A friend shared this with me and needless to say...it frustrated me as I am sure many parents with gifted kids can conquer. Take a look http://www.giftedguru.com/?p=494
Monday, January 23, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Apps for the Ipad/Ipod for speech and special needs
My daughter's horse/speech therapist shared this with me and now I will spread the wealth. I hope you will find something new that helps your children.
Apps for the Ipad/Ipod for speech and special needs
These apps for special needs were made by the developers at Moms With Apps to assist children and families. We will update this list periodically. If you have feedback on the apps, please contact the developers as they are very open to collaboration.
ArtikPix by Rinn Apps (See Demo Video) ArtikPix is an engaging articulation app with flashcard and matching activities for children with speech sound delays. Since the app includes child friendly language, you don’t have to be a speech-language pathologist to facilitate practice. Children use ArtikPix to practice sounds independently, with a speech-language pathologist or their parents.
First Then Visual Schedule by Good Karma Apps First-Then Visual Schedule application is designed for caregivers to provide
positive behavior support for those with communication needs. This application provides an affordable and convenient audio-visual prompting tool for use on the iPhone or iTouch. The portability of the iPhone and iTouch and ease of use of the application make it perfect for use at school, home or in the community.
Grace App by Steven-Troughton Smith (See news clip Demo Video) A simple picture exchange system developed By and For non-verbal people allowing the user to communicate their needs by building sentences from relevant images. It can be customised by the individual using their picture and photo vocabulary with the user taking and saving pictures independently to the app.
iCommunicate by Grembe (See Demo Video) Create pictures, flashcards, storyboards, routines, and visual schedules. Record custom audio in any language. We include 100+ pictures(first 5 have audio) to get you started. Add pictures with your camera, or from your camera roll, or use Google image search. Utilize as audio visual prompting tool or AAC device.
iComm by Mias Apps (See Demo Video) The iComm (short for I Communicate) is an app providing an affordable, custom built and easy to use communication system using pictures and words – both written and spoken. It is ideal for children under three until they are able to express their needs through well formed speech. The iComm is also very useful for children with a broad range of disabilities who have trouble communicating such as cerebral palsy or autism.
iEarnedThat by a Pediatrician & Parent Designed by a Pediatrician and parent, iEarnedThat is an amazingly simple motivational tool to help children develop desirable behaviors by working towards tangible goals. Turn any picture of a desired reward into a 3D interactive jigsaw puzzle of up to 60 pieces! Set the goal and have your child EARN their reward one puzzle piece at a time!
In My Dreams by DevelopEase (See Demo Video) Have fun with reading, matching, and sign language. “In My Dreams” uses animation and repetition to promote literacy. Each page has the same sentence structure and reinforces understanding of nouns, verbs and prepositions. “In My Dreams” is an instructional app designed with illustrations that provide language cues. Personalize the app for your child, student or client by adding their photo!
iReward by Grembe iReward is a fun and useful app. Use it with your spouse, kids, yourself, or anyone for whom you want to provide some positive reinforcement. iReward is a motivation chart for your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad!
iTouchiLearn Musical Story (see demo) features an interactive, animated story that teaches toddler, preschool and special needs kids about morning routines. Kids can sing along and interact with the catchy iTouchiLearn Ready for School song sung to the tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. Designed to build early learning and life skills through virtual rewards, the app features 3 modes of early learning: Game, Music and Activity.
My Talk Tools (LITE version) MyTalkTools Mobile Lite is a fully-functional version of MyTalk Mobile with 12 cell capacity, using one or two boards. Using the 12 cells offered by MyTalk Mobile Lite, users can gain comfort with the mobile use and our online authoring (building communication boards or pages) via MyTalk Workspace. Using MyTalk Mobile Lite, experience the ultimate in customizable communications. If you find that MyTalk Mobile Lite provides the right solutions, but you would like the increased capacity of 32,000 cells, consider MyTalk Mobile.
Off We Go! Going on a Plane and Going to the Dentist books are available as iPhone and iPad apps in English and Spanish. If you are going on a plane or visiting the dentist, you can use your iPhone or iPad to help prepare your child and make the experience easier for everyone. These books are a visual step by step guide to everyday experiences, particularly for children with special needs.
Open-Ended apps that have received positive feedback from parents and therapists who work with special needs kids. These apps don’t have a ”right” or “wrong”, but rather an open platform for children to experiment and explore: Draw With Stars, Snow Wonder, Faces iMake.
