The invitation to post a listing of 10 apps with the YappGuru Experts was privilege, but also a challenge! I would have been much more comfortable identifying 10 apps in 10 categories! Sifting and winnowing is a good practice, we do it all the time to identify the right app for students and clients based on their particular needs. After some sifting and winnowing, here are my choices of utility, intervention and compensatory apps for 2014 given the clients I work with …

Fotor Photo Editor & Cam app – Free (with in-app purchase) iOS app for iPhone/iPad features photo editing options not provided with the iOS stock Photo Album app. The free version provides tools to enhance, apply effects, manage brightness/contrast, stickers, text, crop, rotate, tilt/shift, frames and pixelate. Additional in-app purchases are available, however the free version provides many tools to modify images on your device as needed for AAC apps, storytelling apps or other creation apps. Take pictures from within Fotor app or import from your Photos Library. Fotor Photo Editor is also available for Android.

Voice Dream Reader app – regularly 9.99 (currently on sale for 4.99) for iPhone and iPad is the Swiss Army Knife of document and textbook management apps for individuals with reading challenges. Manages large files with a wide a variety of formats (PDF, Doc, RTF, DRM-free, Daisy, EPub, web and many more. Integrates directly with Gutenberg, Bookshare, Evernote, Google Drive for file management. Text to speech, synchronized text highlighting, high quality voices, color background/text contrast and text formatting options are a few of the customization features within the app. Provides study tools such as highlighting and extracting highlighted text and annotation. Appropriate for middle, high school and adult readers.

SnapType for Occupational Therapy – Free for iPad is a annotation app that provides an easy method of typing on photos of worksheets for individuals with dysgraphia or handwriting challenges. Created by a OT, this app is easy to use for young to mature users.

Keeble Accessible Keyboard app – 14.99 iOS 3rd party keyboard app provides word prediction, color coded keys, text to speech and dwell and release options for the iOS keyboard. Used in conjunction when word processing, emailing, or texting, this app provides support for struggling writers when used with other apps.

Alarmed! app – Free for iOS, this app provides robust alarms and alerts for schedules and events. Schedule persistent reminders with super reminders and “nag me” settings to help with recall and prompts for tasks and activities. Great for procrastinators or individuals with organizational challenges.

CoWriter app – 19.99 or iPad. This mobile app version of Co-Writer™  from Don Johnston, provides word prediction with grammar and phonetic spelling support and topic dictionaries for the iPad. Text to speech provides supports for struggling reader and writer.

InPromptu app – Free app for iPhone/Pad developed by Ohio State University, provides visual communication with text and video supports for individuals with disability. Provides mobile means of supplying evidence based practice of visual modeling using this app.

First Then Visual Schedule HD app – (14.99) for iPhone and iPad provides visual communication schedules for individuals with disabilities. Use images, video, text supports in visual schedules. Offers multiple styles of viewing schedules, from single to multiple pictures with options of check-off, to do done or put away. Add choices of sensory breaks to the visual schedule. Print or email schedules as hard copy option. First Then Visual Schedule app is also available for Android.

Lazoo Squiggles app – Free app for early, emergent writers to draw, add stickers and sound to create a picture story.  Drawings becomes animated! Great app and activity for young writers!

Ready to Print app – 9.99 for iPad provides prewriting activities and handwriting activities that can be graded according to the users skills. Collects data on individual users progress. This is an essential for OT’s who have a mobile device who are working with primary aged students. Ready to Print app for Android is also available for Kindle Tablet and Android devices.

ModMath app (free) for iPad provides an electronic math paper typing environment to create basic math problems (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, simple fractions) on the iPad. Great for elementary students with handwriting problems. Awesome app.

It seems incorrect to not have sensory apps and visual motor apps included in this list, however, as a OT and ATP providing supports for students and adults in the classroom or transitioning into work situations these apps would be my first picks, but believe me the next 10 would include sensory and sensory monitoring apps and oh so many more!

What would be your top 10 OT apps for 2014?

Carol