I Found An App, Now What?

There are so many great websites and blogs out there to guide parents and professionals in their quest for the BEST apps to support children with special needs. But finding a great educational app is only the first step! What happens next?

First, allow me to climb onto my best practice soap box for a moment... 

My Opinion (and it is just that)

An iPad in the hands of a child is useless without the guided support of a knowledgable play partner! Don’t get me wrong, all children need free time to “explore”, whether with Mr. Potato Head, everyday objects around the home, or on YouTube. But, if we want to scaffold learning, moving our kids toward their developmental goals, we have to be present in the interaction (at least part of the time, if not most of the time!). Apps are great, but they can’t do all of the work for us. :)

What does this mean, generally speaking?
1) As special needs professionals, we need to assure that in addition to app recommendations, we are supporting our families with appropriate home programming strategies around these apps, just as we would with more traditional home practice materials.

2) As parents, we need to assure that we are involved with our children during iPad play, providing the modeling, support, and interaction learned from our therapeutic and educational teams to promote the development of vital social and academic skills within our kids.

Ok, climbing off of the soap box now...

What next?

I love apps, and I love how eager my families are to use them with their kids at home! To bridge my love of apps with a need for valuable parent coaching resources, I have decided to embark on a journey. Over the next few months, I plan to post several “how to’s” to support parents in using popular special needs apps at home. But I need your help!

How you can help SNEAK’s project:

1) If you are a parent/therapist/educator that would like guidance on a specific app, post in the comments below.
If you are an app developer that would like to find out how your app can be used to target specific skills for children with special needs, post in the comments below.
If you are a blogger/AT professional who has valuable resources to guide the use of specific special needs apps, post in the comments below.

Thank you for contributing and keep checking SNEAK for app “how to’s”! :)

5 Great Summer AT/AAC Online Trainings!

Looking for some continuing education opportunities to learn more about assistive technology and AAC while you are wrapping up your "lazy" summer? :)  Check out some of these great online webinars to stay in the AT loop!

1.  ATIA Online Webinars

ATIA is offering some great topics over the next month, including "Challenges to Using Apps as Assistive Technology"

2.  PRC Online Professional Development Trainings

PRC always hosts some great AAC trainings to support not only their products, but the AAC evaluation and treatment process as a whole.  They have a few nice online trainings coming up, including one on successful AAC report writing.

3.  The AAC Institute

Offers a nice, comprehensive listing of CE opportunities in the areas of AT and AAC, including online/webinar trainings.  

4.  The Assistive Technology Training Online Program (ATTO)

Although not a live webinar or a course offering CE credits, this site has some amazing online resources to help new professionals in the field of AT get their bearings.  

5.  Closing the Gap

Although they have not posted any new, live webinars since May, you can access all of their archived webinars for some really great information.

I will update this as I come across new opportunities.

Have a training, online course, or webinar you'd like to share?

Online Resources for AAC from Say It With Symbols!

I just came across this site (I know, a bit slow since it has been in business for a few years!) and I love it!  Great low tech, AAC products and a wonderful resource list for parent friendly AAC info all over the web!  They also sell adorable shirts and gift items, including greeting cards, that display messages with picture communication symbols.  Love it :)

If you are a parent or professional looking for AAC tips to support your special kids, definitely check this out (Giving Greetings/Say It With Symbols!).

You might also want to check out SNEAK's previous post on SNEAK's Top 5 Web Resources for Teaching Language to Kids who Use AAC

What AAC resources do you find helpful?

10+ Essential Speech Therapy Apps for Your iToolbox

image from Polyvore 

I have found so many cool iTools for professionals lately that I decided to start a running post to showcase some of the apps that make my job as a therapist a little bit easier. :). Unlike other posts on SNEAK, which often focus on apps for our kids, this one is for my #slpeeps and other professionals working in the trenches and looking for some great apps to help out. Please comment below if you would like to share professional apps that you find helpful. I will update this list as I find new gems :)

*Note:  All of the app links below are for iPad apps but many of these apps are also available for the iPhone.


Say Hi Translate

Work with multicultural families and need some communication help in a pinch?  This handy app will translate into many common languages when you speak aloud!

Disfluency Index Counter

Keep track of stuttered syllables and more with this handy, disfluency data tracking app.

