Switch Adapted Wii Controller

Gimp Gear is bringing video games to kids (and adults) with special needs through their switch adapted, NintendoWii controller.  Check out more here, including demonstration videos!  This controller is mounted to a hat and controls the Wii through head movements.  For users who have some use of their arms, you can also holster this controller to the arm to activate games through large arms movements.  The Gimp Gear Switch adapted Wii controller is available for purchase through EnableMart.

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?

ATIA Update #1: Improving Access for Kids with High Tone

I just got out of this incredible, high energy, totally innovative session on access for kids with high muscle tone!  I wish this session was longer because I left feeling totally charged and ready to overhaul everything I thought I knew about positioning, switch use, and more, and totally inspired to try new things-but I need more info!! Here are some bullet points that I will revisit in more detail when I get back home and have time to process and use these amazing tips!

• Access is gained through experience, not something that kids just have!  This learning process is driven by keeping a child engaged in the activity, not the outcome-in other words, not the switch, not the computer, not being "good" at something, but learning through self-driven, motivating exploration.  
• Children engage and attend through self-driven intention and motivation, by visualizing themselves doing motor activities, and by having models of these activities in their environment.  We help them by creating these opportunities, not using hand over hand or adult driven "trials".  
• Access is rooted in positioning and many of our kids are positioned to relax, not to act!
• Consider the movements required for mechanical switches and the mismatch that often occurs between the skill sets of our kids and those required for graded, effortful "hitting" of a mechanical switch.  Could we explore how electronic switches could be a better choice for kids with tone?
• Hand control is driven by head control, which is driven by pelvic stability and a relationship with gravity through feet connecting with floor.  We really need to understand physiological and physical ( as in physics) framework to get our kids ready to engage in activities for access and learning. 

Karen Kangas, OTR/L, out of Pennsylvania was the speaker and I highly recommend  fnding her publications and Webinars on Google. I plan to attend a full training on these principles very soon, will update you when I find a listing! :) Off to another session!

The Trabasack Helps Your iPad Stay Put!

Buy the Trabasack Curve Connect on Amazon!

This is a clever product and when I saw it, I immediately thought of the many wheelchair lap trays I have outfitted with tons of Velcro strips to get toys and tech to stay put!  I think this smart little lap desk/carrying case is a great alternative for some kids who need their materials anchored for access!  The Trabasack (sometimes referred to as a "buggy tray") comes in four versions: Trabasack Curve,  Trabasack Curve Connect, Trabasack Mini , and Trabasack Mini Connect .  "Connect" versions are covered with a material that feels and acts like the soft side of Velcro. To anchor toys, games, tech, or anything else, you would simply put the hook side of a Velcro tab on the item.  You may need more Velcro on the item depending on its size and weight.  The Trabasack also acts as a carrying case so yo can ensure it is always with the child, toting anything he needs to work and play!  The Trabasack has great potential as a communication board as well, with handy storage for all your PCS right inside your Trabasack,  Thanks to Viviane on Thinking Outside the Light-box for mentioning this cool new tool!  if you buy your Trabasack through this link, you can support our blog at the same time, with no extra cost to you!  Thanks for your support and I welcome your input on this product!

Some Other Great Links About the Trabasack:
Switch Mounting with The Trabasack
YouTube Videos about The Trabasack

Assistive Touch on iPad Assists Access to the Touch Screen!

iPhone Stuffs

In the new Apple IOS 5 update for iPad, iPhone, and iTouch, there are many new features, including Assistive Touch, a really innovative accessibility feature that allows physically impaired users to access the multiple finger "tap", "swipe" and "pinch" features (among others) of the touch screen in a more easily accessible way.  This feature doesn't totally solve the access issues of the touch screen for our physically limited little guys, but it is a great start!  Check out the video below for a quick demo of how it works.  To see some of the other adaptive features built into the new IOS 5, check out 20+ New Ways Students With Special Needs Can Use iOS 5 | Edudemic.  I hope that this new feature opens the flood gates at Apple for improve motor accessibility on iDevices.  Would screen sensitivity settings be fabulous? (Hint Hint, Apple!).

