Living in the 4th Screen

Exploring the use of mobile technology in education and life

iPhone app helps autistic children communicate

Grace
The screen shot above is from an iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad app that assists non-verbal people to communicate using pictures. The app is Called Grace. People can use the app to build sentences using a series of pictures. The app was developed by a mother from Ireland who has two autistic children. Her name is Lisa Domican and she writes about her experiences on her blog called Hammiesblog. The video below is of Lisa explaining the development of the app.
 
 
 

Mobile Computing, Text Messaging, and Special Needs Students

My brother visited with his son over the holiday break. His son has special needs. He attends a regular public high school but does have an IEP. My brother commented how good text messaging is for his son. The physical act of texting helps with his son's fine motor skills. The mental task of thinking of words and typing them out on the mobile keyboard is another useful skill. His son might not sit at a keyboard and type out a paper, but he will text his friends. I told my brother that when I was a district technology coordinator I read lots research about technology and education it was pretty clear that technology can be very useful for the special needs population. I must admit that I never thought of texting as a way to help out special needs students. My brother also stated that he wants to get his son an iPhone so he can use Dragon Dictation. His son uses Dragon Naturally Speaking at home and at school on a desptop computer. My brother thinks having a mobile version of Dragon would be helpful for his son's development.

In a related note Yumi Kubo has created an augmentative and alternative communication app for autistic children that is available on the iPhone. The app is called Voice4u and offers 130 pictures of objects for autistic children who have trouble expressing themselves.Parents can add up to 1,000 words in addition by creating their own pictures and sounds. Below is a quote from their website:

Voice4u, is a revolutionary AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) application that helps individuals to express their feeling, thought, actions and things they need. It is a perfect solution for learning and communication for autistic individuals and people around them. Also highly recommended for SLPs, teachers, parents, children and adults with developmental disabilities, stroke, or traumatic brain injury.

Follow the links above to see screen shots or download the app from iTunes. I think you will see more and more of these type of apps for special needs students. The power and mobility of the iPhone o riPod Touch lend themselves to these types of applications.