Apps for Autism
I was able to attend a course recently that provided information regarding apps for the iPad and iPhone to help with autism. This list was compiled by the Pediatric Rehabilitation Department at Thomas Hospital. I want to pass this information along to you. If you know of more apps, please let me know and I will add them to the list. This is a work in progress.
***On iTunes, parents can subscribe to a free podcast titled "Apps for Children with Special Needs." It is designed to showcase iPad apps that can help families with special needs children decide if the app is appropriate for them or indeed what they thought it was. They do this by demonstrating the app on video before you buy it.
Communication Apps
ICommunicate - allows for creation of pictures, flashcards, storyboards, routines, and visual schedules; record custom audio in any language; converts any words with Text to Speech that do not have custom audio recorded; 100+pictures are included to get you started; add pictures with your camera, or from your camera roll, or use online image search; utilize as audio visual prompting tool; great for task completion storyboards. Cost: $49.99
My First Words - digital flashcards that say word of picture, flip through cards by dragging finger across the screen; categories: animals, baby things, food, shapes, and toys. Cost: free
My First Couplets - digital flash cards of adjective/noun (i.e. cute dog) or verb/noun (i.e. bouncing kangaroo); categories: animals, baby things, food, shapes, and toys. Cost: free
Talking Tom Cat - repeats everything you say in a funny voice; encourages expressive language/focalization; you can pet him, poke him, grab his tail; the first character in the talking friends series. Cost: free
Talking Gina the giraffe - say anything and she will be happy; neglect her or treat her badly and she will be sad; play 32 levels of hand clapping games with her to make her even happier; the 9th character in the talking friends series. Cost: free
Talking Baby Hippo - ideal for ages 2-7; repeats everything you say in a baby voice; tickle him and he will laugh; 2nd character in the talking friends series. Cost $2.99
Talking John, John,and John the bacteria - talking bacteria that repeat your voice in a choir; tickle them to make them laugh; poke them to get rid of them; feed them donuts to make them duplicate; the 8th character in the talking friends series. Cost: free
Artik pic (full version)- works on articulation, measures % correct (beginning, middle, end of word); option to record child saying word so they can hear themselves say it! Cost: $29.99
First words (deluxe/full version) - use finger to drag letters to match up to visual model to spell simple words, app says word after it is spelled; similar to the free sample version except now divided by category: vehicles, animals, at home, colors, shapes, or "all words". Cost $4.99 for deluxe ( or can purchase each category for $1.99 each)
IComm - it is great visual teaching app for helping a child learn to communicate by providing a custom built and easy to use communication system using pictures and words -both written and spoken; specifically designed for children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy or autism, who have trouble communicating; provides content for basic communication such as yes, no, more, and finished; there is a free trial version available.
Tap to Talk - it makes communication fun, like another "game"; just tap a picture and Tap to Talk speaks; allows you to create your own albums to meet the specific needs of the child; includes library of over 2000 pictures; you can add your own pictures, photos and sounds. Cost: free but with needed upgrades available.
Dragon Dictation - tap screen to record, whatever is said during recording will appear on screen in text format. Cost: free
My Talk Tools Mobile Lite - a fully functional version of My Talk Mobile with 12 cell capacity, using one or two boards; users can gain comfort with mobile use and online authoring ( building communication boards or pages) via MyTalk Workspace; if you find this app provides the right solutions but you want the increased capacity of 32,000 cells, you can purchase MyTalk Mobile for $37.99. Cost: free
Color SLaPps - designed by SLP; teaches colors; simple and direct teaching of basic colors; choose which colors you want to work on; three levels of play as well as randomization; settings allow control of auto advance, sounds and visual effects. Cost: free
Word SLaPps Lite - designed by SLP; modeled after Discrete Trial teaching; used to teach vocabulary words specific to your child's need; children touch target images and are rewarded with sounds and / or visuals; upload your own images to personalize teaching; pair images with your own voice recorded questions; three levels of play; teach vocabulary from a second language; target one or more vocabulary; help young readers master sight words. Cost: free
ABA actions - a flash card app with both auditory and visual features; some of the actions include bathing, brushing , clapping, climbing, dancing, eating, laughing, looking, playing, reading, riding, running, singing, sleeping, smiling, spinning, swinging, throwing, washing, waving, whispering, winning. Cost: free
ABA emotions - a flash card app with auditory and visual features; a collection of 50 images including bored, happy, mad, sad, scared, silly, surprised, tired and worried. Cost: free
ABA things you eat - flash card app with auditory and visual features; images include apple, bacon, banana, verse, chicken, chocolate, eggs, fish, grapes, hot dog, milk, pancakes, pizza, popcorn, pretzels, soup, taco, yogurt. Cost: free
ABA things you wear - flash card app; images include backpack, belt, diaper, dress, glasses, hat, jacket, jeans, mittens, necklace, pants, purse, shirt, shorts, socks, swimsuit, tie, vest watch. Cost: free
ABA things you play with - flash card app; images include airplane, beach ball, block a, bubbles, cars, dinosaur, dollhouse, jump rope, play dough, puzzle, Teddy bear, train, wagon. Cost: free
ISpeech Toddler sign language - teaches fundamental words that can be signed using sign language techniques; two volumes included for a total of 60 words. Cost: $1.99
Proloquo2Go - provides a full-featured augmentative and alternative communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking; provides natural sounding text-to-speech voices. Cost: $189.00
TouchChat - full featured communication solution for individuals who have difficulty using their natural voice; for individuals with autism, Down Syndrome, ALS, apraxia, stroke, or other conditions that affect a person's ability to use natural speech. Cost: $299.00
Educational Apps
ABC Pocket Phonics- combines letter sounds, letter writing; 170 first words; only ABC Pocket Phonics follows the "synthetic phonics" teaching method - the keystone of the "Reading First" part of the No Child Left Behind Act.
