Try on some Astrojammies!
by Beth
A couple weeks ago I met with a writer/illustrator from Demibooks, a new company that creates interactive book apps. Stephanie Williams-Ng wanted to know if I was interested in having an iPad app made for my children’s book about Seeing Eye dogs, and we discussed the possibility of creating an app to introduce my new dog Harper to kids, too.
Stacey used Astrojammies, an interactive children’s storybook she and Demibooks created for iPad, to explain how the process works. As an aside, She mentioned how pleased she was that her app is getting attention from the autism community. “I didn’t write it with autism in mind at all,” she said. “But it turns out the kids love how they can touch the screen and make it do all these things.”
Astrojammies is one of the apps being used in research by Assistive Technology for Autism Spectrum Disorders (AT4ASD) studying families whose children with ASD use the iPad. The app was also favorably reviewed on Apps For Children With Special Needs (A4CWSN), a web site providing information on the best apps for children with special needs. From the A4CWSN review:
Exclusively in the Demibooks interactive format, this story includes a dreamlike original music score by Steve Dixon, professional narration and amazing special effects. Readers can launch a rocket, squish and poke a planet made entirely of goo, and help Jimmy escape the jaws of a hungry space baboon … all with the tap of a finger! These interactive features help advance the story and enhance reading comprehension.
You can see a video of the reviewer showing examples from Astrojammies on YouTube, and if you’re interested, the iPad version is available now in the App Store.