There are many apps that have been designed to help children who have an autism spectrum disorder communicate, learn social skills, or predict the order of their day. You may have heard about iPads being used with children who have autism in special needs classrooms. In addition to iPads, you can also find these types of apps for iPod, iPhone, and Android devices, as well as on your computer.
Earlier this year, a website called Apps for Kids With Special Needs held a contest where they gave away tons of apps to parents of children who had special needs, and educators who work with special needs students. There are a surprising amount of apps out there designed as tools for kids with special needs. Here are a few that are designed to be used by children who have autism.
Autism – Turn Taker is available for Android devices, and costs $3.99. Turn Taker teaches kids how to share, and take turns, (some very important social skills). Children play with the app for an interval of time (that can be set by a parent). When the time runs out, they need to give someone else a turn.
There are versions of this app available for the iPhone and iPad, too. It can be purchased for $4.99 through iTunes.
JABtalk is also designed for use on Android devices. It costs $9.99 to purchase. This one is a communication tool for kids that need assistance with speech. You can personalize the voices and images in this app.
Life Skills Winner Pro costs $1.99, and is also designed to be used on Android devices. This app uses a point based system to encourage children who have special needs to learn how to do specific life skills. Some skills include: brushing teeth, making a sandwich, washing hands, or standing an appropriate distance from the person the child is talking to. Parents have control over what prizes will be awarded when enough points are earned.
Preference & Reinforcer Assessment Lite is a free app designed for iPhone and iPad. It is available through iTunes. This app can be used by parents to get a clearer idea of what your child considers to be a reward, or what their preferred activities are. Children can select choices of reward by touching the screen, and the app automatically records how often the child chose that reward over other ones.
I Want is an app that can be used on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It costs $9.99 and can be purchased from iTunes. This app is a virtual “choice board” that can help children who have autism express what they want from a group of possible choices. They can indicate their selection of Free Time Activity by touching it.
Image by Beverly & Pack on Flickr