Giveaways & Free/Sale Lists : Autism Awareness Month

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Awareness... leads to Acceptance!

Daily FREE/Sale List for Autism Awareness Month maintained here: (If prices in iTunes do not match listing , account for Australian/ North American Time Difference- we North Americans are a day behind- you can take a peek at specials for the next day!) http://theappyladies.com/autism-awareness-month-specials

Be sure to check out our Facebook page for last minute app shares- there are MANY AAC and Special Needs apps on sale listed there for April 2, Autism Awareness Day, some sales may still be going on: http://www.facebook.com/SpecialAppsSpecialKids


Current Autism Awareness Month Giveaways:

WOO-HOO! An iPad Mini?! Two iPad Minis? SASK & TAL have teamed up for these iPad mini giveaways running all month in APRIL:

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Count to 100!
 http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2012/11/review-giveaway-count-to-100-by.html (ENDED- DID YOU WIN? )




Speak For Yourself
http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2012/10/speak-for-yourself-giveaway.html (WEEK #3- ENTER NOW)
http://theappyladies.com/speak-for-yourself  ( WEEK#2- Did you Win?)



AutisMate
http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2013/03/review-giveaway-autismate-by.html (RUNS ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL)





All4mychild  (rotating app giveaways from all4mychild throughout APRIL)
 http://www.specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2014/04/autism-awareness-month-giveaways.html





RocketKeys (RUNS ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL)
http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2014/03/rocketkeys-aac-app-by-myvoice.html





Therapy Box- Win a suite of their apps, including their latest AAC app, ChatAble;(RUNS ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL) There are rotating individual App giveaways too!
http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2014/03/therapy-box-suite-of-apps-giveaway.html


KidBox iPad Mini case from KaysCase (RUNS ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL)
http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2013/04/kidbox-carryable-case-for-ipad-ipad.html

MORE GIVEAWAYS @ http://www.theappyladies.com/giveaways

Giveaways coming up @SASK & TAL

Stay Tuned:

SpeakColorsHD
State Bingo and Road Trip US
Musical Paint
Fun with Verbs & Sentences
Between the Lines 1 HD
Between the Lines 2 HD

Giveaways on other Sites:


Alexicom Elements (via AppyMall)
http://www.appymall.com/blog/2014/03/30/alexicom-aac-giveaway/ ENDED



Join Technology in Education for over $2000 in Giveaways for #AppsforAutism Event at AppyMall, including a chance to win an iPad Mini, courtesy of our wonderful sponsors, as well as many app codes and gift cards! Don't miss this event, and invite your friends! - http://on.fb.me/1lmwdLR





iPad mini from The iMums and Bamba Craft! http://bit.ly/1jeAfUM





More places to check for FREE/SALE apps during Autism Awareness Month:



http://www.iautism.info/en/2014/03/30/free-or-discounted-apps-world-autism-awareness-day-2014/  (SORTED BY FUNCTION!)




http://www.smartappsforkids.com/2014/03/autism-awareness-month-1st-april-1.html#more




http://www.theimum.com/appsales/





Posts on Special Needs Apps & Products:
AAC Apps:
http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2014/03/10-innovative-aac-apps.html

Top 10 Special Needs Developers:
http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2014/03/10-tried-and-true-special-needs-app.html

Handy iPad/ mini cases post:
http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2013/04/handy-ios-cases-for-kids-with-or-wo.html

Android Apps List:
http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2012/01/android-apps-for-special-needs.html?showComment=1391766342990#c8444413872457559518


Posts on Special Needs Topics:

http://www.speakforyourself.org/2014/02/22/accept-behavior-towards-non-autistic-child/

