Apps

for School Based

Occupational Therapy
Canyons School District
Nikki Rietz
 § Technology is advancing the ways OT’s treat students in
school based settings
§ Therapeutic tool: iPad
§ Increase interest and motivation
§ Simple to use and access
§ Versatility of skills addressed
What do § Address a variety of learning styles

practitioners § Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy Survey

§ Half of all therapist respondents reported iPad usage in
think? practice
§ Supports to use: Portability and small size, ease of use,
increase use of technology in education
§ Barriers to use: Lack of iPad availability, funding costs,
training and knowledge
§ Non-users reported that iPads were not available in their
practice setting but would use them if made available

(Coutinho et al., 2017)

 § Computer/iPad can help OT promote the following skills:
§ Gross Motor
§ Fine Motor
§ Visual Perception
§ Sequencing, sorting, matching, visual scanning, visual memory, visual
attention, figure ground, and visual spatial

§ Handwriting
§ Organization
Ways to § Executive Functioning

incorporate iPad § Pros and Cons of iPad use with special needs students
Therapeutic Apps § Pros: increase motivation and participation, level of
engagement, attention/concentration, communication, and
into Treatments facilitate skill readiness and development

Sessions § Cons: Cost, not appropriate for all children, overstimulation

due to lights and sounds, not adequate for all levels of function
or disability

§ iPad should be used in combination with other treatment

tools and strategies that incorporate real-life activities
§ Cutting, putting together puzzle, writing on paper to increase
generalizability of skills (Lee, 2013)
 § Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determined if
iPad applications can promote pre-primary children’s fine
motor skill development.

§ Methods: Two-group non randomized control trial design

§ 53 children separated into a experimental and control group

What does the § Intervention group: 30 minutes of iPad application for motor
skills for 9 weeks

Evidence Say? § Control group: Performed traditional fine motor tasks

§ Results: The intervention group made clinically significant

improvement in fine motor skills development as
compared to the control group.

§ Conclusion: Possible improved performance could be due

to increased motivation compared to the control group.

(Axford, Joosten, & Harris, 2015)

 § Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the
effectiveness of iPad application in improving visual motor,
fine motor, and handwriting in children with autism
spectrum disorder (ASD).
§ Methods: Quasi-experimental group pretest-posttest
design
§ Children between 5-7 with ASD who received special needs
What does the services
§ Compare the handwriting performance before and after 10
Evidence Say? week program utilizing the iPad daily for 10-12 minutes.

§ Results: Comparing pretest and posttest handwriting

samples, the results demonstrated a clinical improvement -
not statistical- in visual motor, fine motor, and handwriting
ability.
§ Conclusion: Participants skills obtained from iPad use were
transferred to pencil and paper

(Dessoye, Converse-Korhonen, McLaughlin, McSweeney

& Steinhoff, 2017).
 § Visual Motor Skills:
§ Gaar Pre-Writing, Free IOS and Android
§ Ready to Print, $9.99 IOS and Android
§ Dexteria Junior for Preschoolers, $2.99 IOS

Best Apps for

§ First Lines, $1.99 IOS and Android
§ Writing Wizard, $4.99 IOS and Android
School-Based § Visual Perception Skills:

OT § Amazing Shape Puzzles, Free IOS

§ Kid’s Learning Puzzles Farm Animals, Tangrams, Free IOS
§ My First App Vol. 1 Vehicles, $2.99 IOS
§ Match it Up (1-3), free IOS
§ Build it Up, free or $2.99 IOS

(Shannon, 2016)
 § Bilateral Motor Skills:
§ My First App Vo1.1 Vehicles, $2.00 IOS
§ Driving Apps: Dr. Panda’s Bus Driver, $2.99 IOS
§ Letter Reflex, $3.99 IOS

Best Apps for § Fine Motor Skills:

§ Dexteria Junior, $2.99 IOS Dexteria, $3.99 IOS
School-Based § Bugs and Buttons and Bugs and Buttons 2, $2.99 IOS and

OT Android
§ Ready to Print, $9.99 IOS
§ Lazoo Squiggles, $2.99 IOS
§ Paint my Wings, Free IOS

(Shannon, 2016)
 § Handwriting Skills:
§ Write my Name, $3.99 IOS
§ Ready to Print, $9.99 IOS and Android
§ Writing Wizard, $4.99 and Cursive Writing Wizard, 4.(9
IOS
§ Touch and Write, $2.99 IOS
Best Apps for § Handwriting without Tears-Wet Dry Try Suite, $6.99, IOS
and $4.99 Android
School-Based § Acquisition of Writing Skills:
OT § Keyboarding without Tears, $10.00 per student per years ,
IOS and Android
§ Word Wizard, $2.99 IOS
§ Co: Writer App, $19.99 IOS
§ Story Dice, $1.99 IOS or Android
§ Dragon Dictate, Free IOS

(Shannon, 2016)
 § Axford, C., Joosten, A., & Harris, C. (2015, August). Can iPad applications
promote pre-primary children’s fine motor skills development?.
In Proceedings 19th Triennial Congress of the IEA(Vol. 9, p. 14).
§ Coutinho, F., Bosisio, M. E., Brown, E. J., Rishikof, S., Skaf, E., Freedin, E.,
... & Dahan-Oliel, N. (2017). Facilitators and barriers to the use of iPads
as a therapy tool: A Canadian survey of pediatric occupational
therapists. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention,
1-18.
§ Dessoye, J., Converse-Korhonen, C., McLaughlin, L., McSweeney, S., &
References Steinhoff, C. (2017). The Effectiveness of iPad Handwriting Applications
in Improving Visual–Motor and Handwriting Skills in Children With
Autism Spectrum Disorder. American Journal of Occupational
Therapy, 71(4_Supplement_1), 7111520282p1-7111520282p1.
§ Lee, S. C. (2013, August). Addressing children's handwriting and visual
perceptual difficulties using iPad applications in occupational therapy
practice. In Proceedings of the 7th International Convention on
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology (p. 68). Singapore
Therapeutic, Assistive & Rehabilitative Technologies (START) Centre.
§ Shannon, M. (2016, October). Apps for School-based OT.