Independenc e With Special Needs
Improving: Social Skills
The Social Navigator App “The Social Navigator allows the user to quickly enter the dynamics of their current social situation and instantly generates corresponding strategies and recommendations, so that the child can get their needs met in a socially acceptable manner.” Cost is $49.99
Quick Cues A $4.99 app that “Provides help with conversations at school or work, listening, and talking on the telephone. It also gives tips on reading body language and finding shared interests with others”
See.Touch.Learn. “See.Touch.Learn.® is a picture learning system designed by professionals specifically for those with autism and other special needs. See.Touch.Learn. makes traditional picture cards obsolete. Parents and professionals use See.Touch.Learn. to build custom picture card lessons and automatically track their child’s responses. Includes a starter set of stunning, high- quality images and 60 exercises created by a certified assistant behavior analyst! Additional libraries of images and lessons are available for purchase from within the app.”
Improving: Money Skills
Counting Money “Counting Money can also be used as a brain training exercise for adults and any one else looking to improve their skills at counting money. There are two game play types. In practice mode the user must answer the question correctly in order to proceed to the next question. The user presses the check button after each attempt to check the answer. In quiz mode the user has one opportunity to answer the question correctly.”
Financial Education Clearinghouse A list of money managing games for kids by the Washington Department of Financial Institutions, most of which are free and only require an internet connection.
Online Money Worksheet An online money worksheet generator. Just set the amount of problems, the maximum amount of money needed!
Money Instructor “Teach and learn how to write a check, make checking account deposits and withdrawals, endorse checks, manage and balance your checkbook, and checkbook reconciliation with your monthly bank checking account statement.”
Improving: House Skills
Apps for Children With Special Needs “The Hygiene HD application is designed to teach and reinforce basic hygiene critical for independent living and is optimized for the iPad. It provides easy-to-understand information that allows users to become more capable of functioning independently at work, at home, and in the community.” Costs $1.99
First-Then Schedule “First-Then visual schedule application is designed for caregivers to provide positive behavior support. For individuals with communication needs, developmental delays, Autism or those who benefit from a structured environment; visual schedules serve to increase independence and lower anxiety during transitions through different activities.” Costs $9.99
Model Me Kids “The Model Me Going Places™ video features children, ages 2-8, involved in activities in the community. It is designed to familiarize children with locations that may be challenging, and to help teach appropriate behavior in these locations through peer modeling. Each scene lasts between 2-4 minutes, depending on the chapter. At the end of each chapter is a storyboard summarizing the locations shown.”
Do 2 Learn A website with picture flashcards giving general safety phrases such as “Don’t run into the street” or “stay in the yard”.
Improving: Nutrition
Choose My Plate The USDA’s website giving nutritional advice. Features many lesson plans and information on healthy living.
Improving: Cooking Skills
Visual Recipes A website giving step-by-step instructions on recipes. Each step contains a photo to demonstrate it.
Your Special Chef A website featuring numerous recipes to be made with/by those who have special needs.
Making Waffles with Autistic Children This is a video where the instructor makes waffles with an autistic boy. These are great examples of how to teach cooking skills to those with special needs. There are many other videos in this series, so be sure to check it out.
Why is it important to teach cooking to kids with special needs? This is a great video that answers the question above. I highly recommend that anybody who is around a person/persons with special needs watch this.
Please feel free to pick up one of our handouts which contains all of the resources featured during this slideshow. Thank you!