http://geekclubbooks.com/category/autimisms/autism-society-2014/

Autism Awareness Month Giveaways- All4mychild Apps

  In honor of Autism Awareness Month All4mychild has four groups of codes to share with us.   All4mychild has also developed Fun Timer (99 cents).
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Talking Train
A clever tool for language therapy, Talking Train is a simple but open ended app that allows you to draw, type, or add pictures to train cars. You can "build" sentences, or sequences of events, use it as a quick visual schedule, draw math problems, whatever direction you would like to take it.  Because each train car is separate but part of the "whole" train, I find it great for teaching concepts such as sentence structure, language expansion, story retell etc. When your "train" is complete, have your child press the button to send it away from the station with fun chugging, whistling sound effects for your train enthusiasts!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Social Adventures 
From iTunes: The Social Adventures App provides clinicians, teachers and parents with a treasure trove of activity descriptions for teaching social skills and friendship. Children ages 3-13 with social needs such as those associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, NLD, Sensory Processing Disorders and social anxiety will gain confidence and success in navigating the rough waters of relationships. 
Social Adventures includes a variety of activity ideas to teach skills in the seven areas of social cognition evaluated in the IMAGINE Checklist app, so it is a good complement to it. This app also includes Bag Game, a fun guessing game that can be used to foster social and language skills. (See app description for Bag Game below)
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Bag Game
The Bag Game app is a 20 questions spin-off using one of 100 common items. You can even use your own photos.  One person "hides" an item in the bag and have students take turns guessing what it is.   This game can be used to work on turn taking, collaborating with peers, language goals such as categorization and description skills etc.  This app is also included as part of the Social Adventures app, a complete curriculum program for social skills.
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IMAGINE Checklist

From iTunes: The IMAGINE Checklist App is an informal assessment of more than 60 specific social cognition skills following our IMAGINE framework of social development.

 

A new favorite from all4mychild, IMAGINE Checklist helps organize all the points you would like to consider when evaluating a child for social abilities. The app looks at 7 key areas of  functioning, to make up the acronym IMAGINE: Initiating Interactions, Maintaining Interactions, Advocating & Compromising, Getting Regulated, Interpreting Nonverbals, Negotiating Space, Experiencing Humor.  IMAGINE Checklist allows data storage for multiple students; each questionnaire item has an area for notes as well. I feel this will serve children on both ends of the spectrum well, and is an especially handy tool for uncovering hidden social deficits.  While it is meant to give you a snapshot of a child's functioning so you can pinpoint problem areas and address them, in my opinion this is a valuable as an informal screening tool.  I am confident if my son had been screened with this checklist, it would have led to his eventual autism spectrum disorder diagnosis much sooner

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Link to all giveaways, free and pricedrop apps for Autism Awareness Month here: http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2014/03/giveaways-freesale-lists-autism.html

 

 

 

Therapy Box Suite of Apps Giveaway: Autism Awareness Month

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Therapy Box Suite

Giveaway

Developer: Therapy Box

At Therapy Box we provide solutions in speech and communication powered by cutting edge technology. We design award winning apps for AAC. Therapy Box launched in 2010 and have quickly become the go-to development house for the speech and language therapy industry. With a slew of awards for their apps and services, Therapy Box keep their core goals in focus – creating cutting edge and affordable apps for people with disabilities. Headed by speech and language therapist/pathologist Rebecca Bright and tech industry professional Swapnil Gadgil, the young team is driven to assure their apps reach as many as possible. Predictable is currently available in 6 languages and in 2013 was awarded the grand prize at the Ericsson App Awards in Stockholm. 2013 also saw co-founder Rebecca Bright take home the prestigious NatWest everywoman Iris Award for tech entrepreneurs.

One person will win a Suite of Therapy-Box Apps

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Review of ChatAble ($79.99) (currently 50% off to celebrate Autism Awareness Month [Usually $159.99]

(by Amy Taylor of Special Apps, Special Kids) ChatAble offers a fully functional AAC component with Facebook integration and handwriting recognition as an input method (Chatable's sister app, Predictable, also has this function. ChatAble has a very easy to use visual scene feature with a really exceptional option- an alarm function! Choose an image from your camera roll, from one of the 12,000 widget symbols, or take a photo on the spot. Then program hot spots where you can embed your voice, a video or even a song from your iTunes, and to top it off program the visual scene to signal an alarm at a certain time of the day. Full Review of ChatAble here. 
 

Predictable ($159.99) - is an exciting text-to-speech application for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Offering customisable AAC functions with the latest social media integration, Predictable sets a new benchmark. Using a word prediction engine and switch access, Predictable meets the needs of a wide range of people using AAC. A wide range of people are using Predictable, including those with MND / ALS, Cerebral Palsy and people with communication difficulties after a stroke or head injury.  

Odd One Out Pack ($29.99) - is designed to work on semantic reasoning skills. With 6 sets of cards per level and record keeping, therapists and teachers can track progress and adjust the difficulty of the activity. Using vibrant symbols and clear visual and auditory feedback, this app is great for carrying over therapy goals at home.     a Rafflecopter giveaway

Scene&Heard ($49.99) - is a Visual Scene Display augmentative communication aid on the iPad! Scene & Heard is an interactive context based communication aid and learning tool. Parents, teachers, therapists and helpers can import photos and allocate actions including audio messages, short videos, Widgit symbols and scene links to transition to a new scene. This makes the scene interactive!  

