Macbook Air for Dyslexic Child

I can only think of two reasons, but they might be compelling.

The Mac has a shorter learning curve, so for soemone who is not familiar, as a child may be, then the Mac may make a person with any kind of disability that requires more concentration than would otherwise be utilized may make for a device that is more productive for the user.

The above point is certainly a controversial one, as some Windows users would argue the opposite. However, I have used both, and grew up using a PC. I picked up on the basics of the Mac in much shorter time than I would have imagined possible. So much of my success in doing so I attribute to the simple elegance of OS X. It is clearly designed to function with minimal effort. It is for this reason also that I have gravitated much further in my education of Macs in general, for I know that ui can accomplish more with less difficulty in learning something new. The system is also much more simple to maintain the overall OS health.

As well, as a Mac has a system wide spell checker, so one is less prone to making mistakes with a Mac than a windows machine. Especially if the user has any kind of issues that might aggravate the problem of spelling errors. While it does not work for every application, it is much more pervasive than a Windows machine.

The downside to the MBA, for any child, particularly, is the relative durability of the MBA over other MacBooks or Macbook Pros. Not so much the 11.6" Air, but the 13" Air has a somewhat delicate screen, with very thin glass that is not nearly as durable as any other model. I have a 13", and while I have never had a problem, I am particularly sensitive to the BBS threads where people have posted their horror stories. Children can be particulary hard on delicate notebooks, and the 13" MBA is certainly Apple's most delicate machine. Perhaps you can outfit the MBA with a good hard-shell case that would minimize flexion of the lid, in the event anything were to knock or weight upon it. I use an inCase snap-on cover just for that very purpose. But still, I am very careful, but a younger child may not be so. Just something to think about. I also have a 11.6" Air, and I actually feel that it would be a bit more durable. However, I don't have any opinion about the size being an issue for a young person.

I have a child with dyslexia who was never able to understand the Windows way of doing things.

Her experience with OSX was entirely the opposite. She intuitively found her way around the Mac operating system. She just got it.

To be fair both OSX and Windows have specific programs to assist studends with dyslexia.

More importantly, however, is whether the child can find their way around the computer operating system.

In general, it's easier to get things done in OSX than Windows, whatever the task.

How old is your daughter? If this is for junior high or high school, I'm in agreement with what others said. But if much younger, then you might want to consider an iPad. The iPad does have features that mimic a Mac computer, but I can't emphasize enough how much easier and more fun it is to read books, magazines and such on an iPad. Also easier to download and use special learning apps that might help a child (including a dyslexic one) with reading and writing.

The interactive nature of the iPad, being able to touch and draw on it, makes it even better than a computer for helping kids to learn.

Either way, you should take your daughter to a store and let her play on the device.

The iPad has available Apple's word processing program called "Pages".

I have it, and have used it, and it is a fine product for what it is.

However, the iPad itself has some limitations that you should be aware of.

1. The built in touchpad is fine for short notes, or brief writing, but very few would find it practical for long report writing or multi-page docuements. You can however, buy an external keyboard (wired or wireless) to manage that situation.

2. File management is quite a bit different than on a full fledged computer. One does not use a hierarchial file structure, but instead the application itself manages all files in a single place.

3. Printing can get a bit more complicated than a typical computer, but that can be managed. You can email a document to yourself and have a separate computer perform the actual printing. There are also some wireless printing solutions for certain compatible printers, directly from the iPad.

I have an iPad, and would never, ever consider it as a replacement for a notebook computer. Yes, you can perform certain tasks, but it should be considered an option only when exterem prortability is the orveriding concern for it's applicability. On the other hand, my wife, as school teacher, thinks that her iPad virtually suffices to replace her noteook for most things. However, she is only using it for gaming and web surfing (which is what she primarily uses a computer for, outside of work).

Your daughter may take to the iPad, more than a notebook. But I don't think that it would totally suffice as a notebook replacement for meaningful productivity. I've heard this said, and I believe it.... A Computer is primarily a media creation device, while an iPad is primarily a media consumption device.

All SP says is true, his cautions on the iPad's limitations well taken, and I'm in agreement with him to a point. I'd never recommend an iPad in-and-of-itself for a kid in jr. High or High School where he/she is taking more than one class and needs to write many different papers and take a lot of notes and really keep track of it all (which means your daughter will need the laptop eventually and perhaps it is a good idea to get it now?). However, your daughter is likely only in one classroom for the day, is likely not expected to take a lot of notes, and is probably not writing up more than one page when it comes to those book reports.

If this is the case, then the iPad (with the external keyboard for writing up those reports) may actually be better for her.

What makes me think you ought to consider the iPad is that it's a device your daughter might want to spend a lot of time on--including reading books on--as it is a lot of fun to use. Books, magazines and newspapers can be downloaded and read on it much more easily than on a laptop and there are many cool learning apps that are "out in the field" type things. Like teaching kids about the stars--you can go out with it at night, aim the iPad up at the sky and certain astonomy apps will tell you what stars you're seeing. Even writing up the reports can be more fun as Pages on iPad allows her to move paragraphs and words and pictures with her fingers, right there on the screen, to make it look and read the way she wants.

However, I've no idea what kind of school she is going to, or what she or you feel would be best for her, personally. If this is a school that has certain demands better met with the laptop, by all mean, go laptop. Likewise, if she or you feel she'd get more work done on the laptop. I do think, however, that you should both give the iPad a look-see, and give both iPad and laptop a try in the store. If reading problems are her primary issue, you might find the iPad more useful than the computer. The computer is very much a writing tool, the iPad very much a reading tool.

Please do let us know what you decide and how your daughter does with it.