100 Useful Tools for Special Needs Students & Educators

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http://www.teachingtips.com/blog/2009/09/07/100-useful-tools-for-special-needs-students-educators/<http://www.teachingtips.com/blog/2009/09/07/100-useful-tools-for-special-needs-students-educators/> 100 Useful Tools for Special Needs Students & EducatorsWith all of the new trends and tools in education technology, there's noreason for special needs students and their teachers and parents to be leftbehind. This list of 100 useful tools can help anyone with a learningdisability like ADHD, dyslexia or test anxiety, as well as students withvisual or hearing impairments, use the Internet and other technology systemsto help them with reading, math, organization, social skills, and more.Evaluation ToolsTeachers, school psychologists and doctors will help you test your child fora learning disability, but in the meantime, you can use these guides andtools to check symptoms and learn more about the testing process.1. <http://pediatrics.about.com/od/screeningquizzes/l/bl_ld.htm>Learning Disability Screening Quiz: About.com's quiz is mostly for testingelementary school kids.2. <http://www.iser.com/steps.html> Assessing Your Child's LearningDifficulty/Learning Disability: This guide helps you assess symptoms of ADD,ADHD, dyslexia and ASD.3.<http://www.newhorizons.org/spneeds/inclusion/standards/front_assessment.html> Inclusion of Students with Special Needs: Standards and Assessment: Thisguide has lots of tools and resources for understanding the assessmentprocess and certain symptoms.4. <http://www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test.html> Learning Stylesand Multiple Intelligence: This quiz helps students find out their preferredlearning style.5. <http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/early> Early Identification: LKOnLine's Early Identification page features resources, videos, recommendedbooks and a FAQ section to help parents and teachers identify LD signsearly.6. <http://www.help4adhd.org/en/treatment/scales> Rating Scales andChecklists: Learn about this form of assessment for ADD and ADHD.7.<http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/learningdisabilitybasics/tp/SignsofLD.htm> Top 8 Tips to Recognize Early Signs of Learning Disabilities: AnnLogsdon's guide points out 8 signs and lots of sub-symptoms when evaluatingspecial needs kids.8. <http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/LateBlooming.htm> LateBlooming or Language Problem?: This guide from the AmericanSpeech-Language-Hearing Association helps parents identify speech andcommunication conditions early on.9. <http://www.dyslexia.com/dyslexiatest.htm> Dyslexia Screening Test:Parents and teachers can use this screening to test a child for dyslexia.10. <http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/images/NAA%20QT1.mov> AllAbout Autism Symptoms Video: This video from the National Autism Associationoutlines the principal symptoms of autism.Reading and WritingFrom innovative dictionaries to lesson plans for dyslexic students togrammar and spellcheck help, these reading and writing tools are must-havesfor special needs students.11. <http://www.iser.com/child-first-systems.html> Multisensory Phonics:Learn about and purchase this system of phonics and literacy tools forchildren with dyslexia, Aspergers, austism and other learning differences.12. <http://www.cleverkeys.com/ck.html?p=home & os=> CleverKeys: This freesoftware program immediately connects to dictionaries, thesauruses andReference.com through word processors and web browsers.13. <http://www.rfbd.org/> RFB & D: Recording for the Blind and Dyslexichas tools, lesson plans and guides for reading-challenged students.14. <http://www.cast.org/products/index.html> CAST: Access classicliterature in a flexible online format plus free tutoring tools and otheradd-ons to help those who face reading challenges.15. <http://www.donjohnston.com/products/cowriter/index.html> Co-Writer:This tool isn't free, but its writing, spelling and grammar-help featureshelp students as they go.16. <http://www.bookshare.org/> Bookshare: This "books without barriers"project provides books and periodicals to readers with sight or readingdisabilities. It includes over 50,000 digital books and textbooks.17. <http://librivox.org/> LibriVox: Find free audiobooks in mp3 or oggfile format.18. <http://www.softlist.net/program/articulate_spelling-software.html>Articulate Spelling 1.22: A cute cartoon character helps kids spell andsound out words.19. <http://www.softlist.net/program/textic_talklets-software.html>Textic Talklets 1.90: Websites become more interactive with this uniqueapproach to text-to-speech technology. Audio clips can even be saved to mp3sand to iPods.20.