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Over the past several weeks, we have been receiving more requests than usual for new apps to help children and adults on the autism spectrum. So, we thought that this week’s article might be a good vehicle for providing our readers with an answer to these many requests. What is new in the world of apps for autism/Asperger’s?

We hope you will find a few new resources here to tap into for yourself or for the person in your life challenged with an autism-spectrum disorder. Please tell us what you think of these apps when you have had an opportunity to try them. We would love to receive your VERY valuable input (as always)!

New Apps for Autism/Asperger’s

Autism Apps for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad---FREE (Updated: Jan 10, 2013) ---Educational Autism Apps is simply a comprehensive list of apps that are being used with and by people diagnosed with autism, Down syndrome and other special needs. It also includes links to any available information that can be found for each app. The Apps are also separated into over 30 categories, and the descriptions are all searchable, so any type of app is easy to find and download.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/autism-apps/id441600681?mt=8

Autism Apps from Autism Speaks (for Android & Apple)---Long list of autism apps that provides app titles, platform compatibilities, prices, content categories and online app access (click links)---an excellent online resource from a most reputable organization. (Some are FREE apps)
http://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-apps

MySocius Model (Released: Nov 13, 2012) by BehaviorApp --- MySocius is an iPhone and iPad app designed for parents who want to help their child with autism communicate. This app uses evidence based, Naturalistic Teaching Procedures that “embeds teaching within the activities of everyday life.” Naturalistic Teaching Procedures have proved to be effective in clinical practice. Price: $24.99 (Expensive, but for what it claims to provide, this may be worth the price.)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mysocius-model/id572554727?ls=1&mt=8

Autism Apps List from the TCI Tech Review Blog---–Short list of Apple-compatible autism apps from last half of 2012 to January 2013. Individual reviews provide pricing, summaries, iTunes access links and more. (All have prices that are from $1.99 to $99.00)
http://www.tcischool.org/techtips

For information on sensory-appealing reading tools:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

At the literacy and vision conferences attended during the past two weeks, we were asked many questions about dyslexia. In fact, we received more questions from teachers, tutors and parents about dyslexia than about any other topic at both events.

Current statistics show that nearly 15% to 20% of school-aged children in the U.S. may be affected by some form of dyslexia. Yet only 5% are recognized (often because the dyslexia is severe) and receive assistance.

Approximately 60% of individuals diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) also have dyslexia. However, their learning and language differences are often unrecognized because only the behavioral aspects of ADHD are addressed. Without the proper diagnosis and help, many of these individuals with dyslexia and ADHD are only functionally literate, and are part of the 44 million adults with only the lowest level of literacy. This limits their ability to find jobs and function independently in their communities. (Source: The Dyslexia Research Institute)

With this data, it is easy to see why we received so many recent inquiries relating to this particular reading challenge. We felt it was just the right time to offer some updated information and a few more resources for these teachers and parents as well as for our regular blog readers here.

Animation Video---To Help Explain Dyslexia
From BrainPOP
http://bpopne.ws/OYPAyt

7 Activities Affected by Dyslexia (Blog article)
From ChromaGen Vision’s blog
http://wereadbetter.com/7-activities-affected-by-dyslexia/

The Upside of Dyslexia (Opinion Article)
By Annie Murphy Hall---Published: February 4, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/the-upside-of-dyslexia.html?ref=dyslexia&_r=0

Signs of Dyslexia Start Before Reading, Study Finds (from ABC News--& VIDEOS)
By Mikaela Conley (@mikaelaconley)---Published: April 5, 2012
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/visual-attention-lead-dyslexia-children/story?id=16078380#.UHh7oK61ySo

Online Dyslexia Testing
From Lexercise---Company in Raleigh, NC, offers services to help children with reading, writing and spelling disorders such as dyslexia and dysgraphia.
Disclaimer: This is a FREE dyslexia test to see if your child is having trouble reading and processing words. This online test determines if your child needs a full evaluation in order for the best individualized treatment plan to be developed. This online test is NOT a replacement for such an evaluation.
http://www.lexercise.com/dyslexia-services/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Microsoft%2BPPC