Artik Pix

A full articulation deck for word and sentence level practice with built-in data tracker, reinforcement, and auditory feedback.  Great pictures and extensive word lists!

Time Timer

An awesome visual timer to help kids stay on task and transition between activities.

Token Board

A visual token board app that helps kids work for rewards and achieve their goals.

Custom Boards

A great, on-the-go app for making visual supports and communication boards on your iPad!  Great symbol library and lots of templates included!

Super Duper Data Tracker

A simple and easy to use app for tracking data during sessions.  Data tracker also includes graphs to help you visualize each student's progress.

3D Human Oral Cavity

Great, 3D models of the human oral musculature to help in patient and family education during therapy.  This series has lots of companion apps for different parts of the body.

Pages

Created by Apple for iPad and iPhone, this word processor is a great way to keep up with your documents on-the-go.  It is a fully functioning word processing app that can be used to write therapy notes, create home programs,  compose letters to colleagues and families, and more!

Metronome!!

Help your students control their speaking rate, motor planning, and fluency with a simple, but handy metronome app.  This one provides visual and auditory feedback and is very customizable.

What apps are in your professional iToolbox?

Awareness! An App for Articulation, Fluency, and more!

I recently downloaded this app for my own use (to keep me safe and aware while running with my headphones in),  but I quickly realized that it had wonderful applications to speech therapy, especially for kids struggling with articulation and fluency difficulties.

Awareness! The Headphone App allows you to hear environmental sounds around you while listening to music or other audio through your headphones (on iPhone or iPad).  Awareness! uses the microphone of your device to bring in the external audio signal and blends the signals so you hear the audio source form within your device (i.e., audio, music) as well as the sounds around you!  It really works well!  Here are a few ways I have explored this app so far in therapy:

• As feedback to slow down speech rate (much like DAF-delayed Auditory Feedback)
• As feedback for articulation practice and error discrimination
• To help my kids with auditory processing difficulties practice listening to what's important within a sea of environmental noise

I love using Awareness!  with the built in iPhone/iPad, front facing camera as well for added feedback!

This app is simple, but awesome, and I can't wait to keep exploring it as a feedback tool in therapy!

What apps are you using for feedback?

Must Have Books for Parenting Special Needs

Don't get me wrong, I love the Internet. But sometimes, you just need a little more depth when you're trying to find important answers.  Even with this vast web of knowledge, I still look to books to help me in my practice and to give me resources for the families I serve.  I LOVE that many of the resource books that tackle common difficulties in parenting children with special needs come in electronic book format too!  Check out these great books and eBooks on a variety of topics, from dealing with the stress of parenting a special needs child to feeding a picky eater.  

Find Great Books for Special Needs Here

What books are you reading?

8 ("ate", haha :) Ways to Support Your "Picky Eater" with Technology

I love technology (and I love to eat!) and I am always looking to integrate it into my practice.  I truly believe that much of what we do today, as professionals, parents, and people, is enhanced through technology.  So why should feeding therapy be any different? :)  Here are a few ways to use some awesome websites, blogs, and apps to support children who have difficulty eating in therapy sessions and at home.

#1 Teaching Kids and Families About Food (and Nutrition)


For some kids and parents, part of achieving oral feeding progress is to learn about portion size, balanced diets, and the vital nutrients the body needs to learn and grow.  This is especially true for children who eat a limited range of foods and limited volume of the foods they accept.  I have also found that some families just aren't really sure what and how much when it comes to feeding their kids.  The websites and mobile apps below are great tools to support learning about new foods and nutrition ( not to mention, educational and fun for parents and kids!)

Nourish Interactive
"Nourish Interactive is your free one stop resource for fun nutrition games for kids, interactive nutrition tools and tips for parents and health educators to use to promote healthy living for the whole family."  This AMAZING, interactive site is colorful and kid friendly, and even provides printouts on topics related to food groups, portion size, meal planning, and more!   The site has some culturally diverse information as well and can be viewed in English or Spanish.  Think this site is a great way to help families plan out meals for their picky eaters and to help kids learn about new foods.  There are even some blog posts in their blog section that specifically address picky eating.

ChooseMyPlate.gov
My Plate is an effort by the USDA to promote healthy and safe eating habits for all American families.  This site is less kid-directed and more for caregivers but it is loaded with helpful information on nutrition guidelines, meal schedules for various ages, and even picky eating tips.    I especially love the online tools this site offers to help parents keep daily food logs and calorie counts.

