 6 key areas:

1. Identify the key features of AAT
2. Name three examples of how to build communication skills using AAT
3. Identify special considerations for working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders
4. List uses for AAT in occupational therapy and mental health practice
5. Identify situations where AAT may not be appropriate
6. List five ways to minimize risk in the practice of AAT

HealthCare professionals earn 2-CE credits or 0.2 CEUs

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Apps for Autism Highlights “Draw and Tell”

Draw and Tell             By: Duck Duck Moose

www.duckduckmoosedesign.com

$1.99

From The Developer

Draw or color, add stickers, then talk about your drawing. Move the stickers to create an animation! Your memories and voice recording will be saved with your drawing.

From The Customer

Draw and Tell takes the creativity of the drawing app up a notch. Now you can use your iPad to craft works of art; using a wide array of colors, coloring pages, free draw, patterns, specialty crayons and/or stickers that can be animated as you are telling a story. You can also add audio to your story, save it to photo album and then share it with the world.

Draw and Tell gives students a means of sharing information and ideas with others, in school, home and in the community. Self-expression is central to quality of life and essential to learning (National Standards for English- Language Arts).

Speech Therapists and Educators can use Draw and Tell to promote descriptive language, labeling, story (re)telling, concepts, generalization and communication with caregivers.

Occupational Therapists can use Draw and Tell to encourage fine motor coordination, finger isolation, grasp (stylus) and the occupations of playing & learning.

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Apps for Autism Hightlights “The GripCase”

www.gripcase.com

$39.99 (iPad)

$34.99 (iPad 2)

From the Developer

For your educational environment, there is no better iPad case. The Gripcase is virtually “student proof,” comprised of lightweight, shock-absorbent material that is also abrasion and tear resistant, bacteria resistant and washable. And, with ergonomic grips and handles, students can easily operate and transport their iPad.

From the Customer

I love my GripCase, it looks after my iPad better than any other case on the market. It features a bumper/crumple zone around the perimeter of the iPad protecting it from accidental drops and not so accidental tosses. The bumpers double up as ergonomic grips that enable almost anyone to keep a firm grip while using the iPad. The lightweight “Croc” material will keep your iPad safe from everything except sharp blows directly to the face of the Pad. As a therapist, I feel much less apprehensive about letting my students walk around with my iPad and my heart does not skip a beat when I see my new iPad 3 teetering on the edge of a desk.

Sure, you can’t use charging trays with the grip case. You’ll have to run an individual wire to each iPad or take them out of the case every time you want to use a charging tray. But, that is a small price to pay for the peace of mind you get knowing that, if your iPad is dropped or tossed it will live to see another day.

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Apps for Autism Highlights “Video Scheduler”

Video Scheduler              By: MDR

www.look2learn.com

$12.99

From The Developer

Scheduler offers a variety of features in an easy to use interface allowing maximum customization. These features include various orientation locks, which prevent students from engaging in stimulatory behaviors with the video. Users can also select from three video and picture sizes. There’s also a pass code function, which can be applied to prevent users from skipping around to preferred aspects of their schedule.

From The Customer

Research has shown us that students with autism can acquire skills in daily living, social interactions, communication, behavior management and functional academics through video modeling. Now we have a powerful tool available at our fingertips to use in everyday real-life situations. Video Scheduler app takes visual supports to the next level by adding a video component that lets users embed audio-visual prompts into a schedule or modeling sequence. Video modeling supports can be made on-the-spot and replayed almost instantly to support and reinforce the acquisition of new skills. The developers have added several features to reduce stimulatory behaviors and ensure all steps in the schedule are completed in the order presented.

The video component of Video Scheduler will only work with iDevices that have the camera feature. Picture schedules can be made on iDevices without the camera feature.

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Apps for Autism Highlights “My PlayHome”

My PlayHome                        By: Shimon Young

www.myplayhomeapp.com

From The Developer

My PlayHome is the original and best dolls house app. Massively interactive, your kids can explore and use everything in the house. The characters eat, sleep, shower, brush their teeth and more. Want the room to be darker? Close the drapes! Fancy a change in music? Pop a different CD into the stereo!

From The Customer

Do you remember the classic Doll House with hundreds of pieces to move around the house while making-up stories about the family that lived there? Now there is a Doll House for the iPad. My Playhome is a wonderfully interactive app that allows the user to do everything from the laundry to cooking a meal while listening to their musical selection.

Best of all, many language concepts can be targeted easily while “playing” My Playhome. Prepositions, descriptors, categories, sequencing, activities of daily living, shared attention, receptive and expressive language, etc. are just a few of the communication/language goals that can be targeted in a single session with this highly motivating app.

The developer is promising as the doll house grows over time with new rooms and accessories, they will be given to you FREE.

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