While autism support, therapy, and treatment are far from perfect, it has come a long way from its early days. Today there are more tools than ever before to help autistic individuals get the support that they need to lead as independent lives as possible.
These apps can help with issues like communication, mood or behaviour management, and even with decision-making. Since these tools are in app form, they are available whenever you need them right in your pocket.
While some apps try to offer it all, it is a good idea to use more than one depending on your exact needs. This also applies if you’re a parent or a caregiver who wants to help their child build up essential skills at home. So, where do you turn to first? Here are some of the best autism apps for every need.
This is a collaborative post. Image Source
All-Around Comprehensive Support
If you want an all-in-one solution to help start unlocking your or your child’s potential, then you’ll want an app like Autism 360. This autism app stands out in particular for its on-demand therapy, access to real, licensed therapists, and its large collection of resources. You can use on-demand assessments, get community support, and more.
This app is also designed for both autistic individuals who want to empower themselves and for caregivers hoping to give their children more support.
Speech Therapy
There are many speech therapy tools out there, like Otsimo and SpeakEasy. Otismo, in particular, is designed for children and works to help through what’s known as Alternative and Augmentative Communication, which promotes autism-related communication.
As for SpeakEasy, it gives you a personalized language journey for each child. Not only that, but the app also helps teach parents how to carry on these speech therapy learning activities at home.
Alternative Speech Tools
You should not expect your child to constantly be able to communicate verbally, especially if they struggled with select mutism in the past. That’s why it’s so important also to use communication apps like Proloquo2Go.
This app works to help them construct sentences, yes, but it also allows kids to use the text-to-speech conversion. If your child never adopts verbal speech as a form of communication, then turning to more robust alternative communication methods is a must. Combine speech tools and options like sign language to give them the means to communicate smoothly with everyone.
Behavioural Therapy
There are also behavioural therapy apps to help parents guide their children. The Autism Helper, for example, works by giving you access to evidence-based courses designed to help your child learn executive functioning skills. There are also options like Choiceworks, which helps children learn consequences in a safe environment, allowing them to figure out what goes into good decision-making on their own time.
Caregiver Support
Apps today aren’t just designed to help children on the spectrum but their caregivers as well. Learning how to manage your own sensory overload, frustration, and so on is imperative when it comes to parenting your child. These tools or publications (like The Autism Parenting Magazine) can give you insights and articles that help you be a better parent while also helping support your own emotional needs.
*Disclaimer – This is a collaborative post. This post has been pre-written.
