8 Must Have Autism Apps, Tools, and Resources for Kids
In America, 1 in 1000 kids will be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This disease is classified as on a spectrum because it impacts children differently. Some children may be high functioning while others may need a lot of assistance throughout their life. For parents, a diagnosis of autism can be an overwhelming challenge. Thankfully, there are a lot of resources, including apps, that can help children with autism develop important social skills. Here is a review of the top eight apps for children with autism.
If you suspect that your child may suffer from autism, the first thing to do is to make an appointment with your pediatrician. However, before making that appointment, a lot of parents may turn to online research to help them determine if their child does indeed show early signs of autism. Autism and Beyond is an app that includes videos that help to determine if children show signs of autism. It can be useful information to see what researchers look for when diagnosing children with autism.
One more app for parents with children who have autism is Autism Track. This app has a host of important tools that allow parents to see behavioral changes and psychological changes within their child.
Most children with autism crave schedules. They expect order and certainty in their daily routines. To help with this is the app First-Then. It is a scheduling app where children can choose from different formats to customize their daily schedules.
Another organizational app is iPrompts. It is an app that uses visual prompts, as well as timers, to allow children with autism the ability to see what is next in their daily schedule.
Communication will vary across the autism spectrum. While some children with autism will be able to voice their ideas in words, some may be non-verbal. An app like Pictello allows children with autism, no matter their verbal ability, the chance to tell their own story. This app allows children to combine video, audio, and pictures to put together a story they want to tell.
All parents want their children to read. And even if a child has autism, this is still a goal. Endless Reader is an app that combines audio and visual learning. It pairs animation with words so that children can begin to understand the fundamental building blocks of reading.
To help children with autism deal with everyday chores and situations, it is useful to allow them a safe space to practice. AutisMate provides common scenarios that children will encounter in real life, but in a controlled, technical setting, so that they can get used to new routines.
Getting any child to sleep can be a challenge, and if you add autism to the mix, it can become quite impossible. It is therefore important for parents to have a wide range of tools to help them in this endeavor. Dreampad is an app that uses a special pillow to play relaxing music along with vibrations. It can calm even the most hypersensitive child.
Autism can be an overwhelming diagnosis, but with the advanced research that is being done on the disease, along with tools such as interactive apps, parents now have the benefit of knowing that they are not alone and that a productive future with their child is possible.