See. Touch. Learn. by Brain Parade See.Touch.Learn.™ is a picture learning system designed by professionals specifically for those with autism and other special needs. See.Touch.Learn.™ makes traditional picture cards obsolete. Parents and professionals use See.Touch.Learn.™ to build custom picture card lessons and automatically track their child’s responses. Includes a starter set of stunning, high-quality images and 60 exercises created by a certified behavior analyst! Additional libraries of images and lessons are available for purchase from within the app.
Sentence Builder by Mobile Education Store Sentence Builder is designed to help elementary aged children learn how to build grammatically correct sentences. Explicit attention is paid to the connector words that make up over 80% of the English language. Sentence Builder offers a rich and fun environment for improving the grammar of all children.
Speech With Milo: Verbs by Doonan Speech Therapy (See Demo Video) Created by a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, this app offers a versatile and entertaining speech therapy tool for children. The app is for speech therapists working with children, or parents who want to teach language skills to their children. The animation that comes with Milo will keep any child focused and attentive. And most important- it is fun!
Story Builder by Mobile Education Store Story Builder is designed to help children accomplish the following educational goals: 1) Improve paragraph formation; 2) Improve integration of ideas; and 3) Improve higher level abstractions by inference. Extensive use of audio clips promotes improved auditory processing for special needs children with autism spectrum disorders or sensory processing disorders.
Zanny - Born to Run “Zanny, Born to Run” is part of the very first book series ever written expressly FOR children with special needs. We know that not all kids are the same, so each book address a different symptom, not a disorder. This way, stories can benefit “typical” children who might have difficulties in one area while also helping kids diagnosed with learning disabilities.
Additional Resources for Special Needs:
For more information about apps and special needs, please visit: App Resources for Special Needs by Eric Sailers of Speech-Language Pathology Sharing
A4CWSN - Apps for Children With Special Needs
For a freeware application that offers visual supports to help children, visit Picto Selector by Martijn van der Kooij.
Guest Post by Shannon Rosa: Characteristics of Great Apps for Kids With Autism
Our interview with Craig from Autism Hangout
Autism Apps Reviewed by Autism Epicenter
Cindy Meester’s Blog (SLP Resources)
Loud Mommy’s Blog – Support for mothers of children with autism
List of 40 apps for the Learning Disabled from Match-a-College
The Ultimate Guide to Assistive Technology in Special Education, by Joan L. Green, M.A. CCC-SLP
Autism Classroom
Some comments from readers....
ArtikPix by Rinn Apps (See Demo Video) ArtikPix is an engaging articulation app with flashcard and matching activities for children with speech sound delays. Since the app includes child friendly language, you don’t have to be a speech-language pathologist to facilitate practice. Children use ArtikPix to practice sounds independently, with a speech-language pathologist or their parents.
First Then Visual Schedule by Good Karma Apps First-Then Visual Schedule application is designed for caregivers to provide
positive behavior support for those with communication needs. This application provides an affordable and convenient audio-visual prompting tool for use on the iPhone or iTouch. The portability of the iPhone and iTouch and ease of use of the application make it perfect for use at school, home or in the community.
Grace App by Steven-Troughton Smith (See news clip Demo Video) A simple picture exchange system developed By and For non-verbal people allowing the user to communicate their needs by building sentences from relevant images. It can be customised by the individual using their picture and photo vocabulary with the user taking and saving pictures independently to the app.
iCommunicate by Grembe (See Demo Video) Create pictures, flashcards, storyboards, routines, and visual schedules. Record custom audio in any language. We include 100+ pictures(first 5 have audio) to get you started. Add pictures with your camera, or from your camera roll, or use Google image search. Utilize as audio visual prompting tool or AAC device.
iComm by Mias Apps (See Demo Video) The iComm (short for I Communicate) is an app providing an affordable, custom built and easy to use communication system using pictures and words – both written and spoken. It is ideal for children under three until they are able to express their needs through well formed speech. The iComm is also very useful for children with a broad range of disabilities who have trouble communicating such as cerebral palsy or autism.
iEarnedThat by a Pediatrician & Parent Designed by a Pediatrician and parent, iEarnedThat is an amazingly simple motivational tool to help children develop desirable behaviors by working towards tangible goals. Turn any picture of a desired reward into a 3D interactive jigsaw puzzle of up to 60 pieces! Set the goal and have your child EARN their reward one puzzle piece at a time!
