Autism spectrum disorders now affect, on average 1 in 110 children the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Difficulty communicating with others, reading facial expressions, and interpreting social situations are just a few of the symptoms of the disorder.
Enter the app world. Children with autism and their parents report these apps to be of great help to their children with ASD. The apps are pretty inexpensive. The apps are available on iPhone, iPod and iTouch and some of them are on the Android and Blackberry phones. To begin with, if your child is non-verbal and you are considering a Dynavox as an augmentative and alternative communication device you will pay thousands of dollars for it. Compare this to the iPod Touch which will run you about $240 for the smallest memory capacity. Many of the apps for the apple devices were developed by parents who have children with autism. Below you will find a list of some of the apps that parents find useful:
iAssit Communicator - this app is designed for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. This app is specifically focused on the needs of young learners. As such, photos are incorporated. itunes.apple.com
iMean- one of the first apps developed for the new iPad to help individuals with ASD communicate. The entire screen turns into a large button keyboard, with text displays and word prediction. It allows speech challenged individuals to communicate their needs and ideas directly, distinctly and independently.
Fizz Brain: Quality Learning Games by Real Classroom Teachers: Developed specifically for children on the autism spectrum, these iPhone application games help children practice eye contact and expand their minds while earning fun rewards and playing creatively.
fizzbrain.com
Dance Party Zoo by Fizz brain- This allows children to practice balance, coordination and rhythm. Its a fun dancing game that allows children to practice basic motor and balance skills
Model Me Going Places - This is a visual teaching tool for helping children learn to navigate locations in the community. Each location contains a slide show of children modeling the appropriate behavior.
Game Factory -This is a match and flash card game that allows parents to upload their own images and choose concepts they want their kids to learn. It allows parents to become an active part of their child's education.
3 comments:
This is awesome! Thanks Anne!
I am amazed at how the children with ASDs I work with respond to the iphone. Give them a task with picture cards and they act like it's torture, give them the same task in an iphone app and its the most fun game ever. Be creative! From letter tracing to matching to using picture card type activities, there are apps for everything now.
Alexicom Tech, is an AAC system the has an apple and android application. With over 1200 pages, 7000 images and 11 page sets, we provide communication for all. From children to adults, and beginning communicators to fluent communicators, our system is evidence-based and based and language developments. Visit www.alexicomaac.com
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