Sort This Out Pack ($13.99) - is a fun educational game designed to work on skills required for categorization. Have fun sorting items into 2 categories to load your train so it can leave the station. Using animation and fun sounds, this app is designed for pre-school and early primary school students to use it in the classroom and at home. With the ability to tailor the categories and items to suit your child, you can target relevant vocabulary or concepts in a fun and motivating app.
 

Minimal Pair Pack ($29.99) - Minimal Pair Pack is a fun application for working on speech sound discrimination and production. Designed for children with developmental communication difficulties and also adults with phonological difficulties. Easy to use flash card style tasks can be set up quickly by therapists or teachers for use with a range of clients including adults and adolescents with dysphasia, dyslexia or dysgraphia; teachers of adult literacy; therapists working with children who have language and literacy needs or those working with people for whom English is a second language. The program targets the following speech sounds in the initial position of words: p, b, m, n, t, d, k, g, f, v, s, z, dz (as in jam), j (as in yacht), w, r, l, th, sh, ch. 
PAST GIVEAWAY for Minimal Pair Pack

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SEE DOZENS OF GIVEAWAY LINKS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS & EDUCATIONAL APPS DURING AUTISM AWARENESS?ACCEPTANCE MONTH HERE:
http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2014/03/giveaways-freesale-lists-autism.html

You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCRMNtkpZgw

Specifications:

Category: Communication Age: All

Social Media Links:

Website: Therapy Box Facebook Page: Therapy Box Twitter: @TherapyBox You Tube: TherapyBox

Store Links:

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RocketKeys - AAC app by MyVoice

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RocketKeys by MyVoice ($159.99, iPad-iOS6.1, at time of review) 
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Learn more about the making of this app via an AppyChat at The Appy Ladies

Enter to win a copy of RocketKeys and a 1:1 training on all its features here: a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

RocketKeys is a switch accessible text based AAC system with sophisticated word prediction suitable for aphasic and dyslexic users; its customizable keyboards and accessible features make it a strong choice for literate users with vision or motor impairment.
For picture based AAC from MyVoice, check out TalkRocket Go or TalkRocket Go Français

 

There are several features that stand out, the first being accessibility. While RocketKeys can be used by a variety of users, RocketKeys was designed to meet the needs of individuals with significant motor issues.   There are tap and hold features to address users that tap too often and need a more determined motion to select, as well as options for a person unable to lift the hand to tap. There is a feature that allows multiple fingers to rest on the screen without impeding selection of a key. A special keyboard option called Optimus, was developed based on the specific needs of  "one touch" typers, reducing the need for movement by 50%.  Feedback about Optimus to the developer indicates this keyboard option can work for many people, but is especially well suited to those with muscle weakness, paralysis, ALS,MS, stroke, etc. There is also a "stabilize" feature to help offset tremors as well.



The keyboards themselves are customizable too- both the keys and the cursor can be adjusted in size; custom keys can be easily added. Key output is easy to customize as well- For example you can set up a key so it displays one word on the key "Amy" but types and/or voices a different word or set of words "My name is Amy". This is especially useful for words that text to speech may mispronounce- you can adjust the pronunciation without altering how the word looks on the keyboard.  There are three color schemes, including a high contrast black/white option that may be very helpful to users with visual impairment- the iPad itself has an "invert" option which would allow three more color schemes.  The sentence bar and word prediction bar can be set to the top or bottom of the screen through a drag and drop motion in Edit mode.  Voice options can be tweaked to change volume, speed and pitch.  There are some more accessibility features as well:

Note from developer: Voice: Adult and children's voices (Acapela) included, alter volume, speed and pitch. "Primary" speaks final message to others "Secondary" speaks selection of keys and words "Hover" provides voice over for hand placement as cue or for vision impaired based on "dwelling". Benefits: Mixing different voices allows user and listener to distinguish composition from final message with clearly different voices. Like voice over of iPad but more custom.

RocketKeys can store up to seven user profiles, which makes this a viable option for a classroom setting where one iPad is used across the day with different individuals.

The second feature to stand out is the (truly impressive) word prediction capabilities of RocketKeys.  The word prediction engine is based on thousands of utterances in Twitter (US), which means this word prediction is savvy and more conducive to natural speech. The word prediction in RocketKeys includes slang, idioms, proper names, current cultural, literary and popular references not found in other engines. My son was able to bring up Star Wars related words with ease. FYI, we did find one swear word when talking about Siths that snuck through RocketKeys' "scrubbing" process of removing swear words from the predictive speech- this should be addressed in the next update. Personally, I would prefer a profanity filter of some sort, so cognitively aware adults/teens could have the option to use this language in appropriate social circles, but of course these words can always be added as keyboard keys, if so inclined.