Kids Food Adventure (App for mobile devices)
"Explore new foods with your family that are delicious, healthy and sometimes exotic! Kids Food Adventure puts the power of discovery in your child’s hands."  This fun and interactive app includes:

• Colorful photos of each food to help kids identify and recognize new foods
• Seasonal monthly food suggestions to pinpoint the ideal time to try new foods.
• Parent/kid-friendly fun facts, health benefits, and other information on cooking, buying and preparing each food 
• Color-coded stars help kids track their progress and rate the foods they’ve tried.
• Reward stickers encourage kids to give new foods a try!

The developers of this app are also working on another app that targets picky-eating more directly (Choose my Food).

#2 Having Fun (and games!) With Food

For some kids, simply taking the pressure off can get them more comfortable with new foods and the eating experience.  Many times, we will create cooking and sensory exploration activities around food without any focus on actually eating.  Food theme activities can also be fun, especially for kids who need a less direct exposure to a food before they will interact with it.  Here are some great apps and online games that are simply fun and food themed :)  I like to use these kinds of activities to prep my kids before a cooking or snack activity, and as a learning tool to set the context for trying new foods.

Alfy.com
This site is simply fun and games. :)  It has free online games that target a variety of topics, including cooking and food.  Parents, just a bit of a caution here:  Some of the games (not the cooking or food related, but some of the others) are a bit mature, so screen them before you sit down to play.

ZisBoomBam: Where It's Ok to Play With your Food
"ZisBoomBah is an innovative website that challenges conventional wisdom and develops tools to empower children and inspire parents to live a fun, active and healthy life. ZisBoomBah’s free online tool “Pick Chow!” allows children to create meals by dragging and dropping foods onto their virtual plate. The “Add it Up!” meters show the nutritional values in a fun and easy way and rates each meal with one to five stars – a feature that helps children learn quickly how their choices make a difference in creating a well-balanced meal. Children can send their “chow” to their parents, who then receive an email with what their child has chosen to be a healthy choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with the menu, recipe, shopping list and coupons."  Event though the focus is on calorie control (rather than gaining weight, which is what many of our picky eaters need to do:), I still think this site is a really fun way for kids to get involved in planning and cooking meals with their parents. :)

Here are some fun, food themed apps available for advices and Android:

Cookie Doodle

Cake Doodle

More Toast

Faces iMake-Premium

More Sundaes

Fruit Ninja

Food Processing

Cupcakes

More Pizza

Charlie Wonders Milk

ABC Food

Ice Cream Parlor

*There are COUNTLESS food-themed apps in the app store so you should definitely search on your own to find many more not listed above. :)

#3 Teaching Kids and Families About The Eating Process


In feeding therapy, we often use techniques to help children understand the mechanics of chewing and swallowing.  Technology can be a great supplement to teaching the science of eating!

Kids Health: The Digestive System
The Kids Health web series (including Kids health Classroom, a great source for theme materials and printouts on nutrition across childhood) is a great tool for parents and kids to explore a variety of healthy topics, including good eating and nutrition.  The Digestive System section also helps kids understand what happens in their bodies when they chew and swallow foods, and what happens when their tunnies hurt.

The Digestive System (Interactive eBook)

Other Great Web Resources for Learning about the Human Body

#4 Tracking Calories and Food Range


Keeping a food diary of mealtime scheduling, foods eaten, and amounts/calorie  and nutrition counts of foods eaten is a large part of a comprehensive feeding therapy plan.  These tech tools can help therapists and parents with this part of the process.

Calorie Count website and Calorie Counter App

My Fitness Pal  website and App

Mint Nutrition App

SuperTracker  (a free  online tool on MyPlate.gov)

#5 Navigating Special Diets and Food Allergies
Many of our kids with feeding aversions, especially those on the Autism Spectrum, may suffer from extreme food allergies, intolerance, or sensitivities.  This can compound feeding therapy even further.  Here are some tech tools to help support your picky eater on a special diet.

App Advice App List: Cooking for Special Dietary Needs
This is a fantastic app list from App Advice that focuses on Apps related to special diets.  It includes databases of foods containing certain, common allergens, and even offers some apps with recipe builders based on allergy-free food choices.