In My Dreams by DevelopEase (See Demo Video) Have fun with reading, matching, and sign language. “In My Dreams” uses animation and repetition to promote literacy. Each page has the same sentence structure and reinforces understanding of nouns, verbs and prepositions. “In My Dreams” is an instructional app designed with illustrations that provide language cues. Personalize the app for your child, student or client by adding their photo!
iReward by Grembe iReward is a fun and useful app. Use it with your spouse, kids, yourself, or anyone for whom you want to provide some positive reinforcement. iReward is a motivation chart for your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad!
iTouchiLearn Musical Story (see demo) features an interactive, animated story that teaches toddler, preschool and special needs kids about morning routines. Kids can sing along and interact with the catchy iTouchiLearn Ready for School song sung to the tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. Designed to build early learning and life skills through virtual rewards, the app features 3 modes of early learning: Game, Music and Activity.
My Talk Tools (LITE version) MyTalkTools Mobile Lite is a fully-functional version of MyTalk Mobile with 12 cell capacity, using one or two boards. Using the 12 cells offered by MyTalk Mobile Lite, users can gain comfort with the mobile use and our online authoring (building communication boards or pages) via MyTalk Workspace. Using MyTalk Mobile Lite, experience the ultimate in customizable communications. If you find that MyTalk Mobile Lite provides the right solutions, but you would like the increased capacity of 32,000 cells, consider MyTalk Mobile.
Off We Go! Going on a Plane and Going to the Dentist books are available as iPhone and iPad apps in English and Spanish. If you are going on a plane or visiting the dentist, you can use your iPhone or iPad to help prepare your child and make the experience easier for everyone. These books are a visual step by step guide to everyday experiences, particularly for children with special needs.
Open-Ended apps that have received positive feedback from parents and therapists who work with special needs kids. These apps don’t have a ”right” or “wrong”, but rather an open platform for children to experiment and explore: Draw With Stars, Snow Wonder, Faces iMake.
See. Touch. Learn. by Brain Parade See.Touch.Learn.™ is a picture learning system designed by professionals specifically for those with autism and other special needs. See.Touch.Learn.™ makes traditional picture cards obsolete. Parents and professionals use See.Touch.Learn.™ to build custom picture card lessons and automatically track their child’s responses. Includes a starter set of stunning, high-quality images and 60 exercises created by a certified behavior analyst! Additional libraries of images and lessons are available for purchase from within the app.
Sentence Builder by Mobile Education Store Sentence Builder is designed to help elementary aged children learn how to build grammatically correct sentences. Explicit attention is paid to the connector words that make up over 80% of the English language. Sentence Builder offers a rich and fun environment for improving the grammar of all children.
Speech With Milo: Verbs by Doonan Speech Therapy (See Demo Video) Created by a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, this app offers a versatile and entertaining speech therapy tool for children. The app is for speech therapists working with children, or parents who want to teach language skills to their children. The animation that comes with Milo will keep any child focused and attentive. And most important- it is fun!
Story Builder by Mobile Education Store Story Builder is designed to help children accomplish the following educational goals: 1) Improve paragraph formation; 2) Improve integration of ideas; and 3) Improve higher level abstractions by inference. Extensive use of audio clips promotes improved auditory processing for special needs children with autism spectrum disorders or sensory processing disorders.
Zanny - Born to Run “Zanny, Born to Run” is part of the very first book series ever written expressly FOR children with special needs. We know that not all kids are the same, so each book address a different symptom, not a disorder. This way, stories can benefit “typical” children who might have difficulties in one area while also helping kids diagnosed with learning disabilities.
Additional Resources for Special Needs:
For more information about apps and special needs, please visit: App Resources for Special Needs by Eric Sailers of Speech-Language Pathology Sharing
A4CWSN - Apps for Children With Special Needs
For a freeware application that offers visual supports to help children, visit Picto Selector by Martijn van der Kooij.
Guest Post by Shannon Rosa: Characteristics of Great Apps for Kids With Autism
Our interview with Craig from Autism Hangout
Autism Apps Reviewed by Autism Epicenter
Cindy Meester’s Blog (SLP Resources)
Loud Mommy’s Blog – Support for mothers of children with autism
List of 40 apps for the Learning Disabled from Match-a-College
The Ultimate Guide to Assistive Technology in Special Education, by Joan L. Green, M.A. CCC-SLP
Autism Classroom
Some comments from readers....