10 Top Tips for Helping Your Child with Dyslexia
From Teach Our Kids
http://www.teach-our-kids.co.uk/10-top-tips-for-helping-your-child-with-dyslexia/

Spell Trekking in Schools: the New App for Literacy Tuition---New, multi-sensory iPad literacy app
From CENTRA PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LIMITED
Blog article about the app: http://centradyslexia.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/11-using-the-new-app-for-literacy-tuition-in-schools/
Access to app: FREE download at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spell-trekking/id547625622?mt=8
Website: http://www.spelltrekking.com/

Dyslexia Research Institute Information and resources about dyslexia
http://www.dyslexia-add.org/

Happy reading, everyone!

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image provided by: http://classroomclipart.com/clipart-search/page-189/all-phrase/school/

In February, we posted a blog article here with a list of apps for dyslexia.Since that time, we have noticed that readers of our blog are visiting to access these particular apps almost 5 to 1 over any other resource or topic (articles with AD/HD apps are visited almost 6 to 1). With this information, we thought our readers might like to have another current list of apps and resources for this particular reading challenge called dyslexia.

Without further ado, here are some additional apps and resources for those challenged with dyslexia (first apps list is from March 2012):

More Apps for Dyslexia

Extensive list of apps prepared for the Listening to Learn Guild by Jim Sandstrum, MA CCC-SLP, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, 2012---Contains the most talked about apps, most highly-rated or those with which the author has had good, personal experience. List includes Educreations’ FREE interactive whiteboard app.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/141865/Popular%20Apps%20for%20Students-LTL%20handout.pdf

Article that includes apps recommended for children challenged with dyslexia---by KJ Dell'Antonia
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/apps-for-children-with-dyslexia/?scp=2&sq=dyslexia&st=cse

This list of 4 iPad apps contains great resources for students with dyslexia.
http://www.noodle.org/noodlings/k-12/great-apps-dyslexia

Instapaper---App that can save web pages for later offline reading, optimized for readability on your iPhone or iPod touch's screen. Featured by Apple and critically acclaimed by top blogs, newspapers, and magazines!---by Marco Arment and recommended by Abbie Gonzalez
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/instapaper/id288545208?mt=8

Other Resources for Dyslexia

FREE printable handout from www.ADDitudeMag.com---Back-to-School Success for Your Child with ADHD or Learning Disabilities Like Dyslexia---6 Steps to Success at School
http://www.additudemag.com/RCLP/sub/2737.html

Learn from the experts—-professionals and parents just like you—-how to get off the sidelines and help your child succeed in school and in life. This is a supportive website that can empower parents to help their children succeed.
http://www.smartkidswithld.org/ld-basics/signs-symptoms/dyslexia-article?gclid=CPXV5PCHnq8CFQVoKgodYlJtdw

Blog for parents of children with dyslexia, AD/HD or other LD (affiliated with the above website)---Newsletter sign-up box also available in left sidebar.
http://www.smartkidswithld.org/blog

Top 10 Resources on Dyslexia from Reading Rockets---Learn about the common signs of dyslexia, how parents can support their child and celebrate their strengths, the role of assistive technology, how the latest brain research can help kids with dyslexia, and more.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/42331/?&depth=1&order=1&sortby=2&render=flat

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

As always, we focus on addressing the current reading needs of our clients, parents, teachers and others who communicate with us on a daily basis. This week, our emails and phone calls have been about assistance with dyslexia. Parents of new, young readers and grad students have recently described to us their children’s or their own issues with convergence insufficiency, visual stress (from white page backgrounds) and/or actual diagnoses of dyslexia.

