OT's with Apps & Technology

With April being National OT Month, here is a review with a focus on OT’s who have contributed to our profession and use of mobile devices by creating  intervention apps. Kudos to them for their sharing their creativity  and expertise:

 Diane Reid, OT, Ready to Print app  (9.99) provide pre-writing and writing interventions with graded activities and data collection. Featured on OT’s with Apps previously, this is a staple in many OT’s mTool Kit. Also available for Android (7.99) .

Shelby’s Quest, created by Kami Bible, OT, is another great visual motor/pre-writing app with graded activities and multiple users. Available for iPad (4.99).

Dexteria app (3.99), by BinaryLabs, created this app in collaboration with OT’s. Provides motor coordination and control activities in this app. Also available for Android (4.99)!

Abilipad,(19.99) created by Cheryl Bregman, is a customizable keyboard and writing tool for a variety of ages and skill. Check out her recent updates in her app.

Other apps are available for evaluation and treatment planning, but these are a few intervention apps created by and for OT’s. Kudos to these OT’s!

More for your OT mTool Kit!

Carol

Mark Coppin, Director of Anne Carlsen’s Center for Assistive Technology, has created a iTunesU  “Apps for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders”. The purpose of this course is to assist in determining what app features to look for when selecting apps.

It is totally free and best viewed using the free iTunes U app.
iTunes U App – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itunes-u/id490217893?mt=8

1) Download the iTunesU App, open the app
2) Click “catalog”
3) Scroll down the page and click on “enroll”
4) Enter this code to enroll: HF5-4R8-HZE

You can also enroll in this course through iTunes by following this link – https://itunesu.itunes.apple.com/audit/COH3CQR8H2

The course is best viewed through the iTunesU app.

Retrieved on April 3, 2014 from : http://news.annecarlsen.org/autism/free-download-apps-for-students-with-autism-spectrum-disorders/

The course is free. Available is a listing of apps for students with Autism.

Thanks to Director Mark Coppin for creating and sharing this resource.

Carol

Ready to Print App

Ready to Print app is a Swiss army knife app for OT’s, providing touch screen training, prewriting, visual matching, basic shape drawing, letter formation activities with the ability to grade the tasks and collect data on multiple users. 

Ready to Print app, developed by Diane Reid, OTR, is a great tool for your pediatric OT mTool kit. For a more about the app check out  Ready to Print Updated! post.

Ready to Print generously provided promo codes for the participants at our OT’s with Apps at School Workshops. We have a few to also share. Redeem before April 1, 2014.  Please be polite and post a comment that you redeemed a code and the beginning numbers! It reduces frustration for others.

9YNW6PAFHJWY

HJTM4RRLNWNR

3RHJX4JJN934

FWHY3W4T7KH6

H7A7XTKJXPFA

Thank you to Ready to Print developers!

Carol

April is Autism Awareness Month and there is always a frenzy of activity – including (typically) many apps gone free. With a few days yet to go, the apps gone free seems to have started. Here is one app, free for a limited time (yes, how long is typically a mystery) reviewed by the folks at Smart Apps for Kids :

  S.E.E – Social Emotional Exchange (iPad; currently free/ 29.99 typically). Described on iTunes as an “engaging and interactive way to teach children various human emotions by looking at facial expressions.
This app has been built from ground up while keeping kids with autism in mind.
S.E.E. has been developed with the direct consultation and feedback of ABA therapists.” Developed for 6-8 year olds who need direct instruction on concepts of emotions. Here are a few clips of the app:

Check the review on Smart Apps for Kids to see if it will be a tool for your OT mTool Kit, otherwise, pass it on!

Carol

While searching for information, I stumbled upon Apps and Clinical Features Matching Handouts resource from Boston Children’s Hospital which provided not only feature matching templates but also an interesting list of Motor Apps created by Jessica Caron (May 2013) . Her list of more than 15 app provides a unique curation of “Apps Used to Refine Motor Movements”.

Created to identify specific apps that encourage certain interaction on a mobile device for access to communication (swiping, tap, precise pointing, etc.), Jessica Caron lists the apps and the skills needed when using the app (drag, tap, swipe, refined point). Although created for communication, this list could also be very helpful for those searching for apps for beginning iPad switch or direct touch users.

The image below is shows an example of part of her list of Motor Apps:

Check out her complete handout  Motor Apps  on the Boston Children’s Hospital website if you are looking for apps for emergent iPad users and apps with specific motor requirements. Jessica Caron also shares an App List and iPad Accessories for you to peruse on the Boston Children’s Hospital Resource.

If you are looking for more information on touch progression or switch access on the iPad, also check out Ian Bean’s resources at: http://www.ianbean.co.uk/publications.html . He has a wealth of information specifically on touch and switch progression!

So many resources and so little time!!

More for your OT mTool Kit!

Carol