Back-to-School Supplies for Your Child with Special Needs or Disabilities
Nearly 12 percent of Connecticut kids from kindergarten through high school with disabilities receive individualized special education services. Additionally, there are thousands more children who have learning differences, which may make learning a challenge.
Many of these kids with disabilities and special needs could benefit from assistive technology devices, which is any device that helps a person function or compensate for specific disabilities or special needs. But most school supplies adapted to a child's individual needs can't be found in a standard school supply store.
The assistive technology products below represent assistive technology devices that can accomodate a wide range of special needs from pre-school through high school and can be found by clicking the websites next to the products below:
The following adapted games are available at Enabling Devices:
Enabling devices introduces their new adapted board games designed to meet the needs of kids with physical challenges: Hi Ho Cherry O Hungry Hippo Fishing Around
Ring Around Bells Activate an external switch to turn on the toy and watch as the eight colorful bells twirl around sounding the musical scale.
External or Capability Swiches: Gooshy Switch This easy-to-push switch will adapt the Ring Around Bells and other adaptive-ready toys from Enabling Devices. Butterfly Switch This serves as a capability switch or as a separate toy.
American Printing House for the Blind: Revolution Sport ball (item # 1-07511-00)
The following products are available at Southpaw Enterprises: Triangular Crayons Develop fine and gross motor skills for young children learning to color and for cindividuals with writing disabilities.
Finger Paint Brushes These paint brushes fit on the ends of each finger and are just plain fun for kids without disabilities, but for kids without the ability to grasp, these provide an adaptive way to paint.
Wikki Stix Wikke Stix adhere to almost any smooth surface with just fingertip pressure and can be easily lifted off and re-shaped again and again.
Pencil Grips A wide variety of pencil grips are specifically designed to help make writing easier.
Tri Grip Pencils These pencils have raised dots for a perfect grip.
Learning Laces Learning to tie shoes can be challenging for all kids, but for kids with motor planning difficulties and dexterity issues, learning how to tie shoes can be overwhelming. These laces help make tying shoes much easier.
Adapted Scissors These learn-how-to-cut scissors are adapted to help the first-time user be successful.
Time Timer Personal visual timer used to solve time perception problems.
The follwoing product is available at Abilitations: Movin' Sit Movin' Sit is an inflatable wedge seat that has the best properties of both dynamic seating and statit positioning.
Pencil Grips A wide variety of pencil grips are specifically designed to help make writing easier.
The following product is available at Really Good Stuff: E.Z.C. Highlighter Tape Erasable Highlighters are available at most office supply stores.
E.Z.C.Reader Strips E.Z.C. Reader Strips feature a tinted transparent "window" that helps pop print into view. These strips also help block distractions surrounding targeted words, so eyes are easily guided to the desired print.
Reader Guide Reader guides help kids stay focused on reading material.
The following product is available at Beyond Play: Finger Crayons
The following products are available at Attainment Company: Pocket Go Talk Pocket Go Talk is a compact communication and education tool that records speech and plays it back with a touch of a button. As the name implies, Pocket Go Talk can be taken anywhere: school, work, home and playground. It's light, rugged and easy to use.
Personal Talker The Personal Talker is a one message, ten second device with an attached protective cover. It's pocket-sized, has a large press and play button and an enclosure for picture or written information.
Voice Cue Voice Cue is a portable and discrete auditory cueing and verbal prompting device allowing prerecorded messages to sound at preset times.
Coin-U-Lator The talking Coin-U-Lator makes coin counting easy and fun!
The following products is available at By Kids For Kids Crayon Holders
The following book is available at Different Roads to Learning: (select "books" then "special needs) Visual Recipes: A Cookbook for Non-Readers
To learn more about Assistive Technology for school-age kids visit the web sites below: Schwab Learning Assistive Technology Guide