April app of the month- See.Touch.Learn

See.Touch.Learn 
My April app of the month is another fantastic creation from BrainParade, a celebrated app design company that has joined forces with Autism Speaks to provide free applications to families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder.  See Touch Learn has been awarded with Apples "New and noteworthy" recognition.  See Touch Learn is a picture learning system similar to the cards that are often used by ABA professionals to help children with Autism or other developmental disabilities expand their vocabulary or teach concepts such as self expression or understanding of emotion.

Age Range: While there is no specific age limitation with this app, it would be crucial for the user to have a basic understanding of language and or the ability to follow simple verbal commands.  I would recommend this application for children over the age of two years.


In a Nutshell: See.Touch.Learn is a fantastic application which seemed to be designed with ABA and or speech and language services in mind, however has really helped many of the clients that I work with in OT as well.  This application is versatile as it can be set up individually for users and data is easily tracked.  I have used this application to work on body awareness (identification of body parts) finger isolation (to point at and select the proper response)  and to address various cognitive deficits that affect many of the children that I interact with on a daily basis.  The free app comes with a basic starter set of cards, and additional sets can be purchased for nominal fees.  New sets are being added on a regular basis.

Praise:
1. Easy to use.
2. Easy to personalize for various clients
3. The basic program is free and additional card sets are inexpensive
4. The program is updated on a regular basis with new vocabulary being added

Survey Says: Two thumbs up!!!

April is Autism Awareness month and today is World Autism Awareness Day

Rockefeller Center (NYC), Niagara Falls (Canada), Cairo Tower (Egypt), The Paris Stock Exchange (France), The Kingdom Tower (Saudi Arabia), Christ The Redeemer Statue (Brazil), Sydney Opera House (Australia), Canton Tower (China), and The Empire State Building (United States of America)...What do these landmarks have in common??? They are all glowing in a shade of blue right this very minute. A blue light illuminates each of these, and many more monuments around the globe today to demonstrate acknowledgement of the worldwide epidemic that is, AUTISM.

The following information is taken from the Autism Speaks, Light It Up Blue website.

About World Autism Awareness Day

In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly declared April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD), with the goal of bringing the world's attention to autism, a pervasive disorder that affects tens of millions.
World Autism Awareness Day shines a bright light on autism as a growing global health concern. WAAD activities help to increase and develop world knowledge of the autism crisis and impart information regarding the importance of early diagnosis and early intervention. Additionally, WAAD celebrates the unique talents and skills of people with autism, and features community events around the world where individuals with autism and their families are warmly welcomed and embraced.

About Autism

Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders - autism spectrum disorders - caused by a combination of genes and environmental influences. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by social and behavioral challenges, as well as repetitive behaviors. An estimated 1 in 88 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum – a 1000 percent increase in the past 40 years that is only partly explained by improved diagnosis.

New information on the Autism epidemic released

New information has been released by the CDC that puts the prevalence of Autism at 1 in every 88 children born.  This means that over 1 million children are currently diagnosed with Autism today.  As I have said time and time again, early intervention is the key to helping children reach their fullest potential at a young age.  Please read the link below for more information from the Autism Speaks website on the new information released last week.

Prevalence | Autism Speaks