Where Advocacy, Special Needs Parenting, & Life Collide
iPad App Review with a Special Needs POV: APP POV
App POV: One app reviewed by 4 bloggers representing a variety of special needs.
Who shares your point of view?
Note from Kat: One of our bloggers is experiencing technical difficulties and will join the party as soon as able! I’m posting this just a bit late as we had some real life problems with seizures and Logan. Do use the #AppFriday hashtag to tweet, though!
Welcome to our first app POV app review carnival!
What is APP POV?
Bloggers representing a variety of special needs review the same app from their unique point of view (POV). You get a chance to see what each blog is about and choose the reviews you think might be most helpful. You can read one or you can read them all.
If you’re lucky, you might get the chance to win a full version of the app reviewed!
Meet the Reviewers and their POV
Kat’s Cafe (Hopefully you know me!)
The blog: At Kat’s Cafe, make special needs connections with Kat, wife & mom of 3 children with special needs, including autism and epilepsy. Learn and read about life, special needs parenting, (dad &) mom blogging, advocacy and awareness, and enjoy some product reviews and GiveawaysThe POV: The mini-Moody’s love to review everything from chocolate chip cookies to apps, and they bring a unique perspective to any review.
Bobby is a 13-year-old dynamo of grins and hugs; his autism, low vision and epilepsy are part of the atmosphere at the Cafe, but his love of books, maps, and iPad are part of what makes him such an inquisitive boy.
Andy is 12-years-old and his mild autism, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities are only overshadowed by his sense of humor, but his love of all things super-hero related, games, and drawing are what help him shine.
Logan is an 8-year-old whirlwind of energy, his laughs are infectious, and his more severe autism with apraxia, cerebral palsy, low vision and epilepsy mean he’s challenged to discover more about the world around him. He loves discovering the ins and outs of the boys’ iPad, music, and life.
The blogger: Kat is the slightly insane mom of this little Moody gang, and loves to write at the Cafe about advocacy, awareness and life. She’s a creative soul with a passion for social media, and loves to make special needs connections all across the internet!
Able2Able
The Blog: Able2able focuses on online special needs resources, product reviews and giveaways, and tips on accommodating needs without sacrificing money or family time.
The POV: Clara-Bear, a 7 year old with Down Syndrome, Autism, and infant stroke effects, is the inspiration behind able2able. She is in the first grade in an inclusive Tennessee public school. Clara-Bear is nonverbal (dysarthria of speech) and uses a speech generating device. She has sensory dysregulation, hypotonia, apraxia, impaired visual depth perception, and poor awareness of the right side of her body. She is a tech-monkey who won’t say “please” or “mama” but will say “iPad.” If there is a way to cheat around educational or therapy goals in an app, Clara-Bear will find it!
Alan is the baby bother brother. He is 51/2, typically developing, with speech articulation needs and some mild sensory issues. Alan is bright and super chatty, and is not as fired up about technology as his older sister. He’s picky about his food and even pickier about what it takes to make an app fun. If it’s too teachy, it’s out!
The Blogger: Anara is a Registered Nurse who actually wanted to be a special ed teacher. She started blogging and writing in 2007 as a way to deal with 5 years of medically homebound winters with virtual twins and a traveling husband. She used to consider herself quite tech savvy until babies stole her brain cells.
Life With My Special Ks
The Blog: Life With My Special Ks focuses on life as a military family with young kids, some with special needs, some without… all pretty awesome. We also touch on topics of Down syndrome, childhood cancer, adoption, RAD, inclusion, deployment and whatever else seems to come our way.
The POV Kennedy is 8 years old and has Down syndrome. She is in an inclusive 2nd grade classroom and is thriving! She made great gains last year learning to read, write and do math and we are excited to see her continue to grow and learn this year in school. She is highly motivated by anything to do with her iPad so we have it loaded with lots of educational apps… of course she prefers to use it to make movies with her dog, Kokonut, but we’re getting there. 
The Blogger: Renee is a 33 year old stay-at-home mom who never seems to be… home! She is always off and running somewhere… to the kids’ schools to volunteer, to dance class, the soccer field, drama class or driving somewhere in between. She started blogging by way of a caringbridge page in 2005 to keep family and friends informed about Kennedy’s medical issues and finally jumped full on into blogging a few years later. Through blogging she has found a way to support others on the same roads she is traveling and bring awareness to issues that affect her family. At least no one can ever say life is boring!
Now, On to the Reviews! The reviews will be linked here in the morning!
Katrina Moody
Graphic Designer, Wordpress Addict, Blogger at Kat's Media & More
I'm a special needs parent before just about everything else in life, but also a passionate advocate for my three boys and husband, who all have a bit of awesomeness about them. Awesomeness = Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome, Autism, Epilepsy, Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, and more. It all adds up to some awesome kids and an amazing family.
Latest posts by Katrina Moody (see all)
- Socializing Support for Special Needs Parents Series - May 29, 2013
- Rod Stewart’s ‘Time’ a Thrilling Listen for Mom - May 24, 2013
- Free or Low-cost Autism Resource – NAA’s Big Red Safety Box - May 22, 2013