Making the iPad an aid for special needs students

Just the title of this article intrigued me, Verbally- Turn the iPad into a Useful Speech Impediment Aid for the Disabled. I love words and in my future classroom I hope to instill a love of the English language and all the vocabulary that goes along with it. However, I know that I will face the challenge of having students in my  class that hate words and language because they struggle with speech disabilities.

Nancy Messieh, author of this article, explains how teachers can utilize an app to help improve student mastery of language in the face of speech impediments. The app verbally is an assisted speech solution that changes the iPad into a communication helper. Verbally could help the communications of students with Apraxia, ALS, traumatic brain injuries, Parkinson's, cerebral palsy, and muscular dystrophy. On top of the aid this app provides to students with any of  the listed disabilities, it also would aid in teaching students that are learning English as their second language.

Verbally has several different pronunciation guides. In fact, there are two tabs in the app one for words and one for phrases that are commonly used. Students may tap on a word and either just listen to the word or add to the sentence or phrase they would like to hear. One draw back reported about this is that it is not possible for the user to add or delete words or phrases from the grid of existing words preloaded onto the app.

Other great features of the app are the additional buttons on the typical iPad keyboard. There are three buttons: repeat, bell, and speak each word. The repeat button allows for students to learn through the repetition of a selected word or phrase. The speak each word button allows students to listen to any words or phrases typed into the screen automatically. The bell chime button proves helpful for gaining another's attention.

Overall, this app seems very useful. I do think that the lack of flexibility in the removing or addition of  phrases and words seems quite limiting. However, I still would use this app for any of my students that desired additional help in a creative way. I like the pronunciation guides for the use with ESL or ELL students because I know that more and more our students are needing these kind of tools to help enrich their language development. If I had an iPad this app would most definitely be on it for my classroom.