Easter Seals Greater Houston will acquire an ever-growing organization called SNApps4Kids or Special Needs Apps for Kids.  SNApps4Kids is a community of parents, therapists, doctors and teachers who share information about how they are using popular mobile devices like the iPad, iTouch and iPhone with children who have special needs.

SNApps4Kids founders, Sami Rahman and Cristen Reat, are both parents to children with special needs and are on the cutting edge of using brand new technologies for therapy and everyday use for their children.  Rahman, whose three year old son has cerebral palsy, searched for a way he could accelerate his son’s lagging verbal and cognitive abilities.  Reat wanted to find a computer mouse that her seven year old son with Down syndrome could control.  Both parents purchased an iPad and began using it with their children.  After a few short months, they realized the amazing power of this device as a motivation for learning.  Rahman’s son, Noah, has now surpassed his typically developing peers in language skills and Reat’s son, Vincent, uses his iPad successfully in his kindergarten class.

Easter Seals Greater Houston’s CEO, Elise Hough, says SNApps4Kids is a natural addition to their comprehensive list of programs for people of all ages with all types of disabilities. “For over 64 years, we have been providing services to a wide-range and diverse group of people with disabilities and we work hard to keep up with technology and new ways to help them,” Hough states. 

The apps market for mobile devices is constantly expanding and a community like SNApps4Kids can help the developers connect with their consumers. Because most developers may not be as familiar with children who have special needs, the age ratings tend to have little relevance for children with a wide range of skills that may not be developmentally on par with their peers. SNApps4Kids, along with industry professionals, have created an app review system which focuses on skill, not necessarily age or developmental level. SNApps4Kids is also another way parents and caregivers of children with special needs can support each other in a positive manner and in a variety of ways.

To learn more about SNApps4Kids, please visit www.SNApps4Kids.com. And for more information on Easter Seals and all of its programs, please visit www.eastersealshouston.org .

About Easter Seals Greater Houston
Easter Seals Greater Houston, Inc. is a non-profit corporation established to provide comprehensive services to individuals of all ages with all types of disabilities and their families.  In order to continue to meet the growing needs of people with disabilities, United Cerebral Palsy became Easter Seals Greater Houston on January 1, 2011. As Easter Seals, the organization is building on its 64-year history of serving people with disabilities, while continuing to serve thousands of families in the area. All funds raised in the greater Houston community stay here through ESGH’s nine programs: Early Childhood Intervention; Respite Services; Toy/Tech; High School/High Tech; Home of Your Own; Therapy Services; The Caroline School; Camps, Counseling & Case Management; and Adult Services. For more information about Easter Seals Greater Houston, visit www.eastersealshouston.org. Visit us on Facebook and Twitter (@eastersealshou).

About SNApps4Kids
SNApps4Kids is a community of parents, therapists, doctors, and teachers who share information on how we are using the iPad, iPod Touch and similar devices with children who have special needs. We have found these mobile devices to provide accessibility for children who may have been previously disengaged from the world because of challenging language, motor, or other developmental delays. Given the rising number of apps on the market and the diverse skills of children with special needs, parents have found each other to be one of the best resources for choosing apps to enhance everyday life for our children. While our group is primarily parent-driven, our efforts are naturally collaborative with the people who help our children develop particular skills — therapists and educators.