With the popularity of last week’s blog article and app list for autism (it received the most visitors of all our other blog articles combined!), we thought it would be very appropriate this week to provide a list of apps dedicated to those with dyslexia-related symptoms. Here is our current list of BEST apps for this need:

1. Textkraft English: Top Smart Text Processor for iPad---Textkraft English is the perfect iPad writing tool for you, your tweens or teens to write essays, letters or email.
http://www.funeducationalapps.com/2011/11/textkraft-english-top-smart-text-processor-for-ipad.html

2. American Wordespeller – A Phonetic Dictionary App to Help Dyslexic Kids with Spelling ---American Wordspeller© & Phonetic Dictionary app is great phonetic dictionary that can help and support kids with spelling difficulties and dyslexia.
http://www.funeducationalapps.com/2011/02/american-wordespeller-a-phonetic-dictionary-app-to-help-dyslexic-kids-with-spelling-.html

3. Collections of Top Spelling Apps for Kids (Some include promo codes for free or lower prices---Issued 2/21/12 and may be time sensitive)
http://www.funeducationalapps.com/spelling-apps/

4. Top Ten iPhone Apps: (Includes VIDEO) Ron Davis – Unlocking the Power of Dyslexia--- Ronald D. Davis explains how he discovered how to overcome his reading disability through the power of orientation.
http://topteniphoneapps.info/iphone-videos/ron-davis-unlocking-the-power-of-dyslexia/

5. Apps for Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities---This long list of tools can help level the playing field for you, a student or others to reading, spelling, writing, and organizational/study skills. Use of these tools can also lead to increased self-confidence in the classroom and workplace.
http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/tools/apps

6. Best 5 iPad Apps for Dyslexia---by Drs.Fernette and Brock Eide
http://dyslexicadvantage.com/profiles/blogs/ipad-apps-dyslexia

7. openWeb---Dyslexia-friendly web browser by Abbie Gonzalez
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/openweb/id519348697?ls=1&mt=8

(Software) Ghotit corrects the spelling of people with dyslexia and dysgraphia. http://www.ghotit.com

Special Note: The Reading Focus Cards work well to provide even more focus and concentration with iPads, Kindles, Nooks, and other related tech devices. Just remember to use a non-scratch film to protect the tech screens with this application.
Happy Reading, EVERYONE!

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com For ADHD focusing tools that work!
www.BrennanInnovators.com For ADHD info and support
314-892-3897

Background

Vision plays such a vital role in a child’s learning success. Many of the symptoms and behaviors often associated with learning disabilities are very similar to those caused by vision problems. In fact, in some cases, students with real vision problems are sometimes mistaken for having learning disabilities (AD/HD, autism, and other issues). For this reason, it is critical that a comprehensive vision examination be part of a complete evaluation of every child who is failing to succeed in school.

The College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) has provided an excellent checklist with some signs and symptoms to look for that may indicate a vision problem. This checklist is accessible by visiting http://www.covd.org/Home/ParentResourceCenter/SymptomsChecklist/tabid/279/Default.aspx

How to Properly Identify a Vision Problem

Children should be referred for a comprehensive eye exam whenever visual symptoms are noticed or if they are not achieving their potential. Important: Many of these vision problems will not be detected during a school vision screening or limited vision assessment as part of a school physical or routine pediatric health evaluation.

Locate a medical professional (i.e. developmental optometrist) in your area who is experienced and knowledgeable in diagnosing and treating learning-related vision problems. An online tool for locating such a medical professional is available at https://covdwp.memberpoint.com/WebPortal/BuyersGuide/ProfessionalSearch.aspx

Resources and Support

COVD Parent Resource Center:
http://covd.org/Parents/tabid/264/Default.aspx

Information about Insurance Coverage for Vision Therapy:
http://covd.org/InsuranceCoverageforVisionTherapy/tabid/85/Default.aspx

What is Vision Therapy?
http://covd.org/AboutVisionTherapy/tabid/71/Default.aspx

Jillian's Story: How Vision Therapy Changed My Daughter's Life by Robin Benoit and Jillian Benoit--- An inspiring story of determination---This book offers "a deeply personal account along with life-changing information on the importance of vision therapy." http://www.jilliansstory.com/

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com For AD/HD focusing tools that work!
www.BrennanInnovators.com For AD/HD info and support
314-892-3897

Source of information: Credits to http://covd.org/ The official site of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development

We wanted to follow up on here on last week’s article about help for low vision, stroke recovery and traumatic brain injury. It only makes sense to provide additional resources from the internet and organizations that can provide additional support to persons with these challenges AND their caregivers as well.

