The world of Apps.

Spring - are you there?  I need you.

I really don't like mid-February.  I am so done with winter and I can just feel it in my body that I need spring to be here.  I am tired of not being able to take Sophie out in the neighbourhood.  It is so frustrating that she can't be out and about because she is in a wheelchair.  She is too big for the sled I used to pull her up and down the street in when we lived in our old house, so we go from house to car and car to house and that is it.  She doesn't do very well with the cold to begin with, so this extra cold stretch we have been having has been difficult for her. 

I can see the icicles melting and the sun is just a little brighter and closer, warm weather has to be on its way.

So in the meantime I have been focusing on inside stuff.

We have been trying to get started on some new ideas for her development.   I have set up a big meeting for tomorrow with her physiotherapist, occupational therapist, her early intervention specialist from CNIB and her therapy assistant as well.  I want to start on some communication ideas for her so that she can let us know what is going on in that mind of hers.  She has been making lots of noises and I know that she knows what she is trying to tell us.  Something exciting that I am going to propose is to get her an IPad for her birthday.  Many special needs kids that are severely physically and developmentally disabled, like Sophie, have had their worlds rocked by the IPad and all it's apps.  It uses a touch screen so she just needs to tap it to get it to work depending on what we have uploaded onto it.  Sophie loves watching us use the laptop and often reaches for the keyboard. 

I have been spending alot of my time looking for apps that would work for Sophie and I have found many.
These are a few I found that seem like they would have great ideas for apps for kids like Sophie, and each web page inadvertently leads you to new blogs and apps and on and on!!

http://babieswithipads.blogspot.com/
http://blog.easystand.com/2010/05/ipad-apps-for-kids-with-special-needs/
http://mobilelearning4specialneeds.wikispaces.com/Apps
http://slpsharing.com/app-resources/
http://www.tuaw.com/tag/assistivetechnology/

Now of course this is all in theory that it will work for my girlie because we have never actually seen one in person lol.

We have been doing lots of playing in her pony walker so that she can choose what she wants to go to and play with.  And it forces her to keep her head up a bit and encourages her to use her arms.

She works so hard!

Sophie has just gotten over a very bad stoma infection so I am really hoping that we can move on and get back outside with warm weather and leave another winter behind us.  It can't come too soon.