<http://www.wordlogic.com/products/wordlogic_predictive_keyboard_desktop_features.asp> WordLogic: This tool helps dyslexic students use a keyboard,develop their writing style and more.21. <http://www.slatersoftware.com/> PixWriter v3.0: Young learners willassociate words with pictures to help them with sentence construction andreading comprehension.22. <http://www.text-reader.com/> Text-Reader: Tools in this kit includea free Drill dictionary and text reader.23. <http://www.aurora-systems.com/pages/learning.html> Aurora: Aurorafeatures a talking spellchecker, phonetic word completion tool, homonymhelp, and word prediction tool are great for dyslexic students.24. <http://www.ghotit.com/home.shtml> Ghotit: Ghotit's writing assistanthas a context spellchecker, word dictionary, and text-to-speech tool.25. <http://www.dystalk.com/resources/tools/812-answertips> AnswerTips:Double click a word to get an information bubble with that word's definitionwith AnswerTips.Math ToolsGet help with math problems by working with these interactive, engagingtools.26. <http://www.webmath.com/> Webmath: With just a few clicks, studentscan get answers and step-by-step study help for math problems.27. <http://www.washington.edu/doit/Lessons/Mathematics/> InternetLessons in Mathematics: The University of Washington has developed thishelpful interactive math site for learning geometry and more.28. <http://www.calculateforfree.com/sight.html> Visually ImpairedCalculator: This big-print calculator is web-based and easy to use.29. <http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/12360.aspx> MathCard Games for Special Education Learners: Here you'll find math card gamesand activities that help special education learners practice their skills.30. <http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/> Math Made Easy: Math Made Easyfeatures tools and lessons for students who struggle with math.31. <http://www.apples4theteacher.com/math.html> Math Games: Theseinteractive math games use tangrams, spatial learning techniques, and moreto provide a multisensory and interactive environment.32.<http://www.touchmath.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=WYT.welcome & page=FreeItems>TouchMath: TouchMath uses multisensory, interactive systems to help youngstudents learn math.33. <http://prime.jsc.nasa.gov/mathtrax/> MathTrax: NASA's graphing andmathematics learning tool accommodates blind and low vision users, too.34. <http://www.education-world.com/math/> Education World Math Center:Find creative learning techniques and lessons like math raps, the Mathnasiumand other tools for alternative math education.Communication and SocialNot all of these tools are specifically intended for special needs students,but they can be very useful for teens and older students who need help withorganization, mind mapping, meeting new people and working on their socialskills.35. <http://emacspeak.sourceforge.net/> Emacspeak: This speech interfacefor blind and low vision users supports web messaging.36. <http://www.amiglia.com/intro/> Amiglia: Help students makeconnections and learn about their family history with this site, whichincludes albums, a family Facebook, calendars, games and more.37. <http://www.dystalk.com/resources/tools/801-google-latitude> Googlelatitude: Teens with learning and social disorders may want to use thistool, which allows friends and family to track the teen's location throughtheir phone.38. <http://www.goodreads.com/> GoodReads: This online book club can helpstudents stay on top of their reading and learn how to discuss and analyzebooks.39. <http://livingsocial.com/> LivingSocial: This social cataloging sitecan help special needs students work on organization skills while meetingnew people, branching out of their comfort zone, and exploring their owninterests.40. <http://www.43things.com/> 43Things: Help your student feel betterand more focused about setting goals by introducing them to this site.OrganizationThese tools are great for students who have trouble remembering, focusingand staying on task.41. <http://www.aboutus.org/ListPool.com> ListPool: Students can easilycreate to-do lists that they can share with tutors, teachers and parentshere.42. <http://todoist.com/> Todoist: Todoist is another straightforwardtask manager that works along with an online calendar.43. <http://www.mystickies.com/> MyStickies: Students can immediately jotdown ideas on websites using MyStickies.44. <http://www.notefish.com/> Notefish: Notefish is a web tool that letsyou manage projects while you research online. Special needs kids will likebeing able to drag and drop images, color pages and annotate notes rightfrom their browser without having to wait until later.45. <http://www.diigo.com/> Diigo: Diigo is another tool that letsstudents highlight, bookmark, add sticky notes to and basically customizewebsites so that they're easier to read, manage and share.46. <http://www.gonutshell.com/> Nutshell: