Super-Duper Publications, Inc. Creates Fun Apps for Speech-Challenged Children

How many times have you heard "there's an app for that?"  We are all familiar with how much influence mobile devices such as electronic notebooks, lap top computers and cell phones have in our lives. Mobile applications (or "apps") can help us count our calories, find the best gas prices in town and direct us to the nearest library. What the average person may not know is the profound impact of these devices in helping special needs children gain social skills, build their vocabulary and enhance their speech skills. Super Duper Publications, Inc.  is one company that has become a leader in developing interactive apps specifically designed for children with speech difficulties and autism. Two of the most popular Super Duper Publications apps in this area are the What Are They Asking? Fun Deck app and the award-winning How? Fun Deck app. Both of these apps can be purchased through iTunes and downloaded to the iPhone®, iPad®, and iPod touch®.


       The What Are They Asking?  Fun Deck app is a fun, affordable way to teach children to use visual clues to figure out what a certain person (or animal) is asking them to do. Children with learning disabilities or special needs often have trouble picking up on social clues which can lead to a lack of conversational skills. Conversational skills are critical to a child's social development as well as their educational growth.  According to an article published in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders [v4 n2 p199-209 Apr-Jun 2010] , interactive programs that provide feedback can help children with autism improve their conversational skills and can lead to important developmental skills like making friends and interacting with teachers.

This brightly-colored app is aimed at kids ages K-3rd grade and has 56 illustrated picture cards from the What Are They Asking? Fun Deck  by Super Duper Publications. Each card also has audio to go with the text for those children with visual impairments. After a student selects a card, he picks out cues in the pictures to figure out what the person in the scene is asking. The child gives a verbal response and the parent or teacher selects a green square for correct or a red square for incorrect. The results are then tracked and can be used to measure the child's progress. These pictures can also be used to encourage further conversation or even to inspire the student to write about what he or she sees on the cards. This app is ideal for a classroom setting because up to five student responses can be tracked at one time.

    

Another useful app from Super Duper publications is the award-wining How? Fun Deck app.  Academics' Choice awarded this app its Smart Media Award. Academics' Choice helps parents and teachers find the best and most effective learning tools for students. http://www.academicschoice.com/apps/how-fun-deck.php

       The How? Fun Deck app is aimed at children from grades pre-K-4 and has 56 picture cards with text and audio that presents different everyday situations like getting out of bed and washing a dog. The student selects a card and is asked a "how" questions such as "How do you make a friend?" How questions help develop reasoning skills in kids because they are more open ended than simple who, what, where or when questions. By asking open-ended questions the How? Fun Deck app exercises a child's cognitive thinking, reasoning and problems solving skills. Speech therapists will also find it useful in developing verbal and conversational skills in children.

If you are still not sure if you want to pay to download these apps, you can give one of the Super Duper Publications' free apps a try. One fun and free app that helps younger children (ages K-3rd grade) to learn the names of objects is the Let's Name Things Fun Deck app. Kids can select one of 52 simple and colorful illustrations that ask children to list things (with both text and audio) like "Let's name things that make you happy" or "Let's name things that are heavy." This app is designed to build vocabulary and categorizing skills. The Let's Name Things Fun Deck is not just for special needs kids and could be a fun app to try with kids in a car on a long trip or while waiting at a doctor's office.

Rachel Huber,
and
Hulet Smith, OT