My first puzzles (full version)- great visual motor app; click and drag animal puzzle pieces to the correct place to assemble the parts of animal (13 different puzzles). Cost: $1.99
Dots for Tots- use your finger to follow dot to dot pictures to create shapes; works on simple number sequencing and finger control. Cost: free
Dot to Dot Lite:Number Whiz- use your finger to follow numbered dot to dot to create pictures (more complex than Dots for Tots); when creating a player, you can select age categories (4-5, 5-6, 7-8,8-9,9-10, 10+); the older the child, the harder it gets. Cost: free
Draw ABC (full version)- two mazes activated by finger control; trace capital and lowercase letters; learn and hear words with each letter of the alphabet; learn to write words with each letter. Cost: $0.99
Ultimate Word Search (free)-timed word searches, great visual discrimination, scanning activity; ages: middle school+ ; full version available for $0.99
Word Search Kids- word categories handcrafted for kids; large words first, always something fresh; quick and easy word entry (slide or tap); three difficulty levels, can challenge self; best games list, track your progress; fun and educational. Cost: $0.99
Mazes HD Lite- four levels of timed mazes; tilt the iPad to guide marble through the maze; visual motor skills/ itegrations. Cost: free
Flash cards inkids full version - spells word/ says word (touch letters to hear individual letter); touch picture to hear sound; similar to free trials but now have access to animals, transportation, bodies, things, alphabet, shapes, colors, numbers, word match, and spelling game. Cost: $3.99
First Words (deluxe/full version)- use finger to drag letters to match up to visual model to spell simple words, app says word after it is spelled; similar to free sample version except now divided by category: vehicles, animals, at home, colors, shapes or "all words". Cost: $4.99 for deluxe (or can purchase each category for $1.99 each).
Maze Square Lite- 32 2-D mazes from 5X5 to 40X40; visual motor/ hand-eye coordination. Cost: free
Alphabet Tracing- trace with your finger; follow the train or truck and learn the correct way to write letters (capital/ lowercase letters a-z, numbers 1-9). Cost: free
My First Words- digital flashcards that say word of picture, flip through cards by dragging finger across screen (right to left); categories: animals, baby things, food, shapes, and toys. Cost: free
Preschool colors- digital flashcards that say and show colors and colored objects; flip through cards by dragging finger across screen (right to left). Cost: free
Preschool Memory Match- memory game for preschoolers, 4 levels: easy, medium, hard, and super-duper hard. Cost: free
Talking Memory Kids- memory game (visual and auditory); 3 levels: beginner, intermediate, and expert; time (start to finish). Cost: free
Tile Tap Lite- sharpen your mind and flex your fingers with this fast paced time matching game; good for middle school age children and up; targets cognition, manual dexterity, and hand/eye coordination; 3 game modes. Cost: free
Safety Smart- 5 interactive games that promote everyone to be safety smart;for middle school age and up (pretty difficult). Cost: free
Brain-Go- sort items by categories, drag the item that does not belong to the trash can with your finger. Cost: free
ABC Tracer- trace capital letters A-Z, lowercase a-z; plays ABC song with visual model, letters sound on touch; pop and learn: pop balloons in alphabetical order; quiz: touch the picture that begins with the above letter; trace simple words. Cost: free
Animal Preschool Shape Puzzles- animal shapes puzzles, 2 settings (normal and easy); put together puzzles or animals (only free puzzle), after assembly , says animals name. Cost: free
ABC 123 - games: missing number, missing alphabet, missing letter in a word, missing letters in a word, missing word in a sentence, order letters, and order numbers; 3 game levels. Cost: free
Differences- tap the differences between two pictures; moderate difficulty; visual discrimination activity. Cost: free
Animal sounds- click animal name to see picture and hear sound. Cost: free
Toy cleanup - sort items between: toy box, moving chest, recycle bin, and trash can; hand/ eye coordination and projected action sequence; 3 leves. Cost: $0.99
Wipe and Learn- move finger over screen to reveal picture (575 difference pictures); cause/ effect. Cost: $0.99
Numbers Tool- touch numbers 0-9 to hear the number. Cost: free
ABC cursive- trace A-Z in cursive, capital letters only. Cost: free
Animal ispy junior - place animals by touch and drag into their designated spots, through a few different scenes, states "I am ___" (animal name). cost: free
What's that Sound- match sound to picture, field of 2; auditory discrimination. Cost: free
iBeams lite - use finger to tap screen to drag light beam across; low level cause/ effect; good for visual attention. Cost: free
Vocal zoo- the ultimate zoo experience for kids, here they can experience and learn about the world's most famous animals; a proven child-friendly and easy to use application, especially tuned for little ones. Cost: free