Comment 1: I’d also like to recommend a new children’s app for special needs children based on the Peepers’ concept book “I Say…You Say…- A Zany Peep at Opposites.” This book has been used by teachers of autism who have found it effective because of its lyrical rhymes, repetition and engaging design. The children’s voices on the app are clear and endearing and children can identify with the many positive qualities of the Peepers’ personalities. Developed by Once Upon an App and released September 27th.
Comment 2: If anyone is looking for ideas for a new app, An app that would allow students with dysgraphia to do their math class work , show their work and print or email it to the teacher is desperately needed. The idev apps are great to teach the math sequence, but There is no way to save completed problems. Also for the times when a teacher wants to know if the student grasps the process, it gives too much help. There are virtually no options for kids who can,t write or line up numbers.
Comment 3: Just wanted to let you know that we went LIVE(!) tonight with our first app book/game for special needs kids, “Zanny, Born to Run”. This book deals with hyperactivity and impulsivity and employs really cool special effects like moving with gravity, touch-activated sound and movement features and animation.
Our next app book “Little Lilly’s Touch Book”, about tactile sensory avoidance, should be out soon(ish) too. More books to come.
If any of you know people in the Autism and special needs community whom you think we should contact about our app, please let us know. We are so excited about Zanny and can’t wait to show him off. Working on a promo code giveaway in the near future.
Comment 4: If you are on Facebook, join the iTeach Special Education – iDevices in Special Education group! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_122716487786903
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/choiceboard-maker/id414362446?mt=8
Check out this app for creating customized choice boards for kids with different levels of visual and cognitive clarity. It is free!
Comment 5: I just discovered your website I and I must say that I am truly impressed with the wide selection of apps you have assembled here. It’s great that people with special needs have all of the this great stuff to teach and entertain them.
Comment 6: Help needed for all parents not just special needs! An app to restrict access to apps or better still screen pages on the Ipad. Mum with Apps is a great source for me, a mum of three year old ASD son. We have lots of the apps recommended but we also have game apps both of which have enabled us to live a much less stressful life at home and out. But we are struggling to teach our little one different times for “therapy” and “fun” apps. At the moment all I can do is seperate on different pages it’s just not enough control of what is a great tool for special needs kids and families.
Comment 7: Are any of your members devoloping apps to use on the Samsung Galaxy Tablet? Specifically those involved in communication like Iconverse, My Choices, First-Then. I have these on my Iphone and they have been wonderful for my nonverbal son. But the size of the Galaxy would suit our needs better than an Ipad. But there is NOThing out there for these kids yet.
Comment 8: As a mother of a 7 year-old son with Down syndrome, I had tried for nearly 2 years to find a computer mouse my son Vincent could control. He has very poor fine motor skills, so I knew when the iPad was released, he would finally have the control we sought. My next challenge was to find apps that are appropriate and motivating for him. An informal group of parents, therapists, and teachers started meeting to discuss favorite apps for our special needs children and SNApps4Kids was born. We created a website to share what we are learning with parents and those who work with children with special needs. Please visit our site http://www.SNApps4Kids.com to share ideas and success stories with us!
Comment 9: Our son is 18 years old. He is autistic and has serious issues with regard to aggression. He spent over a year at a leading treatment facility that resulted in a comprehensive behavior plan. Part of that behavior plan involves functional communication that includes a choice board that uses pictures to indicate what activities are available and which are not. The communication board is half red (unavailable) and half green (available). Picture cards are moved from side to side to indicate what he can and cannot chose from. In addition there are different boards for every type of activity interval i.e. arts and music, games and entertainment, gym, chores, etc. I am interested in knowing if anyone knows of an app that would facilitate such a communication system on an ipad or other tablet pc. While we are fairly tech savvy but we are brand new to the world of ipads and apps. Our purchase of an ipad will depend on whether or not there is an app out there that can do what we need it to do. I would appreciate any advice anyone can give. There is so much information out there, I am just looking for some solid direction.
Comment 10: Counting Beads is a totally fun way for children to learn numbers and letters of the alphabet. The numbers (or letters) appear as colored beads that you connect by dragging each bead into its next higher numbered bead. As you connect the beads in numbered order, you create a chain that follows the lead bead as you drag. This teaches the numbers visually. You can also move the bead chain by holding the device face-up parallel to the floor and tilting it slightly to let gravity roll the leading bead downhill. Even older folks can have fun with this amusing simple game.
