Food and Feelings Trump Toys – See the Most Popular TapToTalk Pictures

The results are in. In the chart below, you can see the top 10 TapToTalk pictures that people are using in their TapToTalks. We were surprised that "Toys-Games" did not make the cut. But pictures in the "Electronics" category did make the list for the top pictures kids need for communicating, so we guess that tells us something about the technology and gadget world in which we are now living.

There is no surprise that "Food" is the overwhelming favorite communication need at #1 on the list. We on the TapToTalk Team often get hungry too and "food" would probably be high on our top 10 list as well. What we hear from customers almost always starts with, "The first thing my child did was ask for what he wanted to eat." That's followed by, "Then he told me how he felt." This customer feedback agrees with the data: "Food" and "Emotions" fall into the #1 and #2 spots.

We were also surprised to see "Weather" at #10 on the list. What surprised you?

For more about the TapToTalk picture library, go to http://www.taptotalk.com/pictureinfo.aspx.



If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

Special Toy Library For Special Needs Kids?

During this holiday season when there are so many people buying toys for kids, we are reminded that there are very few places that have toys customized for children with special needs. There actually is such a place that does have toys for children with special needs and the toys are FREE. Yes, free. A welcoming word in a world where toys customized for children with special needs often cost considerably more. In fact it is free because the toys are housed in a toy library at the Ohio State University Medical Center. The Center is helping parents of special needs kids find and borrow toys that are right for each child. Mary Jo Wendling, a specialist at the toy library says:

“Most of the switch-activated items aren’t available locally and because they have to be specially ordered, they’re quite costly. For example, a typical toy in a store might only cost $10 but a specialty toy, modified for special needs kids, is nearly $50. But at Ohio State’s toy library, they’re free. Just like books at a library, families here can check out toys and even specialized computers to take home and try out.”

A therapist is standing by at the toy library to help children choose not only toys that they will enjoy but toys that they will learn from. You can read the full article here: HealthNewsDigest. Do you know of any other such toy libraries? Post a comment if you do.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

How to Find the Best Toys for Children with Special Needs

Kennedy Krieger Institute, a Baltimore-based research, patient care and special education organization has teamed up with Parents’ Choice Foundation and selected a list of some of the best toys for children with special needs. They have also developed a set of guidelines to help parents decide what to look for when choosing those toys. Claire Green, the president of Parents’ Choice Foundation wrote the following:

“Working together, Kennedy Krieger and Parents' Choice Foundation have selected some of the best toys available for children with a variety of special needs. For example, Oball ($5.99, all ages, Rhino Toys) can help build fine and gross motor skills and, when playing with another person, also improve social skills. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for the Wii and DS (starts at $34.95, all ages, Nintendo) can help develop coordination and gross motor skills. First Snaps ($17.99, 6 months, Alex Jr.) are good for improving dexterity and the ability to manipulate things with little hands.”

Elisa Mintz Delia, Kennedy Krieger's assistant clinical administrator, says parents can find plenty of affordable and therapeutic toys. They just need a resource that explains which toys or games can help their children improve their skills.

To learn more about great toys for children with special needs, check out parents-choice.org.

You can read the full article with links at USAWeekend edition.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

Major TapToTalk Feature Announcement

Add Text, Sounds to Pictures in Album Outliner!

Now you can add text and sounds to pictures right in Album Outliner!

Using the new "Properties" link, you can change the name, caption, description and sound of any picture in your album.

This will make it easier for you to use TapToTalk Designer's Standard Library of 2000+ pictures without leaving Album Outliner. If you want to test some new ideas, you won't need to go back and forth between Album Outliner and Picture Library anymore.

To see how this new feature works, see the new tutorial Changing Picture Properties in Album Outliner.

Share your Albums with Other TapToTalk Users

This is a great feature if you have TapToTalk Home and you are working with a Speech Therapist or other Professional with TapToTalk. You can import a MyAlbums.zip file that they published into your TapToTalk Designer and make changes at home. Or vice-versa.

Firefox "Blank Pages" Bug

Yes, we occasionally have bugs. Thank you for letting us know about them. We try to fix them in a day or two. This one affected some of our Firefox users (Mac and PC) and took a little longer to find. It is now gone. Thanks for you patience.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com