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TECH Tidbits from TASK
Team of Advocates for Special Kids' Assistive Technology E-Mail Newsletter
December 2016 |
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Upcoming Assistive Technology Workshops
APPtastic Adventures: Fun and Educational Apps for Special Education
Wed., Dec. 14,
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
TASK South Gate
Please call TASK South Gate at (562) 529-5599 for more information or to register.
APPsolute Fun: Apps for Early Learning
Mon., Jan. 9
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
LAPD 77th Street Division
Los Angeles
Please call TASK Anaheim at (714) 533-8275 for more information or to register.
AT for Autism and Other Disabilities
Fri., Jan. 20
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
TASK Anaheim
Please call TASK Anaheim at (714) 533-8275 for more information or to register.
TASK Membership
Please consider joining TASK as a member! Members receive the following benefits:
- Free TECH Labs
- Membership is tax-deductible
Membership is as low as $35.00 per year, per family. Join online! Visit the
Membership page on our website for more information.
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As we come to the final month of 2016 and enter into the holiday season, I wanted to talk about ideas for kids with special needs when it comes to gift giving. This isn't always an easy task considering physical limitations, interest levels and safety issues, not to mention the cost of many of these items!
When deciding on a toy for a particular child, think about the following:
What abilities does the child possess? What has the child shown interest in playing with? What skills does she or he have? Is there a goal that you would like the child to reach, using this toy? (For example, cause and effect, purposeful choice making, etc.)
It's important to consider universal design. Universal design is a philosophy for designing products and systems that are usable by people with the widest possible range of functional capabilities.
All potential users are considered during the inception of the idea, and in the design and marketing of the product. For more information on universal design, please visit Universal Design for Play Project.
Below are some wonderful resources for getting started in the wonderful world of toy buying for kiddos with special needs. Many have useful rating systems and information that is extremely helpful.
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HOLIDAY APP FUN:
Ho, ho, ho, Santa is coming and Talking Reindeer is here to help. Speak into the phone and Talking Reindeer will talk back to you. Change his voice in settings and you can go super low or squeaky high! Other talking pet apps can be quite poor when there is background noise. Talking Reindeer features a mic sensitivity setting so you can show off your cutest new pet whereever you are. Kids love Talking Reindeer, and so do grown-ups. He is just so cute he just seems to make even the grumpiest of people laugh out loud!
Bring the Christmas spirit into your home this year with Christmas Coloring Book. With 81 adorable coloring pages in 9 holiday categories and 40 vibrant colors for your child to choose from, Christmas Coloring Book offers hours of excitement and fun with all of your favorite Christmas character. Your children will be able to develop their inner artists without the inevitable mess that usually occurs after a creative session. The easy to use and intuitive coloring features are sure to spark your children's imagination and build their self-confidence as they enjoy their own holiday creations.
Cut, color and style Santa Claus's beard and hair! In this Christmas edition of the smash hit Toca Hair Salon, you can choose between styling Santa Claus or a funny Christmas tree! And best of all? It's completely FREE!
The only dreidel app with full gameplay and animation for 2-8 players, two new fast-paced versions, and the dreidel song. You select the number of players, the type of game, the number of rounds you want to play, and the amount of gelt each player begins with. After that, you get to enter the names of everyone playing, and then the fun begins!
123 Color: Hanukkah Coloring Book
123 Color Hanukkah Edition teaches numbers, letters, and colors, with engaging artwork, music, sound effects, and voice-overs spoken in 12 languages and dialects.
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Able Play (by National Lekotek Center) has an easy to understand rating system that focuses on the developmental areas of physical, sensory, communicative, cognitive, and social/emotional abilities of a child. Able Play evaluations provide research, ratings and reviews on each of these key areas of development.
Play Ability Toys - Special toys for special kids. A specialized company designing and manufacturing products for clinical and home use. Products range from unique toys created to meet the needs of children with special needs to the new Nurture Smart line designed to enrich the lives of children while they are in the hospital. These award-winning products have been bringing joy and the gift of play to thousands of children for over 15 years!
Sensory University
- Learning should be fun. It just makes sense! While they maintain their core special needs product line, they now offer many products geared towards the everyday cardiovascular, gross motor, sensory, and strength development of all children.
TFH Special Needs Toys - Full range of toys for special needs from mobile, multi-sensory to swings, trampolines and sensory integration kits, switches, rewards and small sensory toys.
Toys "R" Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids
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For more than 20 years, Toys "R" Us, Inc. has offered the Toys "R" Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids, a one-of-a-kind resource that offers toy recommendations based on research from the National Lekotek Center, a nonprofit organization that evaluates all toys in the Guide. For years, the Guide has provided parents and caregivers with toys that aid in the development of children who have physical, cognitive or development disabilities.
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If you have specific questions, please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]
and I will do my best to help. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season from all of us at TASK.
Cheers!
Laura Simmons-Martinez
Assistive Technology Program Manager
Team of Advocates for Special Kids
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| 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. |
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