TOP PICKS | 38 TOOLS
Apps and Websites for Special Education Programs
Top Picks
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Thinking Time Pro - Cognitive Skills for Early Learning
Challenging games stress memory, logic, impulse control, flexibility
Bottom line: Effective and engaging way to address foundational cognitive skills; most kids will need adult support.
Toca Town
Kids run the world with perfect mix of fantasy and reality
Bottom line: Impressive open-play town lets kids explore and learn.
Kid in Story Book Maker
Easy-to-make personalized stories can help boost social skills
Bottom line: A must-have story creation tool for teachers in special-needs settings.
Todo Math: School Edition
One arithmetic app fulfills the needs of many learners
Bottom line: A variety of strategies and accommodations make this app classroom-ready for a variety of levels and abilities.
Skill Champ
Foundational-skills-practice tool supports specific learning needs
Bottom line: Well-designed tool for targeted foundational skills practice.
Autism Core Skills School Edition: Academic, Communication, and Social Skills Plus Data
Robust app combines high-quality lessons with handy quantitative data
Bottom line: Academic and social lessons are worth the purchase price for the amount of depth and data produced.
Birdhouse for Teachers
Teacher-parent organization tool keeps kids with disabilities on track
Bottom line: If everyone involved has web access and keeps up to date, kids with special needs will benefit.
Bookshare
Unique digital library gives access to those with print disabilities
Bottom line: This fantastic digital library service provides a powerful sense of independence for students.
Children with Autism: A Visual Schedule
Simple, wearable calendar and task tool could be great for some
Bottom line: This is a usefully customizable spin on visual timers, but the cool wearable version is accessible to very few students.
First Then Visual Schedule HD
Useful multisensory tool teaches self-direction and follow-through
Bottom line: This simple but powerful tool engages kids in independently following a schedule.
Goalbook Toolkit
Set tailored targets with pricey but worth-it kit of tools, strategies
Bottom line: You pay for quality with Goalbook Toolkit, including access to clear, well-crafted learning goals and strategies that allow for far easier differentiation.
Social Story Creator Educators
Create multimedia stories that help with social skills
Bottom line: Solid and very simple app for kids with social challenges.
Articulation Station
Pricey but definitely worth it for kids struggling with pronunciation
Bottom line: For helping students with letter and word pronunciation, this highly valuable tool is worth the cost.
Touch and Learn - Emotions
Free app helps kids identify emotions, recognize body language
Bottom line: Bridges the gap between feeling or witnessing emotions and using words to describe them.
Dexteria Dots - Get in Touch with Math
Ingenious, intuitive way for kids to learn and practice the basics
Bottom line: Fun, innovative math tool engages and helps a variety of learners practice and build fluency.
Social Adventures
Expert-approved activities nurture students' social skills
Bottom line: A treasure chest of social-skills-building activities created by speech and language pros that are worth the high price and need for facilitation.
ConversationBuilder
Themed scripts help kids practice successful social exchanges
Bottom line: For speech-language pathologists, this is a must-have tool for helping kids learn conversation skills.
Co:Writer Universal
Predictive writing assistant valuable for certain students
Bottom line: This is a useful, customizable tool for a particular kind of reluctant writer who struggles with vocabulary and spelling.
Proloquo2Go
Brilliant tool helps kids with speech difficulties communicate
Bottom line: The price is hefty, but Proloquo2Go carries its weight by providing students and teachers an effective, one-of-a-kind communication tool.
Read&Write
Useful text-to-speech app and extension unlocks the written word
Bottom line: A valuable tool to make classroom use of websites and digital documents more accessible to all students.
Scan and Read Pro
Easily scan, read, and study texts regardless of reading level
Bottom line: This is a powerful tool to support students' independence in reading, studying, and test-taking at any level.
Seeing AI
Free app uses AI to communicate the world to visually impaired kids
Bottom line: Students who are blind or have visual impairments will likely find this multifunctional tool to be a welcome and useful shift from more limited apps.
Stick Pick
Differentiate, engage with assessment app aimed at higher-order skills
Bottom line: Useful reinvention of a classic means of encouraging student attention with the added bonus of support for higher-order thinking and response tracking.
TapTapSee
Utilitarian app IDs objects for kids with visual impairments
Bottom line: While it could use some improvements, this is a useful, free app for helping students gain independence.
Vizzle
Visual lessons reinforce concepts for students with special needs
Bottom line: Thoughtful but dated tool helps with differentiation and progress-tracking for students with autism.
Pictello
Fabulous tool can help kids create social stories
Bottom line: Pictello is a great way for kids to create social stories that can help them find their unique voice and prepare for internal and external struggles.
CAST UDL Book Builder
Sensitively designed so any student can write and share books
Bottom line: CAST UDL Book Builder is an excellent resource to get kids started on digital content creation; it's simple and straightforward and caters to a variety of learning styles.
Time Timer
Manage and conceptualize time with great visuals, a few bugs
Bottom line: A decent option for visual timer needs, being sufficiently customizable, but there are still a few bugs and room for improvement.
News-2-You
Draw kids into weekly news with powerful symbols and voice narration
Bottom line: Students can expand literacy skills, learn about the world, and get involved with discussion questions and activities.
Prism
Experiential game teaches empathy toward those with autism
Bottom line: Lessons on inclusion and community in the classroom require post-game facilitated discussion for deep learning.
Mindprint Learning
Expert feedback and tools designed for individual learner profiles
Bottom line: This impressive tool uses normed digital assessments to create a specific learning profile and provide authentic tools for individual learners.
ModMath
Blank virtual grid sheets assist students with mathematical notation
Bottom line: Clear and precise app that allows students to focus on calculation, not number formation.
Choiceworks Calendar
Empowering calendar tool alleviates transition anxiety
Bottom line: Great structure, lots of visual choices, and ease of use make this tool a worthwhile investment.
NaturalReader
Natural text-to-speech tool helps kids with reading difficulties
Bottom line: The simple interface and natural-sounding voice can empower many types of kids, those with difficulties in reading or those with cognitive disabilities.
BeeLine Reader
A surprisingly simple tool to improve reading
Bottom line: This is a unique, easy-to-implement reading fluency and comprehension aid that's gaining some evidence of effectiveness.
Hall of Heroes
Responsive game helps students prepare for transition to middle school
Bottom line: Wonderful and fun social-interaction game designed to teach cooperation and friendship skills needed for middle school and beyond.
The Mood Meter
Well-designed tool encourages kids to reflect on and manage emotions
Bottom line: Appealing, thought-provoking tool builds emotional intelligence.
ConversationBuilderTeen
Customizable tool provides valuable practice with social interactions
Bottom line: Engaging way to practice peer conversations on tricky topics.
