{Free App Alert} All of the apps from STEP BY STEP are currently free

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{Free App Alert} All of the apps from STEP BY STEP are currently FREE for a limited time so grab them quickly! Get links on this post: http://bit.ly/2bWPMhd

 

I downloaded them all, tried them out and especially appreciate all the settings options that make these apps “sensory friendly” and “special needs friendly”.

The developer’s Facebook page indicates “in the coming weeks, another 8 apps will be launched (all approved by Apple already) and then we’ll start working on Android versions.” No indication as to whether or not they will also be free but I’ll keep my eyes out for them.

I left 3 installed on my therapy iPad based on goals I’m addressing with current patients. The “Same Same” app is nice for face up identical matching. I have several patients who get frustrated with the “memory” aspect of most memory match games so face up matching is a nice place to start. “Place in Groups” & “Sort by Kind” are good for categorization.

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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 26 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.
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{please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I don’t have any control over ads nor do I profit from them}

{Free App Alert} First Blubs – unlock all 22 animals FREE this week **** App Warning ****

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Important Notice: Sadly I cannot recommend this app anymore. The app developer has chosen to price it at $99.99 to force folks over to their newer Speech Blubs app. They have chosen to go with a subscription-based model, are luring folks in with the promise of a free short trial and then charging a $9.99 per month subscription fee. They are also misusing the names of several SLP blogs including my own to promote that new app. On their website they include quotes from reviews for the original app and number of users from that app and are trying to pass them off as being related to this new app. You can see my full blog post with concerns at:

https://omazingkidsllc.com/2017/07/03/app-warning-do-not-install-the-update-for-first-blubs-concerns-i-have-regarding-the-pricing-on-the-new-speech-blubs-app/

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It took a social media blitz to get them to remove the OMazing Kids name from the description for Speech Blubs on the App Store but I just saw they are still using my name on their website and linking back to this post. I have written this update to this post to hopefully force them to quit using the OMazing Kids name on their website, any social media or any app stores (Apple, Google Play, Amazon or any others that might appear in the future). They have seriously messed with the wrong speechie…. I am very active and vocal on social media, am in almost every SLP Facebook group that they might try to lure SLPs in and am definitely not afraid to call them out every single time I see them post.

Also see this post on my Facebook page and the comments section on that post:

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{Free App Alert} Cool! Check out the new First Blubs app to encourage kids to imitate the sounds & mouth movements of 22 different animals. Includes peer video modeling, a mirror for video self modeling, virtual animal props, stickers to encourage participation, virtual candy with hidden video surprises or animal facts, and more! This app would be fun to incorporate with play with animal toys or puppets and the Dr. Seuss book or book app “Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?”.

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Get the FREE app (includes the donkey, fish & duck) and then tap on any of the locked animals to unlock the in-app purchase for all of the animals FREE (see the 4 steps in the screenshot). Grab the IAP quickly since it will only be free this week.

{Tips: Be sure to adjust your settings to allow IAPs on your device before attempting to unlock the IAP in this app. Also make sure you have a strong WiFi connection and be patient as it takes a bit for all the animals to download after you unlock them}

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First Blubs – Speech Delay Therapy with Animal Sounds by Blub Blub
https://appsto.re/us/_eOPdb.i, iOS Universal (works on iPad, iPhone or iTouch running iOS 8.0 or later)

Found out about the IAP being free via this post on the app developer’s page and then verified by unlocking the IAP on my iPad:

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App video trailer:

Check out their website for more info, tips and how to get free coloring pages to go with the app.

http://blubblub.org/2016/08/04/tips-and-tricks-on-using-first-blubs-effectively/
http://blubblub.org/first-blubs/

Their website also has a place to subscribe for a notification when the Android version of the app is released.
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Wishes for a future app update: My wish for a future app update would be for them to add these tips and free coloring pages with the option to print them each individually as a PDF in the settings area on the app rather than having to go to a website or to e-mail to request the coloring sheets. It would also be nice to add the name of the animal on the sticker screen and the practice screen to promote early literacy skills and to aide in the adult knowing what the animal is. Most are obvious but I wasn’t able to guess that the duck was a duck by the illustration. I also wasn’t sure what the two different birds were.
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Excited to see on their website that they have more apps in the works in this series 🙂
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#SLPeeps #Apraxia #ChildhoodApraxiaOfSpeech
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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 26 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.
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{please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I don’t have any control over ads nor do I profit from them}

{App Review + Giveaway} Fuzzy House iPad app

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{App Review + Giveaway} Join the Fuzzies Chip the beaver, Hopsy the rabbit, Siena the alpaca, and Wooly the lamb in their Fuzzy House. This gorgeous new app has six interactive areas to explore (entryway, living room, kitchen, upstairs hallway, bedroom, and bathroom). Each area has interactive objects and other hidden features. Love using open exploration apps like this in OMazing Kids speech therapy! So many great opportunities for vocabulary, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, spatial concepts, storytelling, sequencing, turn taking and more. My favorite room in this app is the living room where the animals can dance to music, play an instrument, jump on the couch, build a fire in the fireplace and more.

