Parent Tips: Computers

The best software we've found for Claire is from Judy Lynn Software. Their inexpensive software runs on PC-compatible machines and requires a press of a keyboard button or a switch to activate colorful graphics and fun sounds. Claire loved it the minute she started using Cause-And-Effect Carnival and we had to pry her away after a solid hour of using the PC by herself! Once we started the program, it looped from one activity to another and required nothing more than pressing the switch. They sell adapters that allow you to plug in any switch to the serial or joystick port in the back of your computer.

Here are some of her favorite software programs:

• Cause and Effect Carnival and Introduction to Scanning from Judy Lynn Software
• Funny Monsters for Tea
• Fisher-Price Dream Dollhouse
• My First Computer Books can be downloaded free from MediaSpark

Here's a tip from Christy Young:

"There is some wonderful software/hardware called "Intellikeys." It is a flat keyboard (no keys) with software to program the keyboard in any way you wish. My daughter loves elephants so we have an elephant on the keyboard that she can push in place of a mouse click. This works well with Living Books. The possibilities are endless and children with limited fine motor can have great success with this."