Please find the following resources, many of which are FREE. We hope they will help you, your child, or someone for whom you care:

Low Vision Resources

1. A variety of products, resources, and organizations are available to help people who have low vision. www.glaucoma.org/treatment/low-vision-resources.php

2. Information on rehabilitation, low vision aids, coping strategies, and other resources are provided here. http://www.lowvision.org/

3. A rich collection of resources on the World Wide Web is available to those who wish to know more about visual impairments and about resources and accommodations for students with visual impairments. (from the University of Washington) http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/Strategies/Disability/Vision/low_vision_resources.html

Stroke Recovery Resources

1. The American Stroke Association offers support and information for stroke patients, caregivers and their families. http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/

2. Stroke-recovery resources such as a FREE online caregiver handbook, speech and language therapy information and software, and other information are accessible here. http://www.bungalowsoftware.com/rehab/#Stroke_

3. FREE booklet, entitled "Recovering After a Stroke," is designed to help stroke survivors and their families get the most out of post-stroke (all from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/stroke_rehabilitation.htm

TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) Resources

1. Useful resources on the web, including discussion groups, email lists, and numerous web pages. Resources are organized by category (TBI, therapist info, rehab institutes, etc.) http://www.bungalowsoftware.com/rehab/#TBI

2. Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Resources: TBI Resource Guide available by subscribing to our free monthly electronic newsletter and other resources. http://www.neuroskills.com/

3. Brain Injury REHAB & RECOVERY Related Links and Resources http://www.discoverhiddensecrets.com/TBIresources.html

For more information, please visit:

www.FocusandRead.com For focusing tools that work!
www.BrennanInnovators.com For info, resources, and support
314-892-3897 For phone support and consultation

Clip art courtesy of: http://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/brain_clipart.html

It is customary for us at Brennan Innovators to receive numerous inquiries and consultation requests each week from parents and teachers of children with various kinds of learning differences (i.e. AD/HD, dyslexia, autism, etc.) However, during the past few weeks, we have been receiving more requests from struggling readers with other physical conditions or recently-acquired challenges .

Adults with low vision issues have been asking about our Reading Focus Cards (U.S. Patent 7,565,759) for tracking and fluency help with macular degeneration and other vision issues. In addition, persons recovering from stroke or traumatic brain injury and their care givers have been calling to ask about our tools for their reading challenges, as well. It has been very gratifying to offer them a very inexpensive aid to increase their potential to read with more success.

With some of these physical conditions described above, it is often difficult for an affected reader to see where the next line of text is actually located in order to begin to read it. Also, the white background on a page of text can work against an already-struggling reader, causing visual stress and making it even more difficult to read. However, when a colored filter such as a highlighting yellow lens or overlay is added to change the page background, the text appears more pronounced or emphasized. This aids a compromised reader to focus and track more effectively, which can lessen frustration and anxiety, and may very well provide the needed focus, concentration, and better comprehension so as to ultimately experience the ability to read once again.

The Reading Focus Cards can provide these features and more for a challenged reader of any age with reading issues such as stroke, brain injury, or challenges relating to low vision. Of course, the focusing tool is not meant in any way to take the place of appropriate medical attention, but it can assist in the rehabilitation period when evaluation and diagnosis have been completed, and recovery has begun.

For more information and to view a video about this reading solution called the Reading Focus Cards, please visit:

www.FocusandRead.com For focusing tools that work!
www.BrennanInnovators.com For info, resources, and support
314-892-3897 For phone support and consultation