FAAN App list for Food Allergy Apps
Another great app list, this one is allergy focused from the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.

Kids with Food Allergies Foundation (App and site)
This site focuses on food allergies related to kids and also has a companion, mobile device app, bringing this info to families who may not have Internet access outside of that on their smart phones.

#6 Mealtime Schedule and Planning

Food On the Table
A website and companion app that helps families plan meals and save money on groceries.

Food Planner App

Parents Connect App List for Meal and Menu Planning
A great app list that is full of meal planning apps to organize busy parents.

*In addition, many of the websites mentioned above in this post have meal planning and recommended feeding/eating schedules for kids of various ages.

#7 Rewarding and Reinforcing 
Keeping mealtimes positive is an important part of learning to eat new foods.  Verbal praise and rewards are some of the many tools we can use to support kids with feeding difficulties,  These tech tools can help us reward kids for trying their best at mealtime and can also keep mealtime tasks more visual for those who need a little more support to get through the hard stuff.

Working4 App

iReward App

Choose my Food (an App in progress)

First Then Visual Schedule App

#8 Getting Specific Questions Answered: Blogs About Feeding Therapy and Related Topics


Food for Tubies
An insightful and informative blog targeted to parents of children who are fed through a G-tube (or another variation thereof), specifically those following a slenderized G-tube program.

Food Chaining
A really great blog on food chaining for children with sensory feeding aversions.


Feeding Therapy Help
A Q & A blog with specific tips and strategies and a forum to ask questions.

Feeding Therapy/Oral Motor on Pinterest 
Using Pinterest to obtain information can be great for visual learners, especially those who aren't sure what they're looking for.  Here is a great pin board related to feeding and oral motor therapy, including tools and ideas for DIY's.

The Tender Foodie
Lots of information here on feeding and allergy related issues for children on the Autism spectrum.

One last note:   One of my favorite, simple tech tools to use for feeding therapy:  a web cam!  Video modeling and feedback is a wonderful tool to help kids conquer their fears and put themselves out their at mealtimes!  Videos are also a great way to track progress!

What technology do you use to support your picky eater?

7 Great Resources for (Gently) Used Assistive Technology!

There is no question that the iPad has brought much more affordable learning and communication technology to children in need.  With this awesome gadget, we can now offer voice output communication for a mere fraction of the cost of dedicated AAC devices.  However, for some kids with special needs, dedicated AAC devices may be more appropriate for long term language growth and communication development.  This necessity comes with a hefty price tag as many dedicated AAC devices cost thousands of dollars and are not fully covered by private medical insurance.  For those children with medical coverage that reimburses for these systems, the assessment and application process can be effortful and time consuming for the parents and team supporting the child, at times resulting in denials from funding sources.  And lets not forget that just because the iPad and other tablets are much less expensive then these dedicated systems or a personal computer, doesn't mean that all families are able to meet the financial requirements that arise in setting up an iPad communication system.   A family can expect to spend $1000.00 or more when you consider the base price of the tablet, protective gear, audio gear, apps, access supports like switches and switch interfaces-the list could go on and on!  So what options are available for families who just can't meet the iPad price tag or for kids that truly need a dedicated system at a significantly lowered price?

Here are a few great resources to help you find used and donated (i.e., lowered cost and free) assertive technology (AT), including communication devices, mobility equipment, and mobile technology.  

1. Pacer Center: Champions for Children with Disabilities
2. Get AT Stuff 
3. AbleData Classifieds
4. Tech ACT Projects   (resources by State)
5. Pass It On Center  (resources by State)
6. Apple Store (Refurbished and Clearance Center)  Apple has a section of their online store that is dedicated to selling used/refurbished and clearance technology, including iPads
7. Used iPads on Amazon

Do you have a source for affordable AT that you'd like to share?  Do you have equipment that you'd like to donate to a child in need?  Contact SNEAK or post in the comments below.

If you want to continue the discussion on the technology divide, please comment below or join our chat at SNEAK Freestyle Forum.

Disclaimer:  I checked out the above resources to the best of my ability and each seems legitimate and responsible when it comes to assuring the quality of goods being sold as well as the honesty of those selling them.  Please be aware when purchasing equipment and other products for third party sellers that you are not familiar with as their is always risk involved.  I have never purchased from any of the above links and therefore cannot fully endorse the safety of shopping through these sources.  

