IPad With a Switch

Junior got the switch interface for his ipad a few weeks ago but it took us awhile to get it figured out. The directions were very poor and it wasn't until I called the manufacturer that we figured it out. Now if there were only more switch accessible apps available.

Junior is feeling much better and was ready to give his ipad and switch a try today. We started out
with an app called Tap Sequence. I had recorded one of Junior's Transformers into it and the switch allowed him to turn his own pages. As you can tell by the pics I need to take pics of the actual book so we aren't stuck using the available pics. Junior was so excited to be able to turn the pages all by himself that he didn't mind the nutty pics(though from his expression you can tell he thought they were definitely not what they should be). This race car looks nothing like Bumblebee from Transformers.
Then we tried out Soundingboard. It is a communication app that is switch accessible. This is not the one Junior uses regularly and was not programed for him. We used one of the pre made boards and I explained that he needed to hit his switch when the correct symbol had a box around it. I then walked him through it a few times. This is the very first time he has used this program. After that I pulled up a board for leisure activities and asked him what he wanted to do after his stander.
He used his switch to say " I want to watch tv". I was surprised that being his very first time he did so well and thought that maybe he just hit the switch and that was what it was on. Well I asked him to please tell me just one more time what he wanted. He sat and waited until it scanned back to "I want to watch TV" and quickly hit his switch again. We will work on this for awhile and then move to 2 switch scanning. This will allow him to use one switch to move the box forward and the second switch to make his choice. With one switch scanning he hits the switch to start the scanning and then every 3 seconds(or however long you set it for) the box moves to the next symbol. He clicks his switch when his choice is highlighted.
I then pulled up the yes/no board to have his tell me if he was ready to get down. Not sure what is up with them using a blacked out box for yes but Junior didn't mind. He told me yes several times just to show me he got it. a very proud guy

Ipad and Computer

Wow it has been over two weeks since I last posted on this blog. Junior has been ill and is also going through serial casting on his legs.

Junior finally got his computer from the school district last week. A few days later the mouse on it died. Junior's teacher brought by an external mouse to use until tomorrow when she can take the computer into tech support.
Today we hooked up his head switch so he could play some games. I set his ipad up also so he could tell me whose turn it is and if he needs help.

Baseball time(I was playing against him and he is one competitive kid)

A couple innings in he scored a run and then looked over at his ipad to tell me "I win". I guess it is a good thing because right after that the computer froze so we had to stop playing.

Chore Pad App

We use a lot of great apps but occasionally come upon one that we love and really makes a difference for Junior. Apps like Proloquo2go which opened his whole world by allowing him to communicate.
We recently tried an app called Chore Pad. When I first checked it out I thought it was neat but didn't really see it as something that would work for Junior.
Chore pad allows you to place a list of chores/activities on a chart. As the child accomplishes each task they can check them off and get a star. You can set it up with a list of "prizes" for a specific amount of stars.
I decided to try placing Junior's daily activities on the chart. The things that are not favorites and he generally is not happy about. This kid HATES to have his teeth brushed and face washed and every morning it is a battle. Those things went on his chart. We ended up with a list of about 10 - 15 things. I then showed it to Junior and explained it to him. To get a star he had to do the activity without complaint.
We started using Chore Pad on Friday morning and for the first time in a very long time I got absolutely no complaint when it came time to brush his teeth and wash his face. Junior didn't whine or try to get out of the hard stuff during exercise time and didn't even cry when it was time for his cough assist. He absolutely loved having me help him check off each activity and seeing the stars add up. He now has 50 stars and gets to get an icee next time we are out(even though he only gets tiny tastes he loves icees).
The positive reinforcement for good behavior and giving Junior control of whether or not he earns the stars seems to be just the right fit. Love it.

Ipad Update 1 year later

I just did an update on Junior's regular blog about our ipad use. It has now been 1 year since he first started using it. Wow, can't believe it has been a year and at the same time it seems like it has been much longer. Now that he uses the ipad so much it is hard to believe that a year ago we were still dealing with the frustrations that come with communication issues. Junior had his eye gaze and we used boardmaker but my busy guy got very frustrated with the time that, that involved.

Here is the update I posted on his blog.
It has been a year since Junior started using his ipad so I thought it was a good time for an update.
First off, the ipad continues to allow Junior to show us what he is really capable of. My most recent surprise was when we were doing his school work and I put some new words on his ipad. Words we had never worked on before and that were more difficult then what we had been doing. What a surprise when he got them correct on the first try, all of them.
The number of symbols he now is able to use on the proloquo2go app is over 100. His overall school performance has improved because he stays much more focused when using the ipad. Things I used to have to fight to get him to do he now does willingly and enjoys because they are on his ipad He continues to be more vocal and will at times try to vocalize with his ipad. We can't wait to see what the coming year holds for Junior and his ipad.
Amazing how a piece of technology not even made to be used for the special needs community has had such an impact on not just Junior but so many other children.

some pictures from over the past few months of Junior and his ipad
Asking for help with an activity
Painting and using his ipad to ask for a new color when needed
Answering a reading comprehension question after listening to the Megamind read along
Picking the correct word during reading
Using one of our favorite apps Word Magic along with his felt board, during his reading time
Writing grandma a note(with a little help)
And of course just having some fun

His adapter cord arrived this week but after trying it we learned that you have to have the ipad 2 to do mirroring(putting what is on the ipad screen on the tv screen). Such a disappointment since we had a few apps which we had been waiting on this for. We wanted Junior to be able to have the ipad on his tray for hand over hand writing activities but still be able to see up on the tv screen what he is doing(I spoke to his home teacher though and she has some possible options for us so i am not giving up on this yet). The school district also brought out his new speakers and switch adapter. The speakers are awesome and work with all his technology items. As for the blue tooth switch interface we are still trying to get it working. Our AT person came out to try to work out the issues but no luck. RJ Cooper also very kindly tried to help us figure it out, I was very impressed since this was not even his interface yet he was doing his best to help us work out the issues(and on the weekend). I will be talking to tech support from the manufacturer tomorrow and hopefully get some answers. Junior was so excited so I hated having to tell him it doesn't work yet.