Students can work off theirto-do list as they work online with Nutshell.47. <http://www.rememberthemilk.com/> Remember the Milk: Help studentsstay focused on homework assignments and everyday chores with this to-dolist, which can send you reminders via IM, text or e-mail.48. <http://myprogress.com/> MyProgress.com: Students will like this easygoal tracker that allows them to see how much progress they've made.49. <http://www.chorebuster.net/> ChoreBuster: Teachers and parents ofspecial needs kids can depend on this chore organizer to keep their home orclassroom on track.Study Skills and Test PrepThese study tools and concept mapping tools can help your special needsstudents more organized, focused and driven.50. <http://www.mindomo.com/> Mindomo: A mind mapping system like thisclearly lays out concepts and facts for visual learners.51. <http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page> FreeMind:This free and open source mind mapping tool can work as a customizable studyguide or study scheduler.52. <http://www.comapping.com/education.html> Comapping: Comapping is anorganization and study tool that helps students take better notes,understand concepts visually, collaborate with other students and teachers,and become more engaged in the learning process.53. <http://talkingpanda.com/iwriter/> iWriter: This system helps youincorporate text and audio so that your study system is more interactive andcompletely customized.54. <http://www.bubbl.us/> bubbl.us: This is a colorful site that allowsusers to create brainstorming maps and then print or share them with parentsand teachers.55. <http://www.homeworkspot.com/> HomeworkSpot: Kids and teens can findlots of study, reference and exam help in all subjects on the HomeworkSpot.56. <http://www.mapul.com/> MAPMYself: This organic mind mapping toolfollows each person's unique train of thought.57. <http://discoveryeducation.com/> Discovery Education: Discovery'seducation site has free tools, videos, guides and other multimedia resourcesfor interactive learning.58. <http://www.visionlearning.com/library/animations.php> VisionLearning: Teachers will find graphs and other interactive learning tools forstudying mid-ocean ridges, cells, atoms, and more.59.<http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Test_Tips_TrueFalse_Multiple/>Multiple Choice and True/False Test-Taking Tips: Students with test anxietyor other learning disorders can use this guide to master multiple choice andT/F tests.Visual and Hearing ImpairmentThese tools can help visual and hearing impaired students work online andmore.60. <http://www.screenreader.net/> Thunder: Thunder helps visuallyimpaired and blind web users navigate the Internet.61. <http://www.nextup.com/> TextAloud: This system translates into allkinds of languages and dialects, including US and UK English, LA Spanish,and more.62. <http://www.pics4learning.com/> Pics4Learning.com: This image libraryfor teachers and students can help hearing impaired students as well asstudents with other learning disabilities.63. <http://www.b-zone.de/software/lens.htm> Another Lens: Hover yourmouse over a selected area to view a magnified version.64. <http://www.readplease.com/> ReadPlease: This text-to-speech softwareworks on Windows computers.65. <http://www.cpcweb.com/> e-Captioning: Research closed captioning andsubtitling tools here.66. <http://www.brainpop.com/> BrainPOP: This colorful, dynamic learningsite has all kinds of resources for engaging learners without using sound.67. <http://www.nvda-project.org/> NonVisual Desktop Access: NVDA is afree, open source screen reader that uses text-to-speech and Braille.68. <http://www.issist1.com/> iZoom: With iZoom, visually impairedstudents can magnify their computer screens.69. <http://rjcooper.com/biggy/> BIGGY: Features included in this toolkitinclude bigger fonts, cursors and more for your word processor.Web SurfingBy using these tools, special needs students, including blind and low visionstudents, can access all that the Internet has to offer.70. <http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/Resources/webdesign.php> WebDesign: These toolkits help teachers and anyone else set up websites thataccommodate special needs visitors.71. <http://www.webbie.org.uk/%22> WebbIE: This program helps blind andvisually impaired individuals access the web.72.