Say Hi Translate: A Great Tool for Professional Communication

As a speech therapist working in a diverse area of Washington, I work closely with families who speak a variety of native languages. Having interpreters to assist in communication with these families is key,and I am so thankful that my amazing workplace assures that these services are just a phone call away. But, as with anything in life, there are times when there are kinks and things do not work out as planned. I have often found myself in situations where I needed to communicate simple information to a family but struggled with how. It is so cool to see translation Apps hit the iPad market and when I read this review, I knew I had to try it out!

Check Out Say Hi Translate

Have you used a translation app in your practice?

Tips to Assist Motor Access For iPad

As part of my series of posts on Technology for Children with Visual Impairment, I wanted to share some tips on fine motor access for the iPad and other tablets.  I will update this resource as more exciting technology becomes available!


Stylus & Pointers:  
For some kids, especially those that have difficulty isolating a finger, a stylus can be a great support for iPad access.  There are many stylus (styli? styluses? :)-let's say, "stylus options"- available and Stylus-R-Us does a great job of discussing some of these options.  They even have a section of their website dedicated to special needs (it's under "Physically Disabled").  Thanks to OT's with Apps for finding this great resource!  OT's with Apps also has an awesome post on creating your own stylus and some further details on specific stylus options that are functional for different needs.  Check it out here.  If you are looking for something a bit chunkier for younger users, check out the Griffin/Crayola iMarker- it is not only a handy stylus, but also has a great coloring App you can download for free :)

Some kids may already be using a pointing aid, such as a head pointer or mouth pointer, or may benefit form using such an aid.  Work with your therapy team to see if these pointing aids could be helpful to your child and then check out RJ Cooper's tips on how you can make your pointing aids work with the iPad touch screen.

I Didn't Mean to Touch That!:
Part of the reason that the iPad is such a functional, efficient tool for many of us who use it for leisure and business is because it responds to the slightest touch.  This can be a pro and a con for our kids with physical challenges.  Many times, areas of the touchscreen are activated unintentionally or special gestures (Multitasking Gestures) are accidentally used and the screen does funky stuff (e.g., zooms in, moves up and down)!  Unfortunately, Apple has not addressed this issue in the last two version of the iPad and we currently have no way to adjust the sensitivity settings of the touch screen.  Here are a few solutions that might be helpful for your child:

• Multitasking Gestures are toggled on and off in the Settings of the iPad.  These gestures, when enabled, allow you to move between apps, open multi-tasking menus, and more by using three, four, or five finger gestures on the touch screen.  Sometimes, our kids have difficulty using just one finger on the screen and may activate these gestures by accident.  If you find this is a problem, you can turn the gestures off in the Settings menu of your iPad.  You may also notice that sometimes the screen zooms in.  This happens when two fingers tap on the iPad screen when the Zoom feature is turned on.  It also happens magically when little fingers and plans rest too long on the screen. :)  If you find this is a problem, turn the Zoom feature off on your iPad in the Accessibility section of the Settings.  

• The iPad screen responds to the electricity (capacitive touch) of our fingers.  This is fancy science stuff but really what it means is that pressure is not what makes the iPad do its dance-rather, it is the energy that emerges when your finger (or special fabric/material if using a stylus made for a touch screen) comes in contact with the screen.  In the case of our kids with special needs, this could mean their intentional finger or the other ones coming along for the ride as they rest against the screen to offer support!  Dana of Uncommon Sense Blog is a mom who has first-hand experience with this issue and she came up with a clever solution in the form of DIY fingerless gloves :)  Check it out here.

• There are a handful of iPad apps, most of which are related to AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) but some of which that are play-based, that can be used with accessibility switches.  To do this, you must have an iPad compatible switch interface like the Blue2 from Ablenet, or RJ Cooper's Bluetooth Switch Interface.  Be careful because only certain Apps will work with the Blue 2, and others only with RJ's interface.  For a solution that works with all switch accessible apps for  iPad, check out the APPlicator (great review by Jane Farrell at this link).  With one of these tools, an accessibility switch (e.g., Jelly Bean, finger switch, etc...) and a switch-accessible iPad App, your child can access the iPad without using the touch screen.  Here are some of my favorite switch games for iPad :)  For a comprehensive list of switch-accessible Apps for iPad, check out Jane Farrall's list, it is updated frequently.