Editor's Choice: Dynamic List of Developers I'm Watching
Comment 2: If anyone is looking for ideas for a new app, An app that would allow students with dysgraphia to do their math class work , show their work and print or email it to the teacher is desperately needed. The idev apps are great to teach the math sequence, but There is no way to save completed problems. Also for the times when a teacher wants to know if the student grasps the process, it gives too much help. There are virtually no options for kids who can,t write or line up numbers.
Comment 3: Just wanted to let you know that we went LIVE(!) tonight with our first app book/game for special needs kids, “Zanny, Born to Run”. This book deals with hyperactivity and impulsivity and employs really cool special effects like moving with gravity, touch-activated sound and movement features and animation.
Our next app book “Little Lilly’s Touch Book”, about tactile sensory avoidance, should be out soon(ish) too. More books to come.
If any of you know people in the Autism and special needs community whom you think we should contact about our app, please let us know. We are so excited about Zanny and can’t wait to show him off. Working on a promo code giveaway in the near future.
Comment 4: If you are on Facebook, join the iTeach Special Education – iDevices in Special Education group! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_122716487786903
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/choiceboard-maker/id414362446?mt=8
Check out this app for creating customized choice boards for kids with different levels of visual and cognitive clarity. It is free!
Comment 5: I just discovered your website I and I must say that I am truly impressed with the wide selection of apps you have assembled here. It’s great that people with special needs have all of the this great stuff to teach and entertain them.
Comment 6: Help needed for all parents not just special needs! An app to restrict access to apps or better still screen pages on the Ipad. Mum with Apps is a great source for me, a mum of three year old ASD son. We have lots of the apps recommended but we also have game apps both of which have enabled us to live a much less stressful life at home and out. But we are struggling to teach our little one different times for “therapy” and “fun” apps. At the moment all I can do is seperate on different pages it’s just not enough control of what is a great tool for special needs kids and families.
Comment 7: Are any of your members devoloping apps to use on the Samsung Galaxy Tablet? Specifically those involved in communication like Iconverse, My Choices, First-Then. I have these on my Iphone and they have been wonderful for my nonverbal son. But the size of the Galaxy would suit our needs better than an Ipad. But there is NOThing out there for these kids yet.
Comment 8: As a mother of a 7 year-old son with Down syndrome, I had tried for nearly 2 years to find a computer mouse my son Vincent could control. He has very poor fine motor skills, so I knew when the iPad was released, he would finally have the control we sought. My next challenge was to find apps that are appropriate and motivating for him. An informal group of parents, therapists, and teachers started meeting to discuss favorite apps for our special needs children and SNApps4Kids was born. We created a website to share what we are learning with parents and those who work with children with special needs. Please visit our site http://www.SNApps4Kids.com to share ideas and success stories with us!
Comment 9: Our son is 18 years old. He is autistic and has serious issues with regard to aggression. He spent over a year at a leading treatment facility that resulted in a comprehensive behavior plan. Part of that behavior plan involves functional communication that includes a choice board that uses pictures to indicate what activities are available and which are not. The communication board is half red (unavailable) and half green (available). Picture cards are moved from side to side to indicate what he can and cannot chose from. In addition there are different boards for every type of activity interval i.e. arts and music, games and entertainment, gym, chores, etc. I am interested in knowing if anyone knows of an app that would facilitate such a communication system on an ipad or other tablet pc. While we are fairly tech savvy but we are brand new to the world of ipads and apps. Our purchase of an ipad will depend on whether or not there is an app out there that can do what we need it to do. I would appreciate any advice anyone can give. There is so much information out there, I am just looking for some solid direction.
Comment 10: Counting Beads is a totally fun way for children to learn numbers and letters of the alphabet. The numbers (or letters) appear as colored beads that you connect by dragging each bead into its next higher numbered bead. As you connect the beads in numbered order, you create a chain that follows the lead bead as you drag. This teaches the numbers visually. You can also move the bead chain by holding the device face-up parallel to the floor and tilting it slightly to let gravity roll the leading bead downhill. Even older folks can have fun with this amusing simple game.
Editor's Choice: Dynamic List of Developers I'm Watching
2BME Studios
77sparx
A+ Kids Apps
Abitalk
Apps Kids Love
Artgig Apps
Babybinks
BeiZ
Biscuit Interactive
BrightStart
Busy Bee Studios
Continuous Integration
Creative Algorithms
Creativity Mobile
Dan Russell-Pinson
Duck Duck Moose
Early Languages
eduGAME
Electric Eggplant
Extra Special Kids
Frolyc
Go Go Mongo
Golden Communications LLC
Got Clues?
