Past projects 2
Lego and Trains Peer Groups
Funded Dec 17, 2024I am extremely grateful for your generosity! The students in our program will have greater opportunities to engage in inclusive activities based on shared interests with peers. Students with autism, as well as neurotypical students, are deeply motivated by train sets and Legos. These items will help foster socialization and language among these groups of students through their shared interests. I am looking forward to using these educational objects to facilitate inclusive groups in our school.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Anderson
Technology for Speech-Language Therapy
Funded Sep 29, 2015I want to express my sincere gratitude to you for helping to fund an iPad for my students. I have been able to use the iPad in a variety of ways since receiving it in October. One of the first ways that I utilized the iPad was to download audiobooks for several of my students who struggle with reading. One 3rd grade student with Dyslexia has been able to work on the iPad to follow the narration and text of grade-level chapter book that he would not be able to read independently. He really enjoys the narration and a great benefit to using the audiobook is that he is better equipped to participate in classroom discussions about the text.
Another student that has benefited from iPad is a non-verbal Kindergartener who is on the Autism spectrum. I am working on improving this student's ability to maintain focus and engagement, as well as building basic communication skills. When I first showed him the iPad he almost instantly learned how to navigate the learning apps. These apps are helping him to acquire basic concepts such as shapes, colors, and the names of basic objects. More importantly, it compliments his learning style in a way in which traditional materials have not and it has given me new insight into his skill level.
When I explain to my students that a group of kind people bought the iPad for them they react with wonder and astonishment. "Wow!" and "Really?" are the comments I hear a lot. They almost immediately perk up when I use the iPad to show an image of unfamiliar vocabulary word or if I promise that we can use one of the apps to work on their speech goals. I really enjoy watching them explore the technology as they find new and exciting ways to learn skills. Perhaps the most valuable lesson that my students have learned through this experience, is that there are caring adults that genuinely want them to succeed and are willing to give them the tools to get there.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Anderson