Finding the right app for your special needs child can be a challenge.  Below are some of our favorites at The iMums by category which can help target skills for your child.

Reading Apps

Reading Train Endless Books, Songs & Games - School ReadersReading Train Endless Books, Songs & Games – School Readers by The Learning Station is a digital library of over 200+ picture books kids can read and record created by Libby Curran, educator and author of award winning books. The Reading Train is a great concept for children from the get go. Once you have setup your child’s user account, they can get onboard the reading train and start learning! There is a large collection of reading books to choose from, some covering colours, animals, life science, shapes, maths etc all categorised and covered at three different reading levels. Read our full review

Read With PhonzyRead with Phonzy by MeowTek is a free universal app for iOS which features speech recognition to understand how well kids pronounced words using a character named Phonzy who provides prompts on the words.  The app requires that you opt in via email to use it and understand the terms and conditions.  It utilizes speech technology which recognizes and assesses the specific word that you are focusing on in the sentence.  It works best with children and does work well in a noisy environment like a busy home or a place where there is background noise.  As children pronounce words correctly, they can unlock the word which is then put into a gallery.  It also helps kids build confidence in reading (especially sight words) and improves skills of sentence building and thinking quickly.  We tested the app in a variety of environments including with a television on in the background, at a local park and in a classroom with other children.  Each time Phonzy was able to zero in and understand the words being spoken without picking up the ambient noise.  Read the full review or download here

Read - Kids learn to read and write in 20 easy lessonsRead – Kids learn to read and write in 20 easy lessons by Olivier Romanetti of One Tree Hill Studio is a universal app for iOS targeting kids aged four through 8 (or second grade) which helps them to acquire core reading skills including letter formation, sight words, reading comprehension, writing pad, alphabet, listening and more.  The narration can be done in a United States narrator, English narrator, Australian narrator or Indian narrator.  You can also speed up or slow down the words per minute and pitch of the speaker as well as turn on and off the background music. The app uses phonics teaching sight words in combination with word decoding. It also includes multi user capabilities and lesson progress.  The app features twenty different lessons with over 100 different exercises and interactive stories.  It is designed for the beginning reader through approximately second grade. Read the full review or download here.

Listening Apps

Sound Salad - Help Mr. Ear by sorting soundsSound Salad by Funny Yummy Studios is an auditory perception app that requires players to match sounds to the correct object. Funny Yummy Studios is also the developer of the addictive “Catch the Wally” where you play hide ‘n seek with a spider in a brick wall and Funny Yummy, a delightful interactive story book for younger children. As with their other apps, Sound Salad has high-quality mixed-media graphics and animations which are unique and quirky.  Read the full review or download here 

AAC Apps

Total TalkTotal Talk is an excellent iPad only AAC app designed for easy and efficient communication by nonverbal users. The app was developed by Ellenson Integration Enterprises, Inc. A quick start guide makes it easy to begin using the app and the complete user manual provides a more thorough overview of the app.
The home page is organized with a message output area at the top, a dock or menu on the left side of the screen and the main grid with word buttons and folders (default is 6×6). The main grid gives access to several commonly used words (yes/no, I, you, want) and folders which are organized by category (i.e. people, verbs, activities, places, things, questions). Any words selected will appear in the message output box and can be verbalized by pressing on the box or the “speak” button in the dock.  Read the full review or download here.

Emotions Apps

Avokiddo Emotions – Playful learning for kidsAvokiddo Emotions by Avokiddo is a delightfully interactive universal app for iOS featuring a giraffe, zebra and a shy and sleepy sheep. The app allows you to select one of the animals and explore the “cause and effect” of hats, objects, foods and even backgrounds to see what they like and do not like. Avokiddo was founded in 2013 as a spin-off of react-IN and previously released an iMum favorite, Beck and Bo in 2012. The app targets children aged 2 to 8 with a variety of activities that include dressing the animals, feeding them a variety of foods which drop from the sky as well as musical instruments, and a variety of other objects. Children simply choose an animal, and then when they are done with the objects on the screen, pull down a handle and then a variety of new objects fall from the sky. . To test an object with the animal, you must simply touch it and then it will perform an action, sometimes the object will stop the action when it is released like the bubbles, and other times the object like the radio will continue to play. This app is a great one for practicing speech, mimicking of specific patterns like blowing a bubble or breathing through a snorkel as well as looking at how the animal feels about the choices you have made for them and creative free play.  Read our full review or download here.

 Problem Solving Apps

Thinkrolls 2 - Logic and... iconThinkrolls 2 is the sequel to the popular physics puzzler for young children Thinkrolls from Greek app developer Avokiddo. It is a combination of a ball-rolling platform game, maze and physics puzzler. The player needs to navigate increasingly complex mazes, past a variety of obstacles. Thinkrolls 2 adds 235 new levels divided between Easy and Hard modes, and introduces new concepts including buoyancy and electricity. Thinkrolls 2 continues where the original left off with the same engaging gameplay and 235 new levels introducing 7 new elements using concepts such as buoyancy, electricity and gravity. It works on problem solving, memory, observation and planning ahead. Thinkrolls 2 makes physics puzzlers accessible in a fun way to children as young as 3, but has enough challenge to keep older children engaged too. Highly Recommended!  Read the full review or download here.

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