Bub Caps to Cover Home Button for IPad

A quick follow-up to my post on Keyguards for iPad.  Here is another solution to cover the home button so your kids can't get to it!  Check out Bub Caps here.  Cost effective like the Home Button Strip from Lasered Pics (reviewed previously).  So nice to have options! :)

Awesome Holiday Gifts for Special Kids

Parents often ask me what toys to buy for their special kids, as many traditional toys are not made with special needs in mind.  I came across  a link to the 2011 Gift Guide for Individuals Living with Paralysis (compiled by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation) and I was inspired to share the link, and to also compile a list of my own. :)  Below I have listed some web resources that I have used to help guide the gift buying process.  Check these out and share them with the families you serve.  I will follow up with my own tips and tricks on adapting my Top 10 Traditional Toys to suit the special needs of kid's with cognitive and physical limitations (that and more, in a later post. :) 

Toys R' Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids is an amazing compilation of great, traditional toys (non-adapted) that is compiled by Toys R' Us with the professional guidance of the play experts at Lekotek.  This guide is available in Spanish and English, Flash version and PDF, which makes it great for sharing with families.  You can also order print version of the guide (free or charge) to distribute at your school or center.  The greatest part of this guide is that it showcases toys that are easily accessible for most families as they can be purchased locally and don't usually cost as much as adapted toys.  The guide is conveniently organized so that toys are accompanied by symbols to help parents find those toys that promote different skills, such as Auditory, Language, Social, Creativity, and Fine and Gross Motor Skills.

Fisher Price Toys & Playtime Tips for Children with Special Needs is a web resource provided by Fisher Price with the guidance of the experts at the Let;s Play Project.  Although it does not currently provide specific toy suggestions, it allows parents to pick the level of support their child needs in certain developmental areas (Hearing, Seeing, Talking etc...) and then provides general toy buying tips on features to look for in toys to make them more accessible.


Visit the SNEAK aStore to find these great toys, and other, hand-picked toys for special needs kids that you can buy easily from Amazon!

Use Your iPad as a Switch

I nearly fell over when I saw this App in the App Store the other day!  Attainment Company makes an App called Attainment Switch ($4.99)  that turns your iPad into a switch to access switch accessible activities on a Mac or PC (software games or web-based).  It's easy to set up and has a simple interface that you can even add symbols to (from your computer or iPad Photo library).  I had to install a free helper program on my computer (click here to download the helper software for Mac or PC)) so that the Attainment Switch App and the computer could communicate with each other.  I was up and running within 5 minutes or less! 

So then I went to one of my favorite switch games website, Help Kidz Learn and started to get really bummed out. :(  Many of the games on the site don't work with my new switch App!  I investigated this from numerous angles, and even had my software engineer hubby on the ob, and I know for sure that it isn't a malfunction of the switch.  It seems that certain switch games are "written" (software programming language) differently and aren't able to respond to the message my Attainment Switch is sending out.  This didn't discourage me too much though-I wrote an email to the Help Kidz Learn folks and hope they can sort this out.  I think I will contact Attainment Company about the problem as well and follow up with their responses in a later post. 

But for now, here is a list of the activities on Help Kidz Learn that DO WORK with the Attainment Switch (and I had a blast using it!). 


Early Steps
Big Bang Colours

Games
Christmas Presents
Blockout

Stories
Five Little Firefighters
Five Sharks Swimming

Creative
Card Maker Lite
Mosaic Painter
Build a Sandcastle

Find Out
Talking Clock 

 

Has anyone use the Attainment Switch App?  What other sites/games work with it?

 

Blue2 Switch for iDevices

Speaking of accessing the iPad with motor challenges, here's a great review of the Ablenet Blue2 switch for iPad, iPhone, and iTouch at Spech-Language Pathology Sharing.

 The review also highlights the current limitations of switch access on iDevices, namely the currently limited availability of switch enabled Apps.  Hopefully developers here our cries loud and clear:  "More Switch Accessible Apps!  More Switch Accessible Apps!"

Keyguards for iPad

If there is one area of accessibility in which idevices fall short (I personally think there is more than one, but that's for another day, another post:) it is versatility of access method. A touch screen, although strikingly sensitive and easy for us to use, presents significant challenges for kids with muscle tone issues. Check out this review of Keyguards for iPad on SNApps4Kids. The Keyguards are made by a company called Lasered Pics out of Minnesota. They have some standard layouts for popular AAC Apps like Proloquo2Go, but also make to order for the needs of the customer. Most of the products are very affordable, ranging around 20 bucks on average. I haven't used the guards with my kids yet, but I have my eye on one specifically for my first purchase!

The Home Button Strip keeps your kids on the App at hand and off the home screen! :) I will check back in to let you know how it goes with my home button endeavors. :)

Any thoughts on these products from those who have used them?

Now if we can just do something about that pesky screen sensitivity!