6 Autism Apps you need to know about now!

Let’s be honest apps have been improving people’s daily lives since what feels like forever. I mean take a look at your phone right now, how many apps do you have? I’m ashamed to say how many I do 🤐 And if I’m being honest, I can’t survive without some of my apps! They keep this gal on time, organized, and prepared!

I bet you if you name something you need help with right now, there’s more than likely an app for it.

Plus if you’re a special needs parent like me, you’re always on the hunt for the ones that are specifically designed to assist individuals with autism.

If your child's Life Plan has a speech goal, a communication goal, a social goal, etc. Here are 6 autism apps you probably never heard of but you need to know about… One more support to help you get closer to achieving your goals! Furthermore, some of these might even be able to be covered in your child’s self-direction budget! Did I hear someone say win-win!

1. LetMeTalk

Cost: Free

iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch app

• Age Recommendation: 12+

• Android and IOS

Why it’s great: A free ( yes I said free!) AAC talker app that supports communication in all areas of life providing a voice to everyone. LetMeTalk enables you to line up images in a meaningful way allowing others to read the row of images as a sentence.

2. AAC Bestie

Cost: Free (with in-app purchases)

• Age Recommendation: 4+

• iPad and iPod Touch App

Why it’s great: AAC Bestie is a text to speech application that verbalizes what a user has typed or selected from a list of pre-programmed phrases. The user is provided with a choice of different voices (male vs female, etc.). Also, the rate and pitch of each voice can be adjusted allowing the user to further personalize their voice. AAC Bestie contains a growing list of basic pre-programmed phrases such as, “How are you?” which speed up communication.

3. Todo Visual

Cost: $12.99

• Age Recommendation: 4+

• iPad, iphone and Apple Watch app

Why it’s great: Todo Visual Schedule is the first wearable picture-based scheduler designed with children and adults with autism in mind. The intuitive user interface makes it easy to create a picture-based tailored daily schedule. Empower your child or yourself to independently keep track of scheduled activities.

4. Choiceworks

Cost: $0.99

• Age Recommendation: 4+

• iPad App

Why it's great: The Choiceworks app is an awesome learning tool for helping children complete daily routines (morning, day & night), understand and control their feelings and improve their waiting skills (taking turns and not interrupting). Not only is it easy to use but it was created with the support of leading hospitals and child development specialists, it was specifically designed for caregivers to provide clear and consistent support to foster a child’s independence, positive behavior, and emotional regulation at home and in the community!

5. Speech Blubs

Cost: 7 Day Free Trial before Subscription

• Age Recommendation: 1+

• Offers iPad App

Why it’s great: Speech Blubs uses video modeling to create an immersive learning environment, allowing children to observe their peers on video as they learn. I found this to be very helpful with my son! Plus the experts say that when children watch their peers in real-time, their mirror neurons fire up. And it doesn't hurt that it's scientifically proven to be highly effective in speech development, as confirmed by the University of California, Los Angeles study published by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association...🎶🎤 I'm all about that science bout that science no guessing 🎶🎶…sing it with me!

6. Proloquo2Go

Cost: $249.99

• Age Recommendation: 4+

• Offers iPad & Apple Watch Apps

Why it’s great: Simply tap images. type words. speak. Proloquo2Go is that easy! This easy to use communication app is for people who currently do not speak or need help being understood. Featuring natural sounding voices, including real children’s voices, Proloquo2Go is a simple but powerful AAC tool. Plus it's fully customizable and can be used to build language skills while growing with a person’s communication level. All that to say it's great for both beginning and advanced communicators. The app is used by people with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and others with speech difficulties.

And there it is! I hope you've found something that will work for your child. If you have, let me know below in the comment! Or if you have an app that's super awesome I want to know that as well!

One last thing. Please share with someone( or people) you know that could use this information.

See you on the next post!

-Chantel