For our latest Staff Picks list, Alejandra “Ale” Gonzalez, BridgingApps Digital Navigator, shares her favorite educational/alternative-communication apps that are usable by Spanish as well as English speakers.
- TD Snap AAC is a communication app that easily switches between English and Spanish without requiring format adjustments or a second user profile. It also is programmed to learn and grow with the user, adjusting to keep pace with evolving needs and understanding. Usable with a wide variety of speech and language disabilities including autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. (An iOS system is required to download this app.)
- Otsimo | Special Education AAC offers personalized educational games that are fun and helpful for children with autism, Down syndrome, or various learning disorders. Skill-building game categories include vocabulary, emotions, and numbers. Otsimo can be used in English or Spanish, and can adjust itself to stay relevant as the child’s learning progresses.
- Khan Academy is a great free app to facilitate learning for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. It’s also a top multifaceted app, “speaking” over 50 languages and providing access to some 4,000 educational videos and articles. Students with learning disabilities particularly appreciate being able to learn at their own pace, using practice lessons.
- Endless Spanish is designed to teach basic Spanish spelling to either native Spanish speakers (of whom the narrator is one) or native English speakers (via the “Spanish with English” translation option). Engaging animation teaches children to organize letters into words and words into sentences. Can be used easily by kids with learning disabilities or developmental delays.
- Quizlet is an English/Spanish study app that uses flashcards to aid students with learning disabilities. It also allows users to study on their own time and at their own pace. Choose from a wide range of study sets or create your own. A favorite feature is the “Match” game that challenges students to create six sets of paired items in the shortest possible time.