I have 3 iOS codes to giveaway for the iPad version of this amazing new app. See details below for how to enter to win a code.

App video trailer:

Full version: Fuzzy House by Fuzzy House Aps
https://appsto.re/us/jPZBbb.i, $2.99, iPad only

Free lite version: Fuzzy House Lite by Fuzzy House Aps
https://appsto.re/us/Y0dFbb.i, iPad only

They also offer an Android version on the Google Play store. See their website for details: http://www.fuzzyhouse.com/play/

OMgoodness! I wish I knew how to knit. Check out the patterns to knit your own characters from the app: http://www.fuzzyhouse.com/knit/. Also check out all the cute items to make for the Fuzzies: http://www.fuzzyhouse.com/create/

Please check out and “like” their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/fuzzyhouse

Want a chance to win this fun app? Head over and follow the entry instructions on this post the OMazing Kids Facebook page:

Entry Deadline: Tomorrow, 8/21/16 at 6:00pm CST. Depending on the number of entries received, it may take a day or so to verify them and to announce the winners/distribute the codes to the winners.
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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 26 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.
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{please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I don’t have any control over ads nor do I profit from them}

How to get the FREE iOS app codes hidden in the Starbucks app

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{Free App Code Tips} So maybe everybody else already knew this but I just found out that there are FREE app promo codes hidden in the messages in the Inbox area in the Starbucks app. Cool! I saw a post over in the On Sarah’s iPad Facebook group about this Sago Mini app being free. Awesomesauce! That is one of the few Sago Mini apps that I didn’t have yet and has been on my “wish list”. So I downloaded the Starbucks app on my iPhone and logged in but there were not any messages. A little bummed but then I checked the messages area on the app that had already been installed on my husband’s phone and BINGO! The message was there, I was able to redeem a code and then install it to my iPad from the cloud since he & I share an iTunes account. I then went back through all the old messages in that app on his phone and scored several other apps whose codes had not expired yet. I’m now leaving the Starbucks app installed on my iPhone so I can get new messages about the free apps from this point forward. Guess my hubbie’s love of Starbucks coffee finally paid off… lol 😉

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P.S.  Unless you already love Starbucks and go there frequently, then it wouldn’t be worth your time to try to get free apps via their app. But if you go to Starbucks frequently then be sure to check your messages within the app to see what app freebies may be awaiting you.

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Starbucks by Starbucks Coffee Company
https://appsto.re/us/Y7vVt.i

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FYI… the Apple Store app also frequently has free apps in it. Open the app & scroll down to find them.

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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 26 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.
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{please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I don’t have any control over ads nor do I profit from them}

{$.99 App Deal} What Did Snakey Eat? (great for yes/no, inferencing, forming questions, categories, etc…)

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{$.99 App Deal} This app is hilarious! Found it last night when I was looking for more ways to target Yes/No questions. Also great for targeting goals on forming questions, inferencing & categories, etc…. Definitely worth $.99 :). Be sure to get the free printable cards to go with the app. Also check out the links that I posted in the comments section on the Facebook post to other apps I love that target Yes/No and some great websites.

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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 26 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.
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{please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I don’t have any control over ads nor do I profit from them}

{App Update Tips} Why automatic updates are a bad idea & how to manually update apps

Why automatic app updates are a bad idea and how to manually update iOS apps

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{App Update Tips} There are several reasons why I have “automatic downloads” toggled OFF on all my iPads:

  • Some app updates cause you to lose access to an app. See the “First Nouns” app in this screenshot as an example. The developer has switched to a subscription based model.
  • If an app is working properly with the version of iOS that I’m running on that device, there is no need to update. Doing so may cause problems. The saying “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” applies. As a side note, I always hold off on updating to the latest iOS operating system to allow time for bugs to be worked out and to allow time for app developers to release updates to make their apps compatible with that iOS and work out bugs there too. I use my iPads everyday in speech therapy and especially depend on AAC apps and therapy apps so I can’t afford to take any risks. I look for comments on an app developer’s page and in a variety of FB groups for signs that it’s safe to update the iOS and/or the app.
  • Some updates add content that I’m not interested in. An example of this is when many apps add seasonal content for Halloween.