Greenrift Software
Grembe
iDevBooks
iHomeEducator
iMagine Machine
Injini
InterAction Education
iRewardChart
Janes Works
Jellybean Tunes
Jolly Giraffe
KIDiSMART
Kidoodle
Kids and Beyond
KidSpring
KinderTown
KwiqApps Inc.
L'Escapadou
Launchpad Toys
Learn With Fun Apps
Learning Yard
Les Trois Elles
Let's Go Chipper
Little Bit Studio
Maplekey
Memetales
Mobile Education Store
Morning2Moon
Motion Math Games
My PlayHome
My Turn Mobile
MyTales Digital
Nannek
Needleworks Pictures
Night & Day Studios
Niyaa
Oceanhouse Media
OCG Studios
Operatio
Peapod Labs
Pi'ikea Street
PicPocket Books
Pixel Moon
PixelMat
PkclSoft
Polk Street Press
Punflay
Pyxwise
Quiet Spark
Ridili
Rinn Apps
Robots & Cupcakes
Ruckus Media
Scribble Kid
See Here Studios
Sight Word Hangman
SLP Tech Tools
Smart Apps 4 Kids
SmarTots
Smiley Cat Software
So Ouat
Speech With Milo
Sprite Labs | Animagik
Staytoooned
Stickery
Study Pad | Splash Math Apps
Tales2Go
Tapikeo
Tapisodes
TapTeachApps
The Land of Me
THUP Games
Tickle Tap Apps
Time Traveler Tours
Tizio Publishing
Toca Boca
Treasure Bound Books
Upside Down Games
Vito Technology
Weily Apps
Weiner Family Studios
Zephyr Games
Industry Resources
Appbackr
Appcessories
Apps for Homeschooling
Children's Technology Review
Common Sense Media – App Reviews
Cool Mom Tech | Educational
Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop
Crazy Mike's Apps
Digital Storytime
Fun Educational Apps
IEAR – i Education Apps Review
Mindshift Blog
Mobile Evolution Blog
Silicon Valley Kids Apps Group
Slide2Learn
Technology in Education
The iMum
The iPhone Mom
Monday, January 16, 2012
Four Simple Ways To Help The Easily Frustrated Child
By Ann K. Dolin, M.Ed. Featured in Special Education Advisor
Some kids are naturally easy-going, compliant, and adaptable. With very little input from you, they come home from school, sit right down, and do their homework. If they encounter a problem they can’t solve, or read a passage they don’t understand, they’re able to ask for help. Other kids are not as even-keeled. Their moods are quick to change, their tempers are volatile, and they are easily frustrated. They often complain that their homework is too hard or too boring. If they encounter difficulties before you have a chance to intervene, they have a meltdown. Their low frustration tolerance makes homework a battleground.
If you have an easily frustrated child living under your roof, here are a few simple measures you can try to break the cycle of negativity revolving around homework.
Tip #1 – Begin With An Easy Assignment — When your child is ready to begin homework, help her number the assignments in the order in which they’ll be completed. The first item on her to-do list should be the assignment perceived to be the easiest or the most enjoyable. For example, if your mathematically-inclined child comes home with spelling, math, and reading homework, tackle the math assignment first. This simple strategy puts kids in the right frame of mind from the start. They are less likely to procrastinate and are in a positive mindset when they approach harder assignments later on.
Tip #2 – Break It Down — Help your child break work down into manageable chunks. Use Post-it arrow flags. Place one at the starting point and another part way through the assignment. Explain, “All you have to do is start here and end there. Come and show me your work when you’re done.” Visual learners especially like this approach.
Help your child to get started. Observe the completion of the first item so that you are sure it is done accurately. Then, set the timer for anywhere from six to sixteen minutes (it’s more interesting than five to fifteen). Encourage your child to work as hard as possible during this brief time to get over the hump.
Use color. Color code the symbols in math (red for addition, blue for subtraction, green for division, etc.). Start with the “green” problems or give a choice of order.
Cover the bottom portion of the worksheet or put an index card over the more difficult problems. Complete only the visible part first.
Tip #3 – Take A Break From Power Struggles — What should you do when you realize that a disagreement is becoming a power struggle? Extricate yourself ASAP by taking a quick break. Use these words:
“Let’s take a 30 minute break. I’ll be back at 2:34 pm.” Be specific about time.
