By Leslie Lindsay

I have a bit of a confession to make:  I have an iPad, but it’s still in the box, unopened.  You see, I wanted one for Christmas.  I even went so far as to ask my parents for it when they asked what I’d like for Christmas, “An iPad for the whole family to use would be nice,” I had said, matter-of-factly.  “Well, that’s a pretty spendy gift,” they responded with.

What I got instead was some cash to apply to the fabulous techy device along with some other items (basset hound p.j.s for one were at the top of my list).  Don’t get me wrong: I am not complaining.  I am much appreciative.

So, one day after Christmas I went toting my Christmas cash to the local Apple store.  “I want an iPad,” I so decisively told the man in the blue tee-shirt.

“Okay!  I can help you with that,” he shuffled me over to the display case where I would find two iPads–one white, the other black.  I told him which I preferred.  He asked what kind of memory I wanted.  I told him I was a middle-of-the-road kind of girl.  I wasn’t interested in a data plan.  The whole transation took less than 10 minutes.  And at least one week to get this far with it.

But the thing is, I KNOW there is so much that can be done with an iPad for kids with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS).  I know for a fact because I have seen it at work.  I know because I have heard SLPs rave about the possibilities and the response they get with kids in their practice.

But I am a luddite at heart.  And I don’t like change.  Call me old-fashioned.  I question whether a device can help my kiddos learn to read, or sequence material better.  I wonder if I can’t get the same results with books, games, puzzles…things that don’t require an app or Wi-Fi access.

But, technology is the way of the future.  Technology is sleek, cool, attractive, and not as bulky as say a box of Kaufman cards.  Kids with CAS really can benefit from an iPad and there are a lot of apps available to help with just that.

Here are a few that you and your kiddos may like (recommended to me by family and friends…I still have yet to download myself):

• Spellboard–where you can customize your child’s spelling lists
• Read Flash Cards and Games (a $5 fee) but I hear good things about it
• Simplex Spelling which focuses on sight words and phonics
• Word Wizard
• Phonics Family
• Word Wagon
• Tic-Tac-Talk
• Talking Memory
• Speech Tutor
• ArticPix (pricey, around $30, but quite functional, at least according to one mom I spoke to)

You may also be interested in checking out a website devoted entirely to apps for children with special needs, infact, the website goes by the same moniker, www.a4cwsn.com.  Check it out!

In the meantime, I better unwrap that iPad and get to downloading.

Speaking of Apraxia: A Parents’ Guide to Childhood Apraxia of Speech by Leslie Lindsay, R.N., B.S.N. is now available for pre-order from Woodbine House!!  (Offically released in March 2012).  Order it now at it’s low, introductory price by following this link:

http://www.woodbinehouse.com/main.asp_Q_product_id_E_978-1-60613-061-2