TECH Tidbits from TASK

Team of Advocates for Special Kids' Assistive Technology E-Mail Newsletter

March 2016

Quick Links

News

More About TASK

More About the TECH Center

Upcoming Assistive Technology Workshops

Apps for Older Students

Fri., March 4

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Family Resource Center, NCLARC

Van Nuys

Call (714) 533-8275 for more information or to register.

Apps for Older Students

Wed., March 23

9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Westside Family Resource and Empowerment Center

Culver City

Call (310) 258-4243 for more information or to register.

Apps for Older Students

Wed., March 30

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Carolyn E. Wylie Center

Riverside

Call (951) 328-1200 for more information or to register.

Apps for Older Students

Wed., March 30

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Carolyn E. Wylie Center

Riverside

Call (951) 328-1200 for more information or to register.

For more workshops, including our workshops on special education and parental rights and responsibilities under the law, please visit the full workshop schedule on the TASK website.

TASK Membership

Please consider joining TASK as a member! Members receive the following benefits:

Free TECH Labs
Bimonthly 28-page TASK newsletters
Membership is tax-deductible

Membership is as low as $35.00 per year, per family. We need your support to continue to provide a central resource center for legal rights and responsibilities information and to continue providing TECH Center services. You can join online; visit the Membership page on our website for more information.

We are thrilled to announce that our grant has been approved for Project Communicate, Phase II! This generous grant will go a long way toward helping us continue to provide augmentative and alternative communication services through February 2017. Please see the Project Communicate page on our website for information on this wonderful program made possible by the Disability Communications Fund. A HUGE THANK YOU TO DCF FOR THIS GRANT AWARD! For a full list of grantees funded by this amazing program, download this list of DCF projects for 2016.

In other news, Apple recently announced that they have 1.2 MILLION applications available in their App Store! With SO MANY different applications available, it is often difficult to sort through all of them. The following websites are extremely helpful in tackling just that chore:

Apps for Children with Special Needs has reviews on applications as well as video demonstrations of hundreds of applications.

Bridging Apps is a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston that provides access to educational and therapeutic tools -- anywhere, anytime -- allowing parents, teachers, and therapists to effectively use mobile devices and apps to target and improve individual skill development to help children and adults with disabilities reach their highest levels of physical and cognitive development. In collaboration with speech language pathologists and occupational therapists, they have created an app review system that focuses on skills -- rather than age, diagnosis or developmental level to help improve outcomes for a person with a disability.

The iMoms website has lists of apps that are sorted by age, grade and topic. This amazing free resource lists applications for both Apple and Android platforms.

The Best Apps for Kids website features apps that are reviewed by moms and educators. The apps are sorted by age, grade level, rating and category.

Smart Apps for Special Needs is a great source for free and discounted apps. Simply subscribe to their e-newsletter for app alerts and updates via email.

New and Notable Apps in our TECH Center:

TouchChat HD - AAC with WordPower

TouchChat is a full-featured communication solution for individuals who have difficulty using their natural voice. TouchChat is designed for individuals with autism, Down syndrome, ALS, apraxia, stroke or other conditions that affect a person's ability to use natural speech.

TouchChat 2.0 provides both English and Spanish options in one app and provides a universal app supporting iPhone, iPod and iPad. This version of TouchChat HD is bundled with the WordPower series of AAC vocabularies designed by Nancy Inman. There are multiple WordPower vocabularies that allow for easy and intuitive communication. This special bundle is $299.99 plus tax.

The Mighty League Vol. 1: The Terrible Taunting, A Blackfish Children's Book, by Customizabooks LLC (FREE!)

This interactive storybook app is based on the real JMan, Jonathan Murphy, and his real life adventures growing up with Asperger's syndrome. Written by his sister, Molly Murphy, and narrated by Jonathan himself, the story is told by someone who sees his world from a very unique perspective. It promotes self-acceptance, awareness, and an understanding for others who are different. You can change the superhero, JMan, into super-heroine, Jaycee. This app features easy to use navigation, customization, and page turning effects.
Narration with word highlighting, self-read, or record your own narration options. A project-based learning curriculum aligned with Common Core State Standards available for free download.

Common Core State Standards, By Customizabooks LLC (FREE!)

The Common Core State Standards app is both an interactive reference and a sophisticated tool for teachers. It includes a reference for all of the standards in the national Common Core State Standards Initiative for school systems across the country. This easy to use and concise app allows teachers, administrators, and parents to view the standards, take notes on each standard, create a roster of students, take notes on individual students' progress, create and print reports per standard or per student, mark standards with customizable indicators, and easily search the standards. It also includes the ability to download lesson plans and standards materials to aid teachers. Students can even create reports and do homework using templates and turn them in to be read and stored within the CCSS app. This FREE app is available via iTunes and Google Play (for Android).

Avaz FreeSpeech: Build Grammatically Correct Language, By Avaz, Inc.

Does your student or child sometimes struggle to form complete or correct English sentences? Avaz FreeSpeech is a Common Core-aligned app that helps children build language skills. FreeSpeech helps children to compose perfectly grammatical English - by playing with pictures like building blocks!

LEARNING GRAMMAR IS FUN! FreeSpeech allows English-language learners and people with language impairments, to explore language in a way that is visual, engaging, natural and fun.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Avaz for donating this innovative application to our TECH Center.

As always, if you prefer to try out apps yourself, you are encouraged to make a lab appointment at one of our TECH Centers. We currently have over 1,100 applications in our inventory and would be happy to help you decide what may work for your child. Additionally, we have 1,200 software titles and hundreds of pieces of adaptive technology. Call and make an appointment for an Individualized lab Appointment in either of our TECH Labs. Call (866) 828-8275 for more information or e-mail me directly at [email protected].

Happy APPing!

Laura Simmons-Martinez

Assistive Technology Program Manager

Team of Advocates for Special Kids

TASK is a nonprofit Parent Training and Information Center that serves all ages and all disabilities. TASK is funded in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the California Department of Education. The views expressed in this e-mail newsletter do not necessarily represent those of TASK, the U.S. Department of Education, the State of California or any other funding source, nor are they an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before congress. Advertisements or refernces to trade names, commercial products or organizations do not constitute endorsement by any of the above.