One of the most common challenges those with autism face is in communication. This may be a difficulty in reading others, misunderstanding social cues, or it may be in expressing oneself. All of these challenges can be worked on with practice, especially with children. If you’re a parent that has been struggling with helping their child learn essential life skills, and want new ways to empower their children, then autism support apps may just be the way to go.
These apps work to help you with around-the-clock skills building, while also providing support for you as the caregiver, and for your child as well. Since these apps are all available on both iOS and Android, they are also very accessible. You can even get your child a second-hand phone just so they have access to communication apps that make it easier for them to express themselves, even if they find it difficult to verbally communicate.
Want to learn what’s out there? Here are a few of the top tools for autism support to help empower connections and communications:
Support Applications: Autism 360
A great place to get started with building a supportive at-home environment is with autism360.com. This all-around support tool is connected to licensed therapists that you can get into contact with on-demand. You will also have plenty of offline resources, like assessment tools and activities, that your child can either complete in-app, or you can help guide them through. You can even attend virtual workshops and get in touch with others in the community for support. If you only get one autism support app, choosing an all-around option is a great choice.
Speech Therapy Applications: SpeakEasy, Otsimo, Autism iHelp, and More
There are so many great speech therapy apps out there. These apps work to help children build up their vocabulary, start speaking aloud, or by giving them an alternative means to communicate. It is important to help your child develop all skills. For those who are selectively mute, for example, a success can be for them to be able to talk when they feel capable, and use another method when they cannot, rather than trying to force them to talk all the time.
Thankfully these tools are available, allowing children to build up multiple communication and social skills all at once.
They offer communication tools, guided activities, and lessons.
Decision-Making Applications: Grace, Choiceworks
Kids need to learn how to make decisions for themselves. This is true for all kids, because without this skill no one would be able to live independently. Choiceworks in particular is a great tool for this, as it uses social stories to help children learn to make better decisions.
Parent Support Apps: Autism Parenting Magazine, The Autism Helper, Goally
Autism apps aren’t just for your kids, either. You also need support and guidance, which is why you’ll want to look to options like Autism Parenting Magazine and the Autism Helper, both of which are designed to help parents learn more about autism, the latest in autism support, and how they can better parent their children. You then also have options like Goally, which helps parents build and implement therapy strategies at home.