Clean up: sorting category - problem solving skills. Cost: free
Color SLaPps- designed by SLP, app teaches colors; simple and direct teach of basic colors; choose which colors you want to work on; 3 levels of play as well as randomization; setting allow control of auto advance, sounds and visual effects. Cost: free
Dexteria - fine motor skill development; improves fine motor skills or handwriting readiness in children and adults; has a tracking and reporting feature that makes it easy to identify time on task and progress - can even email reports to your therapist or teachers, right from app itself; increases coordination and motor control in the hands and fingers; easy to use, even for toddlers; great way to get kids ready for kindergarten. Cost: $9.99
Daisy Worm - digital talking book playback app; features include full navigation of the book structure, fast forward and rewind of audio content, platform independent transfer of books, bookmarking with automatic save and resume of playback position; get free future upgrades. Cost: $3.99
Sentence Builder - designed to help elementary aged children learn how to build grammatically correct sentences; explicit attention is paid to connector words that make up over 80% of the English language; offers a rich and fun environment for improving the grammar of all children. Cost: $3.99
Coin Math - can be use at home or school for learning to identify and count coins and learning to make change; learn or reinforce counting 5, 10 and 25; learn how to recognize, count, add, and make change with US coins; now with voice instructions for younger learners. Cost: $1.99
iWrite words- teaches handwriting while playing a fun and entertaining game; 70 words/ levels of uppercase/ lowercase letters; 20 levels of numbers; individual letter tracing; playback of accomplished words in your child's own handwriting. Cost: $2.99
KidCalc- teaches the following skills: writing numbers, number recognition by sight, quantity recognition with icons, counting forwards and backwards, with voice overs, by increments of 1,2,3,on up to increments of 100; addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Cost: $0.99
Math Drills- allows up to 10 students to learn basic math skills in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Cost: $1.99
Pop Math Basic Math - practice basic math in game form : pairs of bubbles float on screen and goals is to pop each pair - for example, one bubble says"7" and another says "3+4" - simply touch one bubble then the other to pop them both. Cost: $0.99
In My Dreams - have fun with reading, matching and sign language; uses animation and repetition to promote literacy; reinforces understanding of nouns, verbs and prepositions; can personalize by adding child's photo; increases phonemic awareness; expand vocabulary, visual tracking, multiple options for communication including sign language and pictures. Cost: $0.99
Story Builder - designed to help children accomplish educational goals including : improve paragraph formation, improve integration of ideas and improve higher level abstractions by inference; extensive use of audio clips promotes improved auditory processing for special needs children with autism spectrum disorders or sensory processing disorders; Cost: $3.99
Language Builder - designed to help children accomplish educational goals including: improve sentence ideation, improve sentence formation, and improve receptive and expressive language; extensive use of audio clips promotes improved auditory processing for special needs children with autism spectrum disorders or sensory processing disorders; auditory playback of child's voice offers reinforcement for language development. cost: $3.99
Social Skills Apps
Social Skills Sampler HD - social videos designed for older kids and teens modeling the following topics: meeting/greeting people, taking responsibility, being polite/ courteous, joining others in a group, apologizing/ excuse self, following directions, and handling criticism. Cost: free
Model Me going places 2 - visual teaching tool for helping younger children navigate the following places in the community: hairdresser, mall, doctor, playground, restaurant, and grocery store. Cost: free
Pictello - a simple way to create talking photo albums and talking books on the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch; uses for pictello stories include: stories to teach social skills or to recall events, photo albums to allow non-speaking people to share their news and interests, talking books, teaching narrative skills as part of a literacy or language skills curriculum, schedules, task instructions, etc. Cost: $14.99
Autism Xpress - encourages children to learn to recognize and express their feelings and emotions. Cost: free
Literacy Skills Sampler HD - designed to teach and reinforce common words critical for independent living and is optimized for the iPad; provides easy to understand information that allows users to become more capable of functioning independently at work, at home, and in the community. Cost: free
Work Skills Sampler HD - designed to teach and enforce common signs and words critical for independent living; provides easy to understand information that allows users to become more capable of functioning independently at work, at home, and in the community. Cost: free
