iPad for Students with Special Needs

Funded Dec 31, 2015

Dear Donors,

The iPad that was donated to my speech and language therapy room has had a major impact on me and my students this year. I would like to thank you for making this possible. It is important that you know that your generous donation has helped change the lives of several students. I was ecstatic when I found out that my project was funded. I didn't realize this at the time how much of an impact this would have on my life. Watching the student's open the box and see that an iPad was inside was absolutely priceless. This meant more to me than anything. My students have never had the opportunity to use an iPad. They looked forward to coming to speech because they knew that they would get to use the iPad. Learning became more fun and as a result the students made tremendous progress.

Technology is helping my students in several ways. They are able to record themselves on the iPad before they begin writing an essay. This planning stage is extremely important for them. Many of my students have poor short term memories and are not able to remember what they want to write. Since they can record their thoughts, they can then pause and rewind their recording until they have written the sentence. Writing is challenging for my students. Many of my students are intimated by the writing process but the iPad takes away some of the obstacles while writing. I have other students who stutter and do not want to read aloud in class. In speech therapy, students practice reading aloud and they record themselves on the iPad. When the students listen back to the recording, they do not believe they are a good reader. This realization has been important in speech therapy because now the students are beginning to read aloud in class. In addition, I have students who have articulation disorders and cannot say certain sounds properly. Students can use the iPad to receive auditory and visual feedback. For example, if a child has a lisp, they can record themselves on video speaking and saying words. They can then watch the video back to observe when their tongue comes forward. My students have to see it and hear it to believe it. The iPad is making this all possible.

My students were very excited about getting the iPad. The students look forward to using the iPad to improve their academic skills. They absolutely love the camera and video option on the iPad. After they learn something, the students insist on creating a song or a rap to help them remember what they just learned. This has become a daily routine in the speech therapy room.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Karas