• Keyguards can also be helpful for kids with motor challenges who are using the iPad, so long as you are using an App that works with the key- guard layout.  Check out LaseredPics-they make keyguards for a variety of iPad Apps and will even make special order guards.  

What do you use to help your child access the iPad?

Technology for Kids with Visual Impairment

I was recently invited to be a guest speaker on two teleconferences for parents seeking support for their children with visual impairments. These impairments included cortical visual impairment (CVI) and LCA, a genetic condition which leads to blindness. I really enjoyed participating in these calls and gaining some perspective on the information these families are seeking for their kids. They all had such wonderful questions and I admired their innovation and bravery. Although the focus of this talk was definitely geared more toward mobile technology, we also discussed some great computer and web resources to enhance play and learning for these kids. I thought this information might be helpful for other families supporting children with cortical visual impairment and other forms of low vision and blindness.   I thought it might be helpful to other parents to have some of this info as well.  In a series of posts this week, I will share some further tips and resources on technology for visually impaired kids.  Click on the links below for information related to each technology category .:)  I will try to post these quickly this week so if a link doesn't work today, please try again tomorrow!

App List for Kids with Visual Impairment

Tips for Choosing & Using Apps for Kids with Special Needs

iPad Positioning Tips for Children with Visual Impairment

Tips to Assist Motor Access For iPad

Software & Online Games  for Kids with Visual Impairment

What resources are you looking for to help kids with visual impairment?

UTW Tip #3: Connecting to Special Needs Resources Through Twitter

I have to admit, I have been rather resistant to Twitter, and it isn’t MY favorite way to connect with information. Bu,t for some, it really is a simple, fast, and fun way to explore real-time news. I’m warming up to it . :) Are you using Twitter right now, but you just don’t know how to connect with the special needs related information that you want? Or maybe you have no idea what on earth a Tweet is and you keep wondering what all the fuss is about? In this post, let’s explore what Twitter is, how it works, and how you can get what you need from it when it comes to special needs resources. 

In my last post on Connecting with Special Needs Resources Through Blogs, I tried to paint a picture of what a blog is and what characteristics about blogs make them an attractive tool for staying in the special needs loop. Keeping with that blog theme, let’s think of Twitter as a microblog, a smaller version of a blog-smaller in a few, figurative and literal ways. Straight from “the bird’s” mouth: “Twittter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions, and news about what you find interesting” (Twitter.com). So like blogs, Twitter is focused on topics, and like blogs, twitter brings information to you without you having to visit individual sites when content is updated (i.e., “real-time). So what makes Twitter different form the other social media tools we have discussed so far this week (i.e., Facebook, Blogs)? Twitter brings you a smaller snapshot (a “Tweet”) of a news story than a blog. Again from the Twitter bird’s mouth “At the heart of Twitter are small bursts of information called ‘Tweets’. Each Tweet is 140 characters long, but don’t let the small size fool you- you can discover a lot in a little space. You can see photos, videos, and conversations directly in Tweets to get the whole story at a glance, and all in one place” (Twitter.com). This relatively smaller scale makes Twitter a nice way to receive small bits of information at one time and then decide which bits to explore further. For those of you in a time crunch, this could be just the ticket. So how does it work and how can you connect with the topics you’re interested in? 

  Here are a few tips:

• First thing, if you haven’t already, open a Twitter account. Like Facebook, it is completely free of change and only takes a moment. Once you have an account, you will have to teach Twitter what you’re interested in. 
• You can share a bit about yourself and your interests in your Twitter profile so that others know what you want to know about. However, this isn’t required to explore Twitter and connect with others, so you can always choose to keep these details private. 
• Everyone in Twitter has a username that is preceded by the @ symbol. For example, the username for SNEAK outside the box on Twitter is @sneakotb. Look for Twitter usernames on many of the printed resources you receive from special needs organizations already. Like with Facebook, most companies, organizations, and even blogs have Twitter accounts that they use to share information. Once you know their usernames, you can “Follow” them on Twitter to stay connected. “Following” someone on Twitter makes you are part of their Twitter conversation. Much like subscribing to an RSS feed (discussed in my previous post), this means that you will see the updates of those you are following right on your Twitter page, making it faster and easier for you to receive information, join in a discussion, or ask a question. Here are a few ways to Follow people who talk about things you are interested in: 
• Click on the Twitter icon on the home page of your favorite special needs websites and blogs to follow the sites/blogs on Twitter. 

