Have you heard all the hullabaloo about the iPad and its amazing apps for special needs children?
So what about your child? Are there apps out there that might help your child communicate, develop finger dexterity, learn about cause and effect or maybe just have fun? Can we really use iPad apps to facilitate learning in children with low vision and other visual impairments? Can blind kids really play with apps?
The answer is a resounding YES!
There are hundreds of thousands of apps available for the iPad and iPhone, so finding the ones that work well for your child is no easy task. And that’s where we come in! With the help of our dedicated iPad app reviewers, Eric Jerman and Mary McDonach, we’ll sort through all the apps out there and bring you the ones that makes sense for your family.
Check out the categories below to find what you are looking for. You can also see all of our reviews and app-related articles on our iPad apps articles page. You might want to start by learning about iPad accessibility. If you want to suggest an app or become an app reviewer, please contact us!
App Categories
Getting Started with iPad Apps
- iPad Basics: What’s an app?
- ViA: An app that helps you find blind accessible apps!
- 5 Ways to Get a Free iPad for Your Special Needs Child!: Find ways to fund your iPad purchase
Cause & Effect
- Peekaboo Barn: Touch the barn and find an animal
- TappyTunes: Tap the screen to play a song; see if you can keep up with the rhythm
- Peek-a-bouncer: Touch and hold your finger on the screen to see and hear a silly, colorful animal
- Bubbles: Touch the screen to make beautiful high-contrast bubbles; tap again to hear them pop
- Tap-n-See Zoo: A simple game designed for children with CVI
- Baby Look Tickle: Tickle the baby and hear her laugh!
- iLoveFireworks: Make fireworks with just the tap of a finger
- Sound Shaker: Touch the screen to make colorful spheres and different sounds
- Talking Carl: Speak, coo or laugh and Carl repeats everything you say in a funny high pitch voice
- Sensory Light Box: When your finger is on the screen you hear neat sounds and see bright colors, when you remove your finger they stop
- Sensory Sound Box: Very similar to Sensory Light Box, but this app plays with sounds – the sounds change as your fingers move across the screen
- Bloom: Create hypnotic music with the touch of a finger
- My Talking Picture Board App: Helps children with CVI learn to locate and recognize two dimensional images
- Bebot: Touch the screen to make the robot sing
Read to Me Stories
- Dr. Seuss’s ABC: Dr. Seuss’s classic book now in iPad form with sound effects and zoom features
- Tickle Finger in the Jungle: Help Tiny Tinga the monkey get home by “tickling” the villains in the story
Music & Sounds
- ThumbJam: Tap the screen to hear crisp beautiful notes in an array of instruments and scales
- TappyTunes: Tap the screen to play a song or slide the bar to make the song play fast or slow
- iLoveFireworks: Make loud fireworks with just the tap of a finger
- Sensory Light Box: When your finger is on the screen you hear neat sounds and see bright colors, when you remove your finger they stop
- Sensory Sound Box: Very similar to Sensory Light Box, but this app plays with sounds – the sounds change as your fingers move across the screen
- Bloom: Create hypnotic music with the touch of a finger
- My Talking Picture Board App: Helps children with CVI learn to locate and recognize two dimensional images
- Bebot: Touch the screen to make the robot sing
Communication
- Answers Yes/No HD: A simple yet versatile communication app that allows for an array of customizations
- My Talking Picture Board App: Helps children with CVI learn to locate and recognize two dimensional images
Games & Recreation
- Peekaboo Barn: Touch the barn and find an animal
- Sound Shaker: Touch the screen to make colorful spheres and different sounds
- Talking Carl: Speak, coo or laugh and Carl repeats everything you say in a funny high pitch voice
- Sensory Light Box: When your finger is on the screen you hear neat sounds and see bright colors, when you remove your finger they stop
- Sensory Sound Box: Very similar to Sensory Light Box, but this app plays with sounds – the sounds change as your fingers move across the screen
- Smarty Pants & Five Sharks Swimming: Two apps that help teach emotions and counting
Education
- Ballyland Magic App: Learn basic iPad and VoiceOver gestures in this fun and interactive game
- Ballyland Rotor: Fun and interactive game to learn the VoiceOver Rotor
- Ballyland Stay Still, Squeaky!: A story that responds to touch with audio feedback, while teaching basic iPad skills through cause and effect
- Ballyland Sound Memory: A fun sound-matching game for all, using listening and memory skills
- Ballyland Code 1: Say Hello: A fun, fully accessible introduction to the basic concept of coding and computational thinking
- Big Trace: Learn to print capital letters, cursive and numbers
- Answers Yes/No HD: A simple yet versatile communication app that allows for an array of customizations
- Tap-n-See Zoo: A simple game designed for children with CVI
- Smarty Pants & Five Sharks Swimming: Two apps that help teach emotions and counting
- My Talking Picture Board App: Helps children with CVI learn to locate and recognize two dimensional images
- EDA Play: Helps children work on vision and fine motor skills with games ranging from simple to more complex