Now for some of our new favorite apps(there are several app lists over on our adaptions blog but these are some newer ones).
Stories - the Smurfs, KungFu Panda 2, Treasure Kai, Transformers Mix and Match

Educational - Math Magic(this is on our other lists but it has been updated and we like it even more now), Teach Me 1st Grade, Word Wizard(sounds out each letter as you put it on the board, then says the word, great app), Space Boards 1st grade(they also have this app for other grades, this is one we got from A4cwsn, thank you so much), Mobile Educations "builder" series(story builder, language builder, speech journal- all of these are great and ones we use regularly in Junior's school work).

Misc. - Chore pad(we just found this app through A4cwsn and really like it. for Junior I list what we will be doing that day and then check the things off as he does them)
Time Timer(a great visual timer, you can set up several timers at a time.)

Also if you are looking for great apps be sure to check out A4cwsn . Their blog is fabulous with many, many apps along with videos showing how the apps work. Perfect if you are unsure what will work for your child. The videos have saved me quite a bit of money by allowing me to see an app in action before deciding to buy it. The founder Gary James has made it his mission to help those with special needs get the apps they need to succeed. He is also on a mission to get Ipads into the hands of children with special needs. At this time he has delivered 20 ipads to some truly amazing kids. On his blog you will find videos of these special deliveries. A4cwsn is also on fb which is where I keep up with them. Click on over and check out their app videos and if you are able support their ipad mission.

Later tonight or tomorrow on this blog I will be sharing more about the Chore Board app and the Time Timer. We had looked at both and used the Time Timer some but hadn't really used the Chore Board. I will just say we are hooked and I can't wait to share about our experience with these two amazing apps.

Busy, Busy

Wow I can't believe it has been over two weeks since my last post. Things have been so busy.
We have had time for some fun but Junior also had some bumpy sick days this week.

We have been busy on "camping" activities during Junior's school time. He made fish, a fishing pole, smores, and more. Many of these activities include the ipad. It is late and Junior is ready for bed so I am going to send you over to our Adaptions Blog to check out our camping ipad activities(it is the past several posts).

This last week I got a stylus for the ipad and also ordered a cord so the ipad can plug into our tv.
The school district also brought by Junior's new ipad speakers(love them) and blue tooth switch adapter(haven't yet gotten it up and running).

We are still waiting on the adapter cord but really like having the stylus. Today I helped Junior use the stylus and a notetaking app to write a letter to grandma and then email it to her. We can't wait to get the adapter so he can write on the ipad and see what he is doing up on the tv screen. It is nearly impossible for him to look down at what he is doing when the ipad is on his tray. No, Junior can't use his hands independently but hand over hand writing really helps him learn especially in the reading area. He does best with a multi-sensory approach.

Writing grandma a note

Lots more of our ipad journey to share about but it will have to wait for another day. As always feel free to click on over and visit Junior's regular blog. Follow along on this sometimes crazy, but always amazing roller coaster ride which makes up the story of our life.

Sleep, Med Withdrawals, Doctors, and Other Not So Fun Stuff

Things have been pretty crazy around here lately. Getting blog posts up hasn't been making it to my priority list so we are again falling behind. Junior started sleeping nearly constantly so we went to doctors appts. and tried to get that figured out. One of his sleep meds was stopped so we are dealing with med withdrawals from that. His ankle which he sprained back in mid June started swelling again so it was rechecked and xrays were done(all is fine). Life is certainly never dull around here.

We did the intro to Junior's new school unit on camping/summer time but haven't done much more. Please visit Junior's regular blog for more on our crazy days.
In true Junior form he always finds moments of happiness and reasons to smile.
Here he was making a tackle box to use during math in our camping unit. A very sleepy but smiling boy.
The last couple weeks his ipad has been there to get him through the many doctors appts and stress. It really helps him stay calm and distracted when he can watch his tv programs, listen to a story, or play a game. It is also a huge help to have him able to communicate with me during these difficult moments.

Happy 4th Of July

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!


Here is Junior using his ipad while we work on his 4th of July craft.
Letting me know I am helping too much
Showing off his finished craft

Relaxing with a movie and his toys


Friday afternoon we checked out the app we are reviewing for A4cwsn . This app is called Treasure Kai and Junior was very impressed. It did have some things that could have been improved upon such as interaction. Junior kept wanting help touching the screen to get things to move or make sounds but only a few things did. He also got a bit frustrated when the treasure chests were too small for him to show me the one he wanted. Even with that said the story was great and was totally age appropriate for him even though it was very simple to use and follow. The little boy in the story looks about Junior's age so it was easy for him to get caught up in the story and excited about what was happening. I loved watching Junior's expressions change during each part of the story.
The little boy turned invisible to get where he needed to go. Junior thought this part was absolutely hysterical.
Mr. serious when the skeleton popped out.