Thomas was given an IPad for his first birthday. We were very grateful that family pitched in to help with this very expensive piece of equipment. I was able to have a play with different apps at the BLENNZ Parents Immersion Course prior as well as give Thomas the opportunity to use it at the Homai Campus ECE centre. I decided the IPad was the right tool (as opposed to an Android) because of the larger availability of apps. There was especially one I specifically knew about that was designed for children with Thomas’s eye condition but only through Apple devices.
Here are the apps we use regularly. At the moment, Thomas is using the IPad everyday, sometimes a few times a day and no longer than 15 – 30 minutes. It is part of his Vision Therapy and Fine Gross Motor skills.
I ❤️ Fireworks Lite
Cause and Effect Sensory Sound Box
Cause and Effect Sensory Light Box
You can download a bundle that includes the Cause and Effect Sensory Light and Sound Box. Both separate apps. Costs for the full version but cheap.
The Duck Song
Storybots
There are two Storybots apps that are both free! One is a piano and the other is a whole bunch of songs. Thomas absolutely loves the songs. His favourite is the ‘Elephant’ song and ‘Down by the Bay.’
Fisher and Price B&W High Contrast
Tap and See Now
If you know of some other fantastic apps appropriate for children with cerebral palsy, CVI or low vision feel free to share. I am always hunting for new apps to trial.
Minding Thomas 