But there are times that I do need to update an app. I often will look to see if an app has been updated if it is acting glitchy or after I have updated to a more current iOS and apps are acting glitchy with that.

Important reminder: It is always wise to back up any programming that you’ve done on an AAC app BEFORE you install an update. It’s also wise to get any info you need from the data collection area of a therapy app before you install an update.

In order to update apps manually, you go to the App Store, tap “Updates” at the bottom of the screen (or search for the app by name) and read the info closely about the update to decide if you want to install it. NEVER click “update all”. Instead click “update” just on the specific app you have decided to update. Some updates are large and will require a strong WiFi connection and may require you to free up space on your iPad before you install them.
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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 26 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.
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{please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I don’t have any control over ads nor do I profit from them}

Game Apps & AAC: why these need to be on separate devices (updated 7/26/22)

{Game Apps & AAC} Here is a perfect example of why an AAC app needs to be on a separate iPad from the “fun stuff”. Last week one of my patients earned 5 minutes of play time at the end of a session. We had already done a full session of aided language input and practice in using the TouchChat with WordPower AAC app. But I did not turn that off when I got out my secondary iPad with all the fun game apps… I always leave a “talker” out and available. This patient chose a basketball game and was having a blast shooting virtual hoops. But the true magic happened next. The game app has a variety of vehicles that go by on the street in the background. To be honest I hadn’t even noticed that they were there. He got so excited and spontaneously activated “groups” -> “vehicles” -> and then found the button for the vehicle that had just gone by in the app. It was fun to watch him go back and forth between shooting hoops and commenting on vehicles. I modeled use of social comments “sweet” & “awesome” when he made a great shot. If I only had one iPad, he would not have had the opportunity for this spontaneous language experience.

I just checked and the game app that we used is still currently FREE:
Streetball Game by Rodrigo Schmitt de Andrade
https://appsto.re/us/Vv80bb.i

(Updated 7/26/22: Unfortunately that particular Streetball basketball app has disappeared from the App Store. But it was just an example. There are lots of apps that a child would enjoy talking about on their AAC device while playing)


{FYI… yes this patient has his own NovaChat AAC device. Unfortunately the charging port is damaged so it has been shipped back for repairs. Glad I have TouchChat set up with the same pageset so we can continue to practice AAC use while his talker is being fixed during his inpatient admission at the hospital where I work as a SLP}


Additional articles about this:

https://praacticalaac.org/praactical/one-mobile-device-or-two-things-to-consider-about-ipadstablets-as-communication-devices/


https://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2016/03/08/5-ways-to-optimize-an-ipad-as-a-communication-device/


More Than an AAC Device?

Is it ever appropriate to use a student’s tablet—designed for facilitating communication—for other purposes?

https://leader.pubs.asha.org/doi/full/10.1044/leader.FMP.23062018.6?


Also readUsing Guided Access and Screen Time to Prevent Exiting an App + preventing deleting apps, installing apps and in-app purchases + info for those using Android, Amazon Fire and Windows devices (updated 7-16-22): https://omazingkidsllc.com/2020/10/20/using-guided-access-to-prevent-exiting-an-app-updated-info-for-2020/


Important Note: Decisions about whether or not an iPad or tablet should ONLY be used for AAC need to be made based on individual needs, age of the user, how long they have been using AAC, etc… The needs of a young child first learning how to use AAC are very different than the needs of an older teen or adult who uses tech to multitask.


Have a question? The best way to reach me is via Facebook messaging over on my OMazing Kids page: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsAAC/


Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC, OMazing Kids AAC Consulting

• Teachers Pay Teachers Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Omazing-Kids-Aac-Consulting

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/amoorad1

• Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/omazingkidsaac

• OMazing Kids AAC Consulting Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsAAC/

• AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/

• GoTalk Now AAC & GoVisual Visual Scene Apps – Ideas and Sharing Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/GoTalkNowAACappGroup

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkidsaac

• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/amoorad

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• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelamooradomazingkidsaac

• Blog: https://omazingkidsllc.com

Adapted Games for Inclusive Play: Candy Land (updated 3/19/24)

Adapted Games For Inclusive Play - Candy Land

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Adapted Games for Inclusive Play: Candy Land

[Note 3/19/24: This blog post was originally written in 2016. Sadly some of the websites or blogs linked have disappeared over the years]

I’ve been looking for a way to make the Candy Land game accessible for kids with special needs and found a great solution by combing an app, a specific version of the board game and ideas from an old journal article and a few websites!