• Search for the Twitter username of the organization/etc... you want to follow. To do this, click on the “@Connect” link t the top of your Twitter profile and then type the name you are searching for in the search box on the right. Keep in mind that Twitter usernames don’t have spaces in between words. :) 
• Twitter will also suggest who you should follow based on what it knows about you so far. If you have already started following a few Tweeters, Twitter may suggest some of their followers (the Followers of the Tweeter you are Following-phew, another mouthful :). You can see these suggestions on your Twitter home page each time you sign on. Read the profiles of these Tweeters and see if they are talking about what you’re interested in. If so, Follow them and check out who they are Following, you might want to connect with them as well. These branches are a lot like exploring a Blog Roll on the home page of your favorite blogs, or the “liked” pages of your Facebook connections (see my previous posts on Facebook and Blogs for more details:). 
• As with Facebook and Blogs, you can also search for keywords on Twitter to connect with relevant special needs information. In Twitter, keywords are called “hashtags” and they are preceded by a pound symbol (#). For example, the keyword “AAC” would look like this on Twitter “#AAC”. Hashtags are used by Tweeters to put their Tweets into categories and help other Tweeters find their information. To search for keywords from your Twitter homepage, click on the “#Discover” link and type in your search term in the search box on the right. When you are searching, you don’t have to include the hashtag, but doing so may limit your results to those more specifically related to your keyword. Your search results will include Tweets that were marked with the keyword (hashtag) you searched for. Your results will also include photos and videos that are tagged by this term and a list of People who write write Tweets marked with this topic. This could be a nice way to find People on Twitter who are talking about the keywords you are interested in and Follow them. 
• Twitter also lets you browse categories from your homepage to find information on broader topics like Technology, Family, and Education. If searching for specifics is too overwhelming at first, try to connect with general Tweets by browsing categories first, and then go from there. Save your favorite 
• Twitter searches so you can search those terms often without having to re-enter the keywords. You can save your searches after you search by clicking on the gear icon (or it might look like a sun :) and clicking “Save search”. You can re-visit your saved searches later by clicking on the #Discover link and clicking in the search box. Your saved searches will appear in a list underneath so you can just click on the term you want to search. 

Staying Connected with Twitter on the Go

Now that you have started “following the conversation” on the special needs topics you are interested in, it’s time to figure out the best way(s) to keep yourself connected to your Twitter home page so you can get your information quickly, easily, and frequently! You will always be able to access your information by signing in to your Twitter account on Twitter.com. But, if you are using an iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or mobile tablet, you can also use mobile Apps to get your Twitter feed anywhere. These apps are free and easy to use, check them out here.

Twitter also has a service called Fast Follow which lets you receive notifications and Tweets through text messages (SMS) on your cell phone. You can set this feature up in your Twitter account settings. This will not send you a text message for every Tweet, only those Tweets and other notifications that you specify in the settings.

Visit SNEAK on Twitter to follow posts on technology for special kids and also link to other professionals and parents discussing special needs topics. You can explore the Tweeters SNEAK is following and see if you want to join their conversations. :)

Check out these helpful links for more in-depth information on Twitter:

What is Twitter? Wikipedia

Twitter.com-About Twitter

How To Use Twitter (You Tube Video of the Basics)

How do you use Twitter to find special needs resources?

Untangling "the Web" Tip #2: Connecting to Special Needs Resources Through Blogs

So what is a blog anyway? For a full definition and in depth history that surely goes beyond what you are interested in, check out Wikipedia.:) But in a nutshell, the term "blog" is short for "web log" and blogs are websites where individuals and/ or groups record information, opinions, etc... on a regular basis. The "regular basis" is a key difference between most standard websites and a blog. Many blogs are updated at least on a monthly basis, some even daily, and this steady stream of new content is one reason why blogs are a great tool for finding resources for kids with special needs. Some blogs are about very specific topics (e.g., iPad Apps for Autism) and others are on broader categories of information (e.g., topics related to assertive technology or special education in general). The authors of special needs related blogs are often professionals, parents of children with special needs, or sometimes, companies who offer products and services related to special needs. The language on blogs is informal and the content is usually aimed to create conversation or "commenting". This open-ended nature of blogs makes them not only great sources to receive recorded information written by blog authors, but also amazing outlets for collaborating with others, asking questions, and sharing your own information about a topic.