“We’re both upset. Let’s grab a quick snack and then talk about a compromise.”
Tip #4 – Create a Checklist — Some children need and crave more structure than others. Parents of these youngsters often find that daily routines, rewards, and consequences are just the ticket to good behavior. In other words, your child should always know what to expect and should be clear about incentives and consequences even before she begins schoolwork. You can do this by creating a homework checklist.
First, think about what you want your child to do and narrow the list down to two to four homework-related tasks. Now, determine what it will take to motivate your child. For many kids, it’s “screen time” — the use of the computer, cell phone, and video games. If you are going to use screen time or another privilege as a reward, be sure it’s not available at any other time during the day. Finally, record any other rules below the checklist.
The following checklist belonged to a girl with whom I worked. She was a classic easily frustrated student and managed to engage her parents in daily verbal sparring matches over homework. Once we crafted a checklist and established a certain number of reminders she’d receive from her mother to get on track (she asked for two reminders), her behavior improved significantly.
You can come up with your own ideas, but remember, that once your child earns the reward, you cannot take it away. For example, if she earns 30 minutes of screen time, but then hits her sister, I don’t recommend taking the earned privilege away. Instead, consider another consequence such as a time out. Children are more likely to follow through with incentive programs if they know their “winnings” won’t be withheld.
With just a few creative ideas and a whole lot of patience, you can put your easily frustrated child on the road to academic success.
Ann K. Dolin, M.Ed., is the founder and president of Educational Connections, Inc., a comprehensive provider of educational services in Vienna, VA. In her new book, Homework Made Simple: Tips, Tools and Solutions for Stress-Free Homework, Dolin offers proven solutions to help the six key types of students who struggle with homework. Numerous examples and easy-to-implement, fun tips will help make homework less of a chore for the whole family. Learn more at anndolin.com or www.ectutoring.com.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Give a Voice To Those That Cannot Speak for Themselves – App Review: Quick Talk AAC
Feature from Special Education Advisor - for my non verbal friends
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Study: Testing firms not complying with law on disabled
A new federal study criticizes the Justice Department for failing to enforce laws that provide disabled students with special accommodations for taking the SAT, bar exam and other high-stakes tests.
By Todd Plitt, USA TODAY
Testing companies say they don't have to provide accommodations if they think the requests are unreasonable or if they think the applicant hasn't proved they need the accommodation.
People with disabilities such as visual impairment, dyslexia or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder say they are entitled to extra time, special software or other accommodations that will best ensure that the test reflects their aptitude rather than their disability.
Testing companies say they don't have to provide accommodations if they think the requests are unreasonable, or if they think the applicant hasn't proved they need the accommodation.
STORY: Learning-disabled students get firmer grip on college
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that "almost all" of the nine testing companies it studied did not change any practices in response to regulations issued this spring designed to broaden the definition of disability and reduce burdensome documentation. It also found that the Justice Department's hasn't updated training manuals for the law since 1993, nor has it initiated compliance reviews to ensure testing companies meet the standards.
"The testing companies don't want to comply with the law … (and the) Department of Justice hasn't been enforcing the law," said Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., one of three House lawmakers to request the GAO study. They are urging Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct periodic compliance reviews of testing companies in addition to strengthening the Justice Department's review of citizen complaints.
The report is the latest wrinkle in a long-festering battle between disability-rights groups and testing companies. Private testing companies say they must guard against applicants who may seek an unfair advantage by requesting accommodations they don't need, and that the use of software increases the potential for security breaches.
"There are many interests at stake. Testing organizations have a legitimate interest in protecting the integrity of the test. … The kids who take the exam who aren't disabled have a right to compete with everyone else on a level playing field," said Washington lawyer Bob Burgoyne, who represents the National Conference of Bar Examiners, which has been the target of several recent lawsuits.
A Maryland judge last year ruled in favor of the bar examiners, but courts this year in California, the District of Columbia and Vermont have sided with visually impaired people who were denied the use of software they requested but allowed to have someone read test questions to them. Disability-rights advocates say inflexible company policies often force them to delay careers.
"Only because I sued was I able to take the test when I wanted to," said Deanna Jones, 45, of Middlesex, Vt., who passed a standardized test required to practice law after a judge ruled she could have access to computer software — the same software she has used throughout law school — to accommodate a visual impairment and learning disability.
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