Who knew that there has been SO many different versions of this game over the years and that each version has slightly different pictures on the “picture squares” in the game?

Well there has been and I was determined to get the version of the board game that matched up to this app. Could have sworn that I already had the Candy Land board game but looked through my entire stash of materials and couldn’t find it. If I had found it and it wasn’t the right version, my plan was to take screenshots of the pink picture squares from the app and attach them to the game board to make it match.
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After extensive research I finally figured out which version of the Candy Land board game matches this app. I bought “Candy Land – The Kingdom of Sweets Board Game” (2010) on Amazon for $7.49: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000DMF5 and this app for $.99 (Candy Cards by Panther Technology,  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/candy-cards/id554983778?mt=8 , iOS 3.2 or later, Universal app that works on iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch). I was initially leery of the app since it had not been updated since 2012 but at the price of $.99 decided to try it out. I’m pleased to report that it worked fine on my iPad Air (running iOS 9.3.1) and on my iPhone 5 (running iOS 9.3.2). The only quirky thing I noted when using the app on an iPhone is that the app did not adjust to landscape orientation and had a small black band of dead space at the top and bottom of the screen.

Check out all the options in this app’s settings area:

Under “Accessibility” settings:

  •  “Safety Time”: For kids who tend to tap repetitively, you can lock the screen for 2, 3, 5 or 10 seconds after drawing each card.
  • The “Target” feature can be centered, appear at random places, or even move around the screen if you are wanting to work on “targeted touch”. When “target” is toggled off, you can tap anywhere on the screen to “draw” a card (great for kids with more severe motor impairments).

Under “Play Settings”, you can toggle on/off the background music, the card count, and sound effects and select one of four backgrounds (grey metal, orange, candy stripe and my personal fave… a calming green).

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See more about the app on the developer’s website: http://panthertechnology.com/products/panther-candy-cards/

*** Update 3/19/24: Sadly this app by Panther Technology disappeared several years ago. See info about a new free app from a different app developer below ***

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So for the bargain price of $8.48 I now have a version of this classic kids game that is more inclusive of kids of a wide range of abilities and needs. I plan on modifying play further when I am in a group or have parents and/or siblings present by playing as “teams” where one teammate’s job is to “draw” the card using the app and the other teammate’s job is to move the game piece. Another option in a 1-on-1 session would be for you and the child to use it as a “cooperative” game and work together as a team to move one of the game pieces to the castle.

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I am also planning on incorporating the ideas for adaptations & task analysis from the journal article “Everyone Can Play!: Adapting the Candy Land Board Game TEACHING Exceptional Children July-August 1996 28: 28-33” (yes I realize the article is 20 years old but the concepts are still valid today). I saved a PDF of the full article out on Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1p1pimgnjmm52wp/Everyone%20Can%20Play%20-%20Adapting%20the%20Candy%20Land%20Board%20Game.pdf?dl=0

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{No Prep SLP Tips: Candy Land} https://omazingkidsllc.com/2016/07/28/no-prep-slp-tips-candy-land/

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Additional ideas:

Check out these great Pinterest boards full of game adaptation ideas:

And lots of materials created by SLPs on TPT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/PreK-12-Subject-Area/Speech-Therapy/Search:candy+land. I especially like this self esteem conversation prompts freebie: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Self-Esteem-Prompts-for-Candy-Land-1152578

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Oooh… just saw this fun idea to combine Candy Land + the Name That Word Game. Love finding new ways to use materials that I already own! I got my copy of that game several years ago at a back-to-school sale at a teacher supply store but saw that it’s available on Amazon.

http://millionsoffingerprints.blogspot.com/2013/05/today-in-speech-therapywe-played-candy.html


Update 3/19/24: Fishdog.net released their new FREE Candy Cards app today: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/candy-cards/id6478815300, iOS Universal, iOS 12.0 or later + Mac on macOS 10.15 or later + Apple Vision on visionOS 1.0 or later.

It appears to match this version of the Candy Land board game: https://shop.hasbro.com/en-us/product/candy-land-game/C4E461C2-5056-9047-F5F7-F005920A3999


Check out the Ultimate App and Digital Resource Guide for SLPs: https://bit.ly/UltimateAppDigitalResourceGuideSLP & TherAPPy Tools: iPad Apps for Pediatric SLPs (Recorded Webinar & Handouts): https://bit.ly/TherAPPyWebinar


Looking for in-depth AAC feature matching resources? See this blog post: https://bit.ly/5aacFeatureMatchingResources. That post also includes videos comparing AAC apps on various devices on various platforms.


