Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide

Best 5 Ipad Apps for Dyslexia

Why Buy an Ipad 2 if I have Dyslexia?

 

#1. Great Text-to-Speech:   We found the Triple-Click Voiceover function the easiest to use. It allows you to switch text-to-speech on and off, and you can use it for IBooks, email, websites, and magazine apps like Flipboard. You cannot use it for Kindle, Stanza, or other ebooks, at least not yet.

 

#2. Great Speech-to-Text: Free apps are available for Speech-To-Text so you can dictate notes, tell the computer to search the web, with presets for Google, Wikipedia, Youtube, and Twitter.

 

#3. Great Apps for Kids, Magazines, and EBooks:  Great learning apps for early readers, early writers, spelling and math practice, and magazines and various formats of digital books. We're still choosing our favorite dyslexia kids apps, but already we can see that the iPad's combination of game play, customizable format (font size, color, visual crowding), and kinesthetic movement makes for an ideal learning tool. Because it's so easy to combine sight and sound for text, it means that dyslexics of all ages can 'read' up to the level of their verbal ability.

 

#4.  Laptop Substitute: Lighter than a laptop, and cheaper than most laptops, but can do a lot of work of a laptop. Apps give the Ipad tremendous versatility. If you're worried about the lack of a keyboard, check out the Ipad Airbender Keyboard from Amazon.The wireless keyboard is in a open-up case that holds the Ipad. Very handy. If you don't like to draw with your finger, buy a cheap stylus.

 

What Are the Top Ipad Apps for Dyslexia?  This list may change over time, but here are 5 great apps for starters -

 

#1. VoiceOver / Ibooks / Web:  FREE  Not exactly an app, but function you should turn on with Triple-Click (Settings > General > Accessibility> Triple-click Home (bottom)> VoiceOver - Toggle VoiceOver). To set speed, click the VoiceOver tab on the Accessibility page. The speaking rate varies from slow (turtle) to fast (rabbit). Activate Voiceover when reading an iBook or webpage by triple clicking the home button. You can select a line or paragraph or if you want it to read the whole page, sweep 3 fingers down).

There are many app sources for books - including iBooks and Stanza. VoiceOver doesn't work with the free Kindle app, though!

 

#2. Dragon Go!  - FREE  This is a new app that allows you to speak what you're searching for on the web - so Google, Wikipedia, Youtube are defaults. You can also search for maps (using the location function), Twitter, and more. 

 

#3. Dragon Dictate - FREE     Handy for taking down memos and short notes, it still can make errors with background noise or mumbled words - but all-in-all pretty good!  If Dragon Dictate is too inaccurate for your speech, you can add in a Voice Memos app which will just record your note as audio.

 

#4.Note-Taking Apps - Soundnote ($4.99) and PaperDesk ($2.99) Soundnote basically turns your iPad into a Livescribe pen. It's great for notetaking because the audio is time-locked to your typing and drawing. If you want to use your iPad as a laptop, you might want to buy a keyboard and stylus, unless you prefer to write with your finger. PaperDesk has more options than Soundnote - like inserting photos, importing pdfs,  organizing pages into notebooks, option to export to a whiteboard, but its interface can be more complicated. Our son tried both and ended up preferring PaperDesk.

 

#5. Flipboard Magazine Social Media - FREE    We really like Flipboard's social media-magazine app which takes RSS feeds, news sites, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and converts them into a visually attractive and easier-to-read magazine format. Because reading lines are shorter and text is support well with visuals, we found it much easier to skim and read. VoiceOver does work with Flipboard artilces. 

 

Other handy Business / Student Apps: DropBox (FREE - 2GB) (which allows you to share easily share files between your iPad and computer or laptop), Instapaper ($4.99 (save to read later- has font size and style options), Good Reader ($4.99) (draw on pdf files), and Paperhelper ($0.99) (allows students to type on your iPad while looking at a page). Audible (FREE) is a good app if you belong to Audible.com for their recorded books. Also there's Time Timer ($1.99, visual timer), Idea Sketch (FREE, mind mapping app), and My Homework (FREE, homework organizer).

Promising, but needs work apps -OverDrive Media (FREE- good for library ebooks, not yet integrated well for audiobooks) and Learning Ally ($19.99) can't download books directly from your iPad.


What about Apps that Support Younger and Beginning Readers, Phonics, and Writing? We'll post these in following article, but in the meantime, check these out:  Reading and Literacy Apps for Ipad.





