Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Ipad

AnnaKate got an Ipad for Christmas. Sounds a little extravagant for a 4 year old, unless you are a special needs parent and then you understand. The Ipad has become quite the communication tool. I wanted to share how we have been using it with AnnaKate.

First, the case…
I was a little hesitant to get the OtterBox case but after a few negligent tosses by sweet girl…we knew it was the right move. The OtterBox makes the sleek, light Ipad a little heavy and bulky but it is great for protection. It even came with a screen protector that went on perfectly. I highly recommend this case if you have a rowdy child using the Ipad. :)

DSC_8617The purpose…
The purpose of the Ipad is to provide AnnaKate with an alternate way to communicate as she develops her speech.

The apps…
I have spent an extensive amount of time researching communication apps. The gold standard right now is Proloquo2go. It is an amazing communication program. I have not purchased it for 2 reasons:
1. It is $199.99.
2. It is a little more than what we need right now for AnnaKate. I could program it to suit her needs for now but I have decided to try some less expensive and more simplified apps first.

Communication apps we are currently using:
Verbal Victor, Icommunicate and
My Choices Board

We have set up one entire icon screen with all of AnnaKate’s apps. She knows to swipe to her screen to find her apps.
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   Here is a screen shot of Verbal Victor. Right now it is AnnaKate’s favorite communication tool. It is very basic and only costs $9.99. I like that AnnaKate can easily move through the screens to find the phrase she may want to say. I can see how she could outgrow this app but it is easy to use and great for our needs right now.

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This is Icommunicate. I like this too but we don’t use it nearly as much as Verbal Victor. It is not as easy for AnnaKate to navigate by herself. It costs around $20.00DSC_8892

My Choices Board is great! This helps us with alleviating some frustrating moments in our house. We have created boards for what she wants to eat for meals, what she wants to watch on television, what she wants to play, etc. She loves touching the picture and hearing the word. This app costs about $9.99. Visually it is the most “cute” of all the apps with the neat little clipboard.

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Other uses…
I was very hesitant about AnnaKate using the Ipad for non communication things. I didn’t want it to become a play toy and not be used for the intended purpose. I quickly found out that she needed practice learning to swipe, move through screens, etc. So we downloaded some apps that would help with that as well. So these are fun apps but help with navigation too. They also all expose her to language. It was neat for us to see how fast AnnaKate picked up using the Ipad.

Fun apps..
She loves being able to play her own music with Toddler Juke Box.

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Peekaboo Barn is a cute app that practices animal names and sounds.DSC_8895

This is a great interactive Maisy book.

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Duck Duck Moose has made some great apps. We have most of them. This is Baa Baa Black Sheep. AnnaKate has to find objects, match objects and navigate through the pages.

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Babies with Ipads (the blog and Facebook page) has been a great resource for us. It lists great apps and also notifies you when useful apps are on sale or free.

The Ipad has become a great addition to our family. It has helped AnnaKate’s communication immensely and has become a fun thing to do together.

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*This is a picture of AnnaKate and Billy listening to music last night. AnnaKate was changing songs with her feet! Silly girl…

9 comments:

jCc said...

That is fantastic Kelly and so inventive. Kudos to you and Billy!

Melissa said...

You rock!

Unknown said...

Go Anna Kate! Kelly...you are just amazing!

Cindy said...

WOw! It sounds like she's really learned how to use it in less than a month! Go AK!

Anonymous said...

Kelly, how amazing to see all that the Ipad can help her do! I've never caught the link to your blog and I really enjoyed reading through it. It makes me happy to see you and your family so happy.

Best wishes!
-Becky (your Northern birthday twin)

Anonymous said...

So neat! What a great resource for you and Billy to have found!

Kelly said...

Hi Kelly, I posted a comment this morning (or so I thought), but didn't see it when I came back to check out these awesome apps again! Thanks for finding such great apps. I am going to download the Juke Box and a couple other ones you posted. I have music on Max's ipad, but he has to sign what song he wants to hear since he can't read the song name. He is going to love it. He loves listening to music on his Ipad. Keep us posted on other apps you find : ) Thanks! Kelly F

Anonymous said...

Thanks Kelly. We are almost ready to purchase our I pad for Noah next month. I'm going to save these apps you suggested. Noah is a electronic whiz. Hoping he picks it up as fast as AnnaKate.

Bitsy said...

Did you see the news story on Wyff4 about the Verbal Victor? I had just read your blog when it came on that night. Pretty cool stuff.