Another big plus is how friendly the app is toward poor spellers.  If you know the first letter of the word, the word prediction will help you find the correct choice, even if the other letters are jumbled or misspelled. My son misspelled "cracking" as "craking" and the word prediction offered him several appropriate choices "croaking" "creaking" "cracking" "cranking"; ''yiwning" correctly brought up "yawning" as a choice. More significant spelling errors like "SPC" for special will correctly bring up choices like "special" '"space" "speech" "Spicy" "Spencer" etc. For apraxic and dyslexic users, this means less backspacing to fix errors and quicker communication! (You can change the number of word predictions offered in the Settings- from 1 to 7 words shown).

The fourth stand out feature of RocketKeys is the excellent customer service.  MyVoice is rightly very proud of their AAC app and will bend over backwards to make sure you understand the full potential of RocketKeys.  There are regular, free webinars available.  I am both a visual and auditory learner, and once Tony had pointed out all the features and what their function was, I found it very easy to edit and set up keyboards and Profiles in RocketKeys.

Therapy Box is a participant in Special Apps, Special Kids & The Appy Ladies' collaborative effort for Autism Awareness Month, which we are also calling Autism ACCEPTANCE Month. Awareness leads to Acceptance.

 

Giveaways all month long, here: http://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2014/03/giveaways-freesale-lists-autism.html

 

 

KidBox-carryable case for iPad/ iPad Mini by Kay's Case

KidBox by Kay's Case ($32.99 -$35.99 at time of review)
For iPad 2, 3, 4 or iPad mini
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Update: April 2014- FYI I wrote this review nearly a year ago...and my KidBox is still holding up GREAT!

Photos of KidBox on iPad mini

This probably wins the overall gold star for carryable cases for moderate protective needs. (More carryable case options here.) It is lightweight but strong, has a comfy handle that doubles as a stand, and is easy to get on and off. No matter where I go, I get stopped when the KidBox is on. It is a great option for kids who may drop an iPad every now and then, but are generally conscious of the need to be kind to it. It is also a wonderful option for educators working with children. I do recommend purchasing a screen protector to apply to the screen- when one of my students scratched up the screen with the wrong end of a stylus, and I then realized I had a screen protector on, phew- I was definitely relieved.

 

I also should mention that one of my preschoolers decided to forcefully knock my iPad off the table in a KidBox case, and while I wouldn't recommend trying it on purpose, my iPad survived! Yay! The handle/stand feature is one of my favorite aspects of this case. It is so clever and easy to use. I often use the handle in landscape position to enter data, or when I am working one on one or with little ones, sitting on the floor. During group lessons, I stand the iPad up in landscape position or grip it by the handle while facing the iPad toward my students.

This case is really easy to take on and off, if needed. You won't really need to actually- the ports are all super easy to access, and so is the camera. (The headphone access takes a bit of finesse, but is also manageable).  To put the case on, you just slide the iPad in through the opening opposite the handle area, and do the opposite to remove it. I love how easy it is to charge. There is a flap that you flip up to expose the charging port. I was skeptical about the little flap, thinking it may tear, but it has many months and it still flips back into place each time. Obviously if you have a kiddo who likes to play with such appendages, you will have a different story to tell. 

When I first got the KidBox, there were two colors to choose from, the color choices have now grown. Here's a blog post from the developer highlighting the different colors available. FYI, the pink is closer to a hot pink, and black is now available for iPad 2, 3 and 4 (coming soon for iPad mini too, I believe) http://kayscase.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/best-ipad-case-for-kids/

and here is a video of the KidBox in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haUjVVDpw4k


What I Love:
Sturdy but lightweight material
Easy to grip and carry
Handle doubles as a stand
Provides good drop protection
Easy access to all ports
Variety of fun colors (although I love BLACK personally)
http://kayscase.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/best-ipad-case-for-kids/
and here is a video of the KidBox in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haUjVVDpw4k

Wish List:
A built-in protective film for the screen to keep out liquids
A snap on lid to better protect the front from damage when in transit

Photos of KidBox on iPad2 :

 

 

 

 GIVEAWAY!

 

Win THIS orange KidBox case for your iPad Mini!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 

 

For a comparison of KidBox and a dozen other carryable cases, see here: