5 Autism-Friendly Apps You Need To Check Out
For parents of children on the ASD spectrum actively dealing with sensory overload issues, meltdowns, or learning difficulties, help comes in the form of technology quite often. Whether it’s a long wait at the doctor’s office or a meltdown at a social event, technology in the form of mobile applications often comes to parents’ aid.
In the following article, we take a look at some of the most popular and useful apps which promote learning along with a healthy dose of fun and entertainment –
- Autastico
Available on Android
Price – Free
Autastico is a fun activity-based app that lets the child solve puzzles, guess and draw emotions, have fun with numbers, colors, and shapes. The app is very easy to use and has a colorful setup. One thing we liked about this app is the ‘create your own avatar’ option which allows children to use their creativity and create a fun, animated version of themselves. If you are looking for a fun learning app for your child with multiple activities at one single stop, Autastico might just be the app for you!
- LetMeTalk
Available on Android & iOS
Price – Free
LetMeTalk is an app that uses augmentative and alternative communication which allows users to select images and turn them into sentences. There are over 9,000 images available and users can select images from their photo gallery or take new photos, allowing them to create a personalized database. Another helpful option is the search button which allows users to search particular objects. This app is extremely useful, especially for children who are non-verbal and often have difficulties communicating.
- Sensory
Available on Android
Price – Free
In Sensory, a particle effect is triggered by a touch on the screen. The more you keep touching, the more particles pop up on the screen. These particles are colorful, vibrant, and pop up with sound effects. The child can touch up to 10 points from multiple touchpoints simultaneously. This is a great cause and effect app for sensory stimulation in children with ASD.
- Autism Learning Games: Camp Discovery
Available on Android & iOS
Price – Free
Camp Discovery is an evidence-based, learning application developed by the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD). One of the most important features of the app is the reinforcement and prompting feature. For every correct response, the child is awarded an animation of his/her choice, and in case of an incorrect response, the system gently and cleverly prompts the child until he/she reaches the right answer. After every successful completion of a round, the child is rewarded with a fun mini-game. The app also allows parents to track their child’s progress with easy to read graphs.
- Pictello
Available on iOS
Price – $18.99
Pictello is an interactive, visual storytelling app that allows users to create their own stories by using pictures, captions, texts, and the natural sounding text to speech option. Users can also use their own audio recordings for their stories. The app is especially beneficial for kids who have difficulty understanding social cues or reading facial expressions. Pictello is an amazing collaboration of developing literacy skills and encouraging creativity and imagination in the child. The app also provides users with the option of selecting over 29 languages for the text to speech option!
What are some of your favorite apps you use for your kids? Let us know in the comment section below!
