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The following is a list of technology apps that may be helpful to you:

 

*1. Dexteria offers therapeutic hand exercises (not games) that improve fine motor skills and handwriting readiness in children

 

*2. WritePad allows you to compose a document with your own handwriting—using shorthand that works best for you. Side benefit: It may help students improve their handwriting out of the sheer desire to have the computer recognize the letters

 

*3. Dragon Dictation: This speech-to-text app has been praised for its top-notch, accurate voice recognition that makes everything from texting a friend to transcriptions easier.

 

4. Alternative Keyboards: Students who have trouble typing may benefit from customization that reduces input choices, groups keys by color/location, and adds graphics to aid comprehension.

 

5. Outlining Programs (“Kidspiration”): outlining programs help students who have trouble organizing and outlining information as they begin a writing project. This type of program lets a user "dump" information in an unstructured manner and later helps him organize the information into appropriate categories and order.

 

6. Proofreading Programs (“Ginger”): Students who struggle with writing (e.g., spelling, grammar, punctuation, word usage, and sentence structure) may benefit from software programs (included in many word processing systems) that scan word processing documents and alert the user to possible errors.

 

7. Speech Recognition Software (“ViaVoice”): A speech recognition program works in conjunction with a word processor. The user "dictates" into a microphone, and his spoken words appear on the computer screen as text. This can help a student whose oral language ability is better than his writing skills.

 

8. Talking Calculators (“AbleData”): This auditory feedback may help a student check the accuracy of the keys he presses and verify the answer before he transfers it to paper.

 

9. Word Prediction Software (“EZ Keys”): Word prediction software can help a user during word processing by "predicting" a word the user intends to type. Predictions are based on spelling, syntax, and frequent/recent use. This prompts kids who struggle with writing to use proper spelling, grammar, and word choices, with fewer keystrokes.

 

10. Paper-Based Computer Pen: This technology records and links audio to what a person writes using the pen and special paper. It enables the user to take notes while simultaneously recording someone( e.g., a teacher) speaking. The user can later listen to any section of his notes by touching the pen to his corresponding handwriting or diagram.