Technology has revolutionized the way kids with special needs and autism learn and communicate. Smartphone applications have given parents, teachers and therapists a number of approaches to teach kids with autism who need special care from the rest of their peers. Apps are especially useful as they provide visual support, and facilitate communication skills through pictures. Here are top apps that prove helpful for kids with autism.
Starfall Learn to Read
FREE
This app is supported by the members of Starfall.com a non-profit site that promotes and motivates education among kids with special needs through play and exploration. Your child will have fun reading with Zac the Rat. Each section has the pronunciation of a vowel with sound and its related spelling. Your kid will master the sound spelling through a number of interactive activities such as movies, songs, and games. Your child will slowly learn the relationship between speaking and writing through encouragement and fun. (» iOS / Android)
First Then Visual Schedule
by Good Karma Applications, Inc
9.99 USD
This app is devised for teachers and caregivers, in general, to give support to autistic children. The app helps with autism by providing a visual schedule and structured environment. These can help reduce the anxiety generated due to transitions. Visual schedules are great at providing positive support through pictures capturing daily events or certain steps and procedures needed to complete a daily activity. Parents can record their own voice and capture their own images and use them to teach their kids. (» iOS)
Emotions & Feelings Social Story
by Touch Autism
2.99 USD
Kids suffering from autism often have difficulty identifying and expressing feelings and emotions. This app introduces everyday emotions through stories and visual support. Each story focuses on situations that make a person elicit an emotional response. Social stories serve as an important base to teach children about understanding certain emotions. After opening the app, the user can choose whether to read a story or directly go to the emotions and feelings menu. The story describes emotions and feelings and the factors causing them. (» iOS / Android)
Calm Counter Social Story & Anger Management Tool
by Touch Autism
2.99 USD
Calm counter is an audio-visual aid that can help kids calm down whenever they are anxious or stressed. It helps kids with autism learn to express and deal with strong emotions. The app allows users to choose from a male or female voice which will count to 10 or read a social story out aloud. When users tap the icon after opening the app, the countdown begins and the icon changes with each countdown to a happy smiling face. (» iOS)
AAC Speech Buddy
PAID
This app lets users create custom speech sets and download them on their device. The speech sets can also be paired with images that can be downloaded from AACSpeech.com image repository. Teachers and parents can create their own custom speech sets to teach kids with autism communication skills. Users can also share content with each other making it easier to access different sets of speech. Children with autism often have difficulty in communicating and with this app, you can develop these skills. (» Android)
Auditory Workout
24.99 USD
This app is created by renowned speech and language specialists for children between 6-12 years of age, suffering from autism or any other auditory processing disorders. This interactive and colorful app includes over 1000 instructions based on audio. Children are welcomed by a fun and interesting basketball coach. For each correct response they will earn a basketball and when enough basketballs are collected they are rewarded with a fun game which is caught for small children and basketball for older children. (» iOS / Android)
Cognoa is an excellent track for tracking your child’s development. This app not only identifies autism in kids but also keeps in check a child’s behavior and milestones that becomes helpful for a doctor or a teacher or even a parent. It includes a number of expert recommended developmental activities which can help children suffering from autism and deal with motor and sensory issues, emotional issues and anxiety. Ask questions as a parent to a team of expert clinical advisors. (» iOS / Android)
The Social Express II
FREE
Social Express is an engaging platform for children suffering from autism to develop social skills and abilities, helping them establish a meaningful social relationship in life. Help Zack, Emma, Sam, and Katie solve social problems through fun and engaging activities and stories aimed at developing a basic understanding of social relationships in children. The curriculum aims at the core areas that stand in the path of success in school, social and life in general. The app employs rich graphics and audio to teach children. (» iOS)
Language Therapy for Kids–MITA
FREE
MITA is a unique application dedicated to children with ASD. The app includes interactive and engaging puzzles that are aimed to help children develop and improve their general learning skills. Exposure to MITA over time can induce significant development in the language and attention skills in autistic children. MITA includes 9 interactive games that train a child’s language function and develops their mental integration. The animated characters are fun and the many various rewards included will keep your child engaged and encouraged. (» iOS / Android)
This app is used by parents, teachers, and therapists for children with autism and other special needs disorders. The app allows the creation of picture schedules by caregivers to guide autistic children in their daily activity. Users can also use a countdown timer with pictures that lets children know how much time is left to finish a scheduled activity. With this app, you get a picture library with hundreds of useful picture illustrations to set up your picture schedule for your kid. (» iOS / Android)