You have already started your blog adventure by finding this blog :) Here are a few tips to help your broaden your blogging horizons to find the special needs information and resources you're looking for and to make sure you stay in the loop on current topics related to kids with special needs.

• Since you're already here (and I'm so glad you are!), visit the "SNEAK's Fav Blogs" link on the SNEAK homepage (to the right, and scroll down) to connect with a starter list of great blogs that post information about various topics related to special needs (e.g., speech therapy, assertive technology, AAC, Apps, CVI). I update this link frequently and find these blogs to be top notch when it comes to reliable and innovative information. Of course, this is by no means a comprehensive list of blogs so keep reading the following tips to find out how to branch out form here! :) 
• Blogs usually post a description of the topics and information you can expect to find on them somewhere on the main page (home page). Once you visit a blog, check out this description to see if the blog is right for you. If it is, you might want to consider subscribing to or "following" that blog. 



RSS Icon 

• Most blogs allow readers to subscribe to their content. This is how you can get updated posts from your favorite blogs without having to check the blog daily to see if there are new posts. There are a few easy ways to get these updates.
• Subscribe by Email: Many blogs allow you to follow them by email. By sharing your email address, you can receive emails from the blog anytime content is updated. Don't worry, most blogs will not send out any emails that are not related to content updates. In most cases, you will get one email per day that lists new posts that were added to that blog and allows you to read summaries within the email and link to the blog website for further reading. 
• Subscribe to Posts/Comments: You might notice this icon on many blogs. This is the icon for an "RSS Feed". An RSS Feed is the way websites and blogs gather new information together and send it directly to you. "It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually." (WhatisRSS.com) In order to receive an RSS Feed, you have to have an RSS Feed Reader. If you use mobile devices like the iPhone, Android phones, or iPad/Android tablets, there are many Reader apps that enable you to receive RSS Feeds from your favorite sites and blogs and read them at your leisure. There are also online RSS Feed Readers that allow you to access your RSS Feeds on your computer by signing into your reader. I have listed some great RSS Feed Reader apps and online Feed Readers at the end of this post. If you are a Yahoo or Google email subscriber, you might already have a Feed Reader at your fingertips and not even know it. :) 
• Facebook and Twitter: As mentioned in my previous post, many websites, blogs included, have a Facebook page and will post the Facebook icon on their home page. For some blogs (SNEAK is one of them:), the updates posted on the blog site will also be shared on Facebook and Twitter (not sure about Twitter and how it relates to you, stay tuned for my next post:). So if you find it easier to just stay connected by these old, familiar friends, make sure you click on the Facebook and twitter icons of your favorite blogs so you can follow them and receive updates. 
• Now that you've explored SNEAK's Fav Blogs and subscribed to your own favorites, make sure you check out the "Blogroll" link on the blogs you visit. Just like SNEAK, many blogs post a link on their home page that lists all of the blogs they support and enjoy (this is called a Blogroll). Just like with Facebook pages (see my previous post for a refresher:), you can connect with many branches of the topics you are interested in by exploring the blogs that your favorite bloggers are exploring (lol, what a mouthful!). 
• Google to the rescue once again! You can search specifically for blogs related to the topics you want to know about right on the Google search page. To do this, go to Google and click on the top menu bar where it says "more". Scroll down the list until you see "Blogs" and click on that to bring you to a new search page ("Google Blogs"). Now type in your keywords in the search box and Google will return only those results that are found on blogs. 

RSS Feed Readers Bring Blog Updates Straight to You!

Here are some great RSS Feed Reader Apps (many are completely free!). I personally use Flipboard on my iPad because it turns my feeds into a magazine :)
AppAdvice.com's RSS Reader App List

Here are sine popular online RSS Feed Readers, completely free to use!
Google Reader (If you have a gmail account, you are already on your way!)
BlogLines
My Yahoo (click on the +My Yahoo icon on your favorite blogs to add their RSS Feeds to your My Yahoo homepage)

Hope these tips send you on your way to happy blogging! Next on the agenda for Untangling "the Web": Twitter :)

What are some of your favorite blogs?