The apps and tools mentioned in this list will help students, educators and parents with the learning, teaching and monitoring needs of the kids with special needs.
The list has been made keeping the iOS users in mind. However, a lot of tools mentioned are also compatible with other devices like android and kindle.
Check out the tools below:
- Activate: It is a brain training program for children with ADHD. This program combines computer & physical exercises to develop the cognitive skills necessary to learn in the classroom and improve math and reading achievement. A web based platform.
- AuTeachism Therapist Teacher: This works as behavioral therapy for the children diagnosed with autism & other disability. It enables the user to teach, observe and record behavior patterns. Auteachism is harnessing the interaction and captivating quality of technology to ease the process of overcoming the language impairments challenges. The app is compatible with iOS based device.
- Autism Track: AutismTrack is a portable, customizable data tracking tool that empowers caregivers of those with autism to easily track interventions, behaviors and symptoms. Checkboxes allow daily recording of any therapy, medicine or diet. Simple “sliders” allow rating of any behavior or symptom (e.g., eye contact, aggression and echolalic speech). With multiple reporting features, this information can then be reviewed and shared, to help parents and other caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) answer the ongoing and ever-puzzling question: “What seems to be working, and what’s not?” The tool is compatible with iOS devices.
- Lola: It is a web based platform that works as a messaging & task management for special education students. Lola makes it easy for teachers to keep special needs students on track in the classroom. With Lola, teachers can create, share, and manage students through task lists and simple direct messaging.
- ChooseIt Maker 3: This tool enables teachers and parents to turn their photographs, symbols, text and sounds into engaging cause and effect or choice-making activities, games and quizzes for early years users and children with special educational needs, physical difficulties or learning difficulties. The tool is compatible with Web Browser, iPad App, Android Tablet App.
- Kurzweil Firefly K3000: It is a text to speech tool for both the web and iPad. The tool provide access to the curricula with a powerful, multisensory approach to learning built on innovative, research-based technology.
- Goal Book: it is a goal setting resource to help students with special needs achieve their common core standards. Released in 2013, Goalbook’s Toolkit supports special education teachers in writing and teaching Common Core-based I.E.P. goals. This professional learning tool includes hundreds of learning goals directly aligned to Common Core, Univeral Design for Learning (UDL) strategies, and instructional resources. Teachers can browse by standard or by area of need to identify a measurable, standards-based goal that is appropriate for any student. The tool is compatible with web Browser, iPad, Mac, Windows.
- iPrompts: This tool provides visual support for kids with language or behavioral challenges. It also helps students with autism, ADD & ADHD Spectrum. iPrompts contains a suite of visual support tools designed to improve attention to task, increase understanding of upcoming events, smooth transitions to new environments, and empower visual thinkers to stay organized and communicate preferences.
- LiftEd: It’s a mobile data tracking for students with disabilities and special education instructors. The tool enables special education teachers, therapists, and behavior specialists to measure Pre-K to 12th grade SPED students’ performances on academic and behavioral learning goals. The tool is compatible with iOS based devices.
- MyChoicepad: This app helps students with learning disabilities improve communication skills. The tool utilizes Makaton symbols, signs and signing videos in addition to your own photos and audio. User can create their own ChoicePad through the use of learning pathway games and communication grids. The tool is compatible with Android, iOS Devices, iPad, Tablets.
- Perkins eLearning: This online resource can help teachers better serve the needs of visually impaired students. The tool directly doesn’t help the students but helps the educator refine their skills by offering the most comprehensive, accessible professional development available on topics ranging from academic and vocational skills, to compensatory and adaptive skills, and beyond. It is a web based platform.
- Presence Learning: With this tool user can get help with live online speech therapy sessions delivered by licensed/credentialed professionals. They provide you an access to a network of nearly 800 licensed clinical professionals who work face-to-face with students via secure, live, online video sessions using our proprietary platform, a vast library of therapy activities, and detailed progress monitoring and tracking tools.
- Rethink: Rethink is a global health technology company providing cloud-based treatment tools, training and clinical supports for individuals with developmental disabilities and their caregivers. Teachers and students will find it of benefit for special needs assessment, training, curriculum and data tracking. It is a web based platform.
- See.Touch.Learn: This app serves as a visual learning and assessment system that can be shared with others on the Brain Parade user platform. It helps students with visual learning and assessment for special needs students. The app is compatible with iOS based devices.
- Speech4Good: This is a mobile app designed for people with speech and language disorders like stuttering, articulation, autism-spectrum, aphasia and more. The app is compatible with iOS based devices.
- Timocco: It’s a web based platform that provides interactive virtual motion games for students with special needs, designed by occupational and physical therapists to promote the development of motor, cognitive and communication abilities.