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Tags: apps, assistive, business apps, college apps, dyslexia, dyslexia apps, dyslexia ipad, dyslexic, education apps, ipad, More…ipad2, learning apps, technology

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Davis W. Graham Comment by Davis W. Graham on January 11, 2012 at 1:00pm

Read2Go, built for iPad,and iPhone, is great for Bookshare.org members, you must have a qualifying disability to be a member and if your are on this site then you are or know someone who qualifies and can use it.  It is $19.95 and is a great tool to read using when mobile or basking in the sun or in your favorite read nook. One the book is downloaded which takes seconds, then you don't  have to be on-line to read the book.

Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide Comment by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide on September 9, 2011 at 9:33am

Turning Your Ipad into Your Laptop

The longer I have the Ipad, the more I find I use it - much easier toting than a laptop and easier typing than a phone!

Here's 8 Ipad apps to that can help turn your iPad into a lighter laptop.

 

Dropbox   - I'm finding that I use Dropbox all the time - sharing files between different computers and all family members. The first 2 GB are free ($10 per month for 50 GB). The nicest thing about Dropbox is that it's compatible for the most popular apps including GoodReader, Instapaper, and QuickOffice.

 

Good Reader ($4.99)  Good Reader uploads documents from the web and Dropbox, with many annotation tools like highlighters, underlining, sticky notes, etc.  Very handy for pdf files.

 

Flashcards Deluxe  ($3.99)  The best thing about this flashcard app is that it syncs completely with Flashcard Exchange and Quizlet, meaning that for popular courses, textbooks, and subjects, the cards are all typed in. If you're a member of Flashcard Exchange, you can also type in your own cards.

 

Paperdesk ($2.99)  Paperdesk was our choice for notetaking with your Ipad - it records lectures - syncs the audio to what you type or scribble in. For scribbling, you can use a finger, or a $10 stylus from Amazon.

 

Quick Office Pro ($19.99)   Had to end up getting this one if my iPad had to substitute for my laptop. This was good for Word documents, Excel, and Powerpoints.

 

Instapaper ($4.99)    Still finding it's fine to get away with not paying for Wifi access on the iPad. At home, I can log onto our home network, and many other places (some airports, most Starbucks, B & N etc) have free wifi. Instapaper fills the gap. If I plan ahead, I can save web documents to Instapaper and read it later.

 

Flipboard (Free)  Still our favorite magazine app - great display for Facebook, magazines, newspapers, blogs, RSS feeds etc. Many magazines and newspapers have free content. You can save on Instapaper for later.

 

Printopia ($19.99)   Let us know if you find a cheaper option. We're using Printopia to print from the Ipad. It can be used with a lot more printers than Air Print, but you're technically printing through a computer attached to a printer. The software is downloaded to the computer or laptop. You also have the option to print to Dropbox. Set up was very easy.

 

Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide Comment by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide on August 2, 2011 at 12:59am
Really good idea, Miriam! the Airbender refers to an external keyboard that is connected to the iPad in a case. It folds out like leaves of a book. This keyboard is small and some may not like it. U think it is easier to use for longer texts than the on screen keyboard.
Miriam Shieldhouse Comment by Miriam Shieldhouse on August 1, 2011 at 2:57pm
Thank you for your really useful advise. His touch tying has been learned on a normal key board so its a valid question whether it would set him back in confidence with the screen key board. I'll see if he could have a try on my friend's i pad first to see how it goes. Thank you.
Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide Comment by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide on July 31, 2011 at 11:22pm

Hi Miriam,

 

The Ipad might meet the criteria, but it would be best if he could try it out first.  I noticed it's much easier to carry the Ipad around than a laptop and it will hold its charge throughout the school day.

There are still time when the laptop might be more convenient than the Ipad. First, the keyboard is an issue - the on screen keyboard can be difficult to type on, and even the nifty Airbender has a very small keyboard and it's easy to hit the wrong keys.

 

You could use an Ipad to take a picture of the board, but taking pictures of the board assignments with a cell phone + laptop might also suit this purpose.

Miriam Shieldhouse Comment by Miriam Shieldhouse on July 31, 2011 at 3:49pm
my son J is a high functioning moderately dyslexic 10 year old. He  is starting senior school next year (although its attached to  his current junior school) and he will be allowed to bring his laptop in to all classes from then on. He is used to using his laptop  for homework, but I'm wondering whether something smaller would suit his needs better at school. He needs to use a word processor but also be able to take pictures off the blackboard (as he struggles with copying off the board). He doesn't need speech to text but just needs something very user friendly and non intrusive. Would an i pad meet these criteria?  thanks, Miriam