<http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Network_and_Internet/Web_Browsers/Web_Talkster.html> Web Talkster: This free talking web browser makes it easier forthe visually impaired to use the Internet.73. <http://www.springerlink.com/content/l201r7085t657852/> SpringerLink:HTML structure is accessed through audio technology with SpringerLink.74. <http://www.snv.jussieu.fr/inova/bs4/uk/> BrailleSurf: This Internetbrowser for blind and low vision users operates a speech synthesizer.75. <http://www.widgit.com/products/webwide/index.htm> Communicate:Webwide: This program makes the Internet more accessible and includes symboland full speech support.76. <http://www.lighthouse.org/aboutus/lowbrowse/> LowBrowse: LighthouseInternational's tool is an add-on to Firefox that features imageenlargement, speech capability and page customization.77. <http://elr.com.au/eiad/> EIA: The Enhancing Internet Access systemworks with a specialized web browser for special education andrehabilitation environments.78. <http://www.zacbrowser.com/> ZAC Browser: This browser is the firstweb browser just for autistic children.79. <http://luks.fe.uni-lj.si/HPVWI/final/> Homer: Homer is a simple buteffective web browser for the blind.Just for TeachersThese special needs educator resources and tools help with lesson plandesign, classroom design, and more.80. <http://www.dotolearn.com/disabilities/FASDtoolbox/index.htm> FASDToolbox for Teachers: Teachers working with kids with Fetal Alcohol SpectrumDisorder can use this special needs handbook to learn how to teach studyskills, problem solving, math and social skills.81. <http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/classroom> Classroom Management:This toolkit can help teachers work with special needs kids moreeffectively.82. <http://www.studydog.com/sdproducts.asp?page=1> StudyDog: Special edteachers of Pre-K, kindergarten and 1st grade students will find lessonplans for interactive reading assignments here.83. <http://www.pacificnet.net/~mandel/SpecialEducation.html> SpecialEducation: New special ed teachers learn how to use bulletin boards, set uptheir classrooms and prepare for their unique students.84. <http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/pep/pz.html> Resourcesfor Early Childhood Special Education: Preschool Zone: Preschool teacherswith special education students in their classes can turn to this toolkitfor lesson plans and more.85. <http://imaware.tripod.com/~imaware/educate.html> Education Ideas andResource: Special Needs Special Kids has put together these tools and guidesfor teaching young kids basic skills.86. <http://adhd.kids.tripod.com/teachers.html> Outside the Box!Especially for Teachers: Special needs and special education teachers canuse the glossaries, articles, curriculum ideas, assessment tools and more onthis site.87. <http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics.php> AT Basics: Learnhow to set up your keyboard, computer and classroom for hearing and visuallyimpaired students.88. <http://serge.ccsso.org/> SERGE: Check out the Special EducationResources for General Educators site for a FAQ page, tools, and support.89. <http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/special_ed/> teAchnology: TheOnline Teacher Resource has a special education page for teachers ofstudents with behavior problems, physical disabilities and more.90. <http://www.naset.org/> National Association of Special EducationTeachers: NASET's website offers all kinds of resources, references andtools for special education teachers.Games and ActivitiesHelp special needs students learn by playing games, using virtual realitysystems and beyond.91. <http://www.do2learn.com/> Do2Learn: Special needs kids and theirparents will find songs, games and other activities to help them learn howto use the phone, stay safe on the bus, and more.92. <http://earth.google.com/> Google Earth: Google Earth is a fun,interactive web tool for studying the Earth, maps and more.93.<http://www.parentpals.com/gossamer/pages/Special_Education_Games/index.html> Parent Pals Special Education Games: This collection of games includesfour levels of activities and over 200 different games.94. <http://www.vtreeinc.com/media.htm> Virtual Reality Special NeedsSoftware: These video games and virtual reality games teach life skills andmore to special needs students.Physical DisabilitiesWheelchair-bound students and students with other physical disabilities willfind lots of great learning tools here.95. <http://www.zabaware.com/> Ultra Hal Assistant: This digitalassistant helps special needs students stay organized.96. <http://specialed.about.com/od/physicaldisabilities/p/wheelchair.htm>Tips for Working with Students in Wheelchairs: This guide for teachersoffers tips for classroom design and more.97. <http://www.leithauserresearch.com/nokeys.html> No-Keys VirtualKeyboard: This virtual keyboard can use various pointing devices to type.98. <http://www.shortkeys.com/> ShortKeys: This text replacement programoffers helpful shortcuts for students with limited movements.99. <http://www.cameramouse.org/> Camera Mouse: This free program letsstudents move their heads to control their mouse pointers.100. <http://www.lakefolks.org/cnt/> Click-N-Type: Click-N-Type is anothervirtual keyboard that's free.Did you enjoy 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