- Unique Learning System: It is a one-of-a-kind program designed specifically to give students with complex learning needs meaningful access to the general education curriculum. From one convenient, cloud-based platform, educators deliver differentiated, standards-aligned content enhanced by powerful assessments, data tools and evidence-based instructional support. Students from pre-K through transition have the advantage of consistent high-quality instruction, a motivating interactive learning environment, engaging symbol support and a path to independence.
- Spell Better- literacy Support for Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Low vision: Spell Better was created for those who struggle with writing confidence as a result of trouble spelling or forming sentences. It seems like an advanced form of the spell-checker that we use in text messaging, in a word processor form. The app was designed with dyslexia in mind, affecting the font choice and the predictive way that it corrects words. Also, the tool offers text-to-speech with words highlighted as they’re being read to improve visual recognition. The app can provide suggestions from phonetic spelling errors, skipped letter errors, and more, based on the context in which the word appears. The app is compatible with iOS based devices.
- First then Visual Schedule: This is a tsk manager app created for pre-readers. It provides a picture for each task to be completed and the person taking care of the child provides the order of events for the day so that child can interpret it on the app. Knowing what to expect throughout the day is sometimes especially important to those on the Autism spectrum, and this app is especially designed to lower anxiety about the unexpected for those who do not read yet.Users can even add custom photos to represent each task and print off a paper copy of the schedule if the child prefers it. There are also several different formats (icons in order of occurrence or a list form) that can be used according to the preferences or needs of the child. The price is a little higher for a task-manager app, but if it reduces anxieties for your non-verbal child, it’s priceless.
- Miracle Modus: The app simply projects your choice of patterns with soothing sounds playing simultaneously. Some settings can be altered, but ultimately it is a simple visual of pretty lights and colors. This setup can provide comfort and calming to a child that might need a bit of a break.
- See. Touch. Learn Pro: This is a mush have app because of the sheer amount of lessons you can use with the app for your child with special needs. The lessons contain picture flash cards designed to teach vocabulary, and new forms of self-expression. Since ABA therapy for those with special needs largely depends on flash cards to represent new concepts, this app puts all of those flash cards in one place. There is an entire peer-based community that shares the lessons they have created, which the user can download. These download, plus the 2,200 exercises included in the Pro version of the app, you should never run out of lessons for your child. The app is compatible with iOS based devices.
- Interactive Telling Time Lite: Telling time can be a difficult concept for children with learning difficulties, and this app offers a visually stimulating approach to the topic. This app is all-inclusive in its time lessons, teaching how to set a clock, convert between analog and digital time, determine AM/PM differences, and more. The skill of recognizing what time the clock says is an important part of learning independence for your child with special needs, and this is an interactive approach to teaching this invaluable lesson.
- Autism Core Skills- Academic, Communication And Social Skills Plus Data: The lessons on this app are extremely well made, and an adult is able to choose a theme that would be the most effective motivation and reward for the individual child. If any child is particularly interested in sports, for instance, a sports scene will be in the background of the game as a motivator. Also, a short animated clip of a sport being played might be the reward for a job well done. One unique feature of this app is the ability to appoint an adult that can control, through another device, the lesson progression, and curriculum that the child follows. This is a comprehensive app designed very well towards the population of children on the Autism spectrum. The app is compatible with iOS based devices.
- Rufus Robot: This collection of apps features many apps that are well-suited for students with autism or emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disabilities. Apps include those that focus on groups and categories, feelings and emotions, numbers and counting, and fun and games. The app is compatible with devices based on android and iOS.
- Articulation Station Pro: Created by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist, this app is designed to help children learn to speak and pronounce their sounds more clearly. Beautiful high quality images represent target words to be practiced in fun-filled activities with the assistance of a Speech-Language Pathologist, teacher, or parent.
- Touch and Learn – Emotions: Touch and Learn is a gaming platform that allows you to introduce new concepts in a fun and exciting new way. This app focuses on helping kids read body language and understands emotions by looking at pictures and figuring out which person is expressing a given emotion.
- Proloquo2Go: This symbol-based communication app is targeted to students with difficulty speaking and increasing communication skills and language development. Its innovative features let users, parents, teachers, and therapists quickly personalize the app.
- Pumpic App: When it comes to special education, monitoring functionality is also essential for teachers. Depending on their condition, students may tend to stray during breaks or engage in objectionable online activities. GPS-tracking and geofencing ensure that students do not leave the school territory without supervision, while monitoring features help prevent cyber bullying and other internet-specific dangers.