Face cards - safe, easy to use resource for exploring feelings and the faces that go with them; portrays the ten most common emotional expressions; helps people identify and explain feelings; used by teachers, parents, and therapists with both children and adults across a range of abilities. Cost: free
"Dusty D. Dash Has Feelings Too" - children's book specialized for the iPhone, iPad, and ipod Touch; kids will read along and learn about exploring their feelings with Dusty; can personalize book with your own voice on each page; you can use this to record child reading the story themselves, or allow visiting family to record and continue yo read to child after they are away; add child's photo to first page of book; fun animations appear throughout the book as the child reads the story. Cost: free
ABA Emotions - flash card app (auditory/visual features); emotions collection includes 50 images; just a few: bored, excited, happy, mad, sad, scared, silly, surprised, tired, and worried. Cost: free
Stories2Learn - creates personalized stories using photos, test, and audio messages; used to promote an individual's literacy; leisure, as well as social skills; can also be used for schedules. Cost: free
Angry Octopus - a children's relaxation story, teaches strategies for managing stress and anger; engaging story quiets the mind and relaxes the body so your child can let go of anger and fall asleep peacefully. Cost: $7.99
Look into my eyes 1 - restaurant - game designed to encourage eye contact. Cost:$2.99
Feelings book - fosters emotional identification, emotional understanding, and emotional regulation; provides children with interactive visual tool for : selecting and expressing one's emotional state, considering the intensity of the emotion, comparing the emotional event to the other events that evoked a similar reaction, and selecting appropriate coping strategies that coincide with their ever changing emotional states. Cost: $14.99
Emotional intelligence with children - interactive virtual course to teach parents and educative how to develop emotional intelligence. Cost: $3.99
Quick Cues - a social script app that helps teens and young adults on the autism spectrum handle new situations send learn new skills; the communication module comes pre-installed and provides help with conversations at school or work, listening, and talking on the phone; gives tips on reading body language and finding shared interests with others. Cost: $4.99 per module
Hidden Curriculum for Kids - real-life based entries spur conversations about the countless "unwritten social rules" that we encounter eve day and that can cause confusion and anxiety. Cost: $1.99
Hidden Curriculum for Kids - real-life based entries spur conversations about the countless "unwritten social rules" that we encounter eve day and that can cause confusion and anxiety. Cost: 1.99
Everyday Social Skills HD - designed to teach and reinforce basic social skills critical for independent living; provides easy to understand information that allows users to become fore capable of function independently at work, at home, and in the community; contains 80 videos; make assignments for each user based on their needs. Cost:$1.99
Everyday skills - provides self-directed learning sessions for 40 important skills necessary for living independently; provides an accessible learning tool that is specifically designed to be used directly by individuals with autism, learning or other developmental disabilities at their own pace. Cost: $49.99
Living Safely - provides self-directed learning sessions for 27 important safety skills topics; provides an accessible learning tool that is designed to be used directly by individuals with autism, learning or other developmental disabilities at their own pace. Cost:$29.99
First-Then schedule - designed for caregivers to provide positive behavior support; serves to increase independence and lower anxiety during transitions through different activities; provide positive behavior support through use of images that show daily events (I.e., morning routine, therapy schedule) or steps needed to complete a specific activity; user can record their own voice, add their own images from their computer or use images from the app's stock library; Cost:9.99
IPrompts - provides several useful visual prompting tools to help impaired individuals transition from one activity to the next, understand upcoming events, make choices, and focus on the task at hand; provides picture schedules and visual countdown timer. Cost:49.99
Hanging Out - designed for teens and adults on the autism spectrum and other developmental delays; provides scenarios about every day communication with friends, classmates and other people you might encounter; provides cues and reminders to help navigate through social situations and everyday tasks; use app to assist during situations that produce anxiety, frustration, feelings of being left out, or disappointed. Cost:$4.99
Turn Taker - teaches the social skill of taking turns to children. Cost:$2.99