Looking for more AAC resources? Check out the Resource Links page my blog: https://omazingkidsllc.com/omazing-kids-aac-resource-links 


Have a question? The best way to reach me is via Facebook messaging over on my OMazing Kids page: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsAAC/


Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC, OMazing Kids AAC Consulting

• Teachers Pay Teachers Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Omazing-Kids-Aac-Consulting 

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/amoorad1 

• Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/omazingkidsaac 

• OMazing Kids AAC Consulting Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsAAC/ 

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4 great FREE iOS apps to foster creativity, language and storytelling… great tools to add to your SLP Toolbox

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4 great FREE iOS apps to foster creativity, language and storytelling… great tools to add to your SLP Toolbox:

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These apps can be easily customized to incorporate high interest areas of kids with Autism and other special needs and contain in-app voice and/or video recording to encourage verbalizations (most of my patients are VERY motivated to hear themselves on the iPad).
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All 4 of these apps were verified as being free in the USA App Store at the time of this post. But it is always wise to check app prices prior to downloading since app prices can change frequently with no notice. FYI… If you don’t have an iPad yet or don’t have one running the iOS required to download a particular app, you can download that app on iTunes on a computer and have it in your cloud to install later.
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There are several other apps to support sentence building and sentence building with symbol support. Here are screenshots of the apps that I have. Feel free to send me a message on my OMazing Kids Facebook page if you have questions about any of those apps. Most are not free but are well worth the cost. In addition to these apps, you can also use any robust AAC app to model sentence creation. Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789.

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If you are looking for a FREE “non-tech” way to encourage sentence building, check out this printable visual support for building sentences (need Boardmaker to open) http://fdlrsregion3literacyvisuals.wikispaces.com/Fokes+Sentence+Builder
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I have worked with several patients who engaged in almost constant verbal scripting. It is important to understand the function of the scripting. This video is enlightening:

as is the book “Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism“.
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In several cases I have been able to build upon these patient’s high interest areas to build new language scripts through the use of visual supports and apps for sentence building and then other apps to move on to storytelling. This has often resulted in more spontaneous use of functional language.
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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
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Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 26 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.
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{please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I don’t have any control over ads nor do I profit from them}

{App Review} Clue Catcher All Grades Edition app

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Clue Catcher is a unique new app designed by a Speech-Language Pathologist to help teach the inferencing skills necessary to use context to define unfamiliar words. Students will learn how to identify the words and phrases that are meaningful and contribute to a better understanding of an unfamiliar word’s meaning. The app covers vocabulary across elementary and secondary grade levels (3rd grade – 10th grade).

I love the clean intuitive interface, scaffolding, wide range of vocabulary, arrows to easily skip ahead or go back, ability to set up multiple users, can easily edit or delete users, can easily see what words a user got correct, missed, and the words marked for review.

My wishes for a future app update would be an option to toggle back and forth easily between users to allow them to take turns without having to exit a user and then open up a new one, to be able to choose specific target words from a list within the grade levels and an extension down to the lower grades (Kindergarten – 2nd grade) with an option to fade picture cues in and then out for kids functioning at a lower level. An option to export data of words correct & incorrect via e-mail would also be nice.

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Clue Catcher lets you …

  • view the target word both in isolation and within a content rich sentence
  • highlight the keywords within a sentence that will help a student to generate an appropriate definition
  • select a ‘Think Clue’ which will guide the student through higher-level critical thinking skills which will help them relate to the word in a way that is meaningful
  • select the best choice from three options
  • keep track of correct and incorrect responses, for progress monitoring and data collection purposes
  • set up individual students and assign them to specific grade level vocabulary lists
  • change the grade level assigned to specific students as their skills improve
  • discontinue and pick up at a later time, without losing your data
  • Clue Catcher “All Grades Edition” includes words for all available grade levels (3rd though 10th).

$12.99, App Store link: Clue Catcher All Grades Edition by Golden Mean Advisory Resources LLC, https://appsto.re/us/Sjm1ab.i

FREE lite version: A separate free version of the app can be downloaded that includes 5 words for each grade level that you can use to learn about its functionality. That version allows users to gain access to the complete word lists from one or more grade levels through in-app purchases: https://appsto.re/us/VD306.i

More details on their website: http://www.cluecatcher.net.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClueCatcher/
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Disclaimer: I received this app via a promo code from the developer. No compensation was received to review them and my opinions are strictly my own.
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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 26 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.
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{please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I don’t have any control over ads nor do I profit from them}