- Voice4U: is an augmentative and alternative communication app that helps students with communicative disorders express their ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc. It is especially a good solution for students with autism, ELL students, and stroke or traumatic brain injury victims. This app is interactive and easy to navigate.
- Speak It!: is a text-to-speech app. Just input the words, and the app will speak them for you. It highlights every spoken word so students can follow along with the text easier. This low-cost app allows non-verbal children to connect with their classmates. The device allows you to save your commonly used phrases and words, so you don’t have to input them over and over again.
- Talking Calculator: is the perfect app for students with visual disabilities. It has big colorful buttons and an easy-to-use interface. The app actually talks to students, telling them which button their finger is currently hovering over. When students are calculating something, the app can vocalize the answer.
- Kid in Story Book Maker: It’s an easy way to create visual stories to support learning and social modeling — with your kid as the star character! This app is great for kids with intellectual disabilities or with autism.
- Go Talk Now: It’s an easy-to-use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app allows nonverbal kids as young as 5 to communicate by tapping images representing words. Communication books can be customized using photos, text, voice, and video.
- Avaz Pro: An augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app empowers nonverbal kids to communicate and customize. Color coding and child-friendly voices make it a go-to. Comes preloaded with everyday words, such as “stop,” “yes,” “no,” and “sorry.”
- Eye to Eye – Empower Different Learners: In order to build self-awareness and esteem, kids can use Eye to Eye to help them communicate their strengths and challenges. After a series of quests, kids see a personalized plan that outlines what they’re good at and where they might need assistance.
- ConversationBuilderTeen: With this app teens can learn how to engage with their peers on a range of age-appropriate topics, including bullying, entertainment, sports, sarcasm, relationships, and school. This can be a good tool for kids with ASD.
- Avokiddo Emotions: This easy-to-use, friendly app can be great for kids who need help understanding that emotions can be detected by facial expressions. This is particularly important for kids who are nonverbal or on the autism spectrum.
- Between the Lines Level 1: Kids learn to read nonverbal cues in social situations by interpreting body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. Situations are presented in video clips. Beneficial for kids with autism spectrum disorder or other kids who have trouble reading social cues.
- FTVS HD – First Then Visual Schedule HD: Looking for a way to organize and ease transitions? This app is designed to help kids understand their daily routines using photos and auditory reminders. It can be great for kids with ADHD, ASD, and executive-functioning issues.
- Memory Train: For kids who have visual-processing issues, this engaging, fast-moving memory game can be helpful, as they need to decipher colors and shapes at a quick pace. As the app progresses, the memory challenge increases.
- Active Voice : Speech-To-Text: Writing can carry all sorts of challenges, so sometimes speaking ideas aloud can help. Though it may not recognize really topic-specific language, for shorter, simpler pieces, it may be a perfect fit.
- Claro ScanPen: With this tool, kids can take a picture of text and have it read to them in a variety of languages. Using a finger to highlight, kids can choose how much of the scanned text they want to hear, and various reading voices are available.
- SoundNote: This app syncs audio with notes taken during the recording and is great for older kids with ADHD or executive-functioning issues. They can go back to their notes and listen to a lesson again and add drawings for visual reminders.
- Bugs and Buttons 2: Fun games help kids practice their pincer grasp, eye-hand coordination, touch-and-drag motion, and more. Kids with dyspraxia and other fine motor issues may benefit, as games are designed by level, which helps them complete one-step motor tasks.
- Math Evolve: A Fun Math Game: Kids practice math facts in a fun, fast-paced arcade game. Depending on a child’s skill level, this app may help boost speed and accuracy for kids with dyscalculia.
- Teachley: Addimal Adventure: Visual cues in this beautifully designed addition app guide kids as they add single-digit numbers. Kids with dyscalculia and intellectual disabilities can benefit.
- Flocabulary: Educational Hip-Hop for K-12: Covering a wide variety of topics, the rhymes in this app help kids learn lots of concepts. Primarily used in the classroom to help kids remember key information, this app offers great reinforcement for kids who need help retaining information.
- MathPad: This innovative digital note-taking app allows kids to write mathematical expressions using a keyboard. It’s a great accessibility tool for kids with dyscalculia and dysgraphia. It also can benefit kids with physical disabilities.
- Crazy Formula: Make the formula pass through all the lab tubes until it gets to its final destination. To get it there, kids have to align all the lab tubes in the correct position. Kids will find this an engaging way to practice fine motor and visual skills for writing and hand control.
- RelationShapes: Similar to tangrams, this app asks kids to re-create pictures using a variety of shapes, which can increase spatial skills. To exercise their creativity, they can also create their own pictures!
Keeps the list growing in the comment section below!
