How to Choose an App for Kids With Autism

You’re so excited! You just discovered the app store on your computer or your mobile device, however, your head is spinning with the amount of apps available for kids with autism. From social skills to math and everything in between, no worries, I know how you feel. I remember my first time checking out apps and thinking ‘how in the world I am going to know what is a gimmick versus what will actually hold my twins attention?’

There are tons of free apps out there and just as many for less than $5.00. My first advice for you is to download an app based on a target area which you are currently working on. I found the non educational apps such as Angry Birds, Bubble Popper, Can Knockdown and Ant Smasher (just to name a few) to be good for my twins to play just for fun. Some of these actually seem to have helped with hand and eye coordination as well.

Be careful though not to let them play some of these apps for too long. Angry Birds in particular seems to make one of my boys extremely anxious. I understand as I have clocked several hours playing this addicting game myself.  Here are just a few apps which I have found to be very useful for my kids with autism.

TT Clock- A great app for learning how to tell time

Kids Math Fun- Another great one for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They have it broken out for different grades which is nice

Vocabulary Builder- Learn a new word every day

Sentence Builder– One of my favorites!

Question Builder- A great way to learn who, where, what and why questions

Story Builder- Helps to teach what will happen next.

Shell Lagoon- Works on Homonyms, Synonyms and Antonyms

Piano Plus– A fun way to learn how to play the piano

A Checklist for Choosing an App for Kids with Autism

Making a checklist before jumping into the app store makes a lot of sense to help you decide which app to buy.

1. Write down your target areas.
2. Read reviews before downloading.
3. Ask you therapist or teacher which apps they are using and you can download the same to supplement at home.
4. Make sure to open up the preferences or setting in each new app (if part of the app) and customize to your child’s ability.
5. Pick up a few fun non-educational apps which can be used for downtime fun.

Can you tell us which apps you like to use for your kid(s) with autism?

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