Best Apps for Kids with Autism

Songs and activities help kids express, recognize, understand emotions

Bottom Line: Daniel Tiger and his friends present excellent examples for kids who are just learning healthy emotional expression.

Abstract art creator is simple, striking, and stress free

Bottom Line: This art and SEL combo invites all students to play, focus, and create.

Free app helps kids identify emotions, recognize body language

Bottom Line: Bridges the gap between feeling or witnessing emotions and using words to describe them.

Experiential game teaches empathy toward those with autism

Bottom Line: Lessons on inclusion and community in the classroom require post-game facilitated discussion for deep learning.

Well-designed tool encourages kids to reflect on and manage emotions

Bottom Line: Appealing, thought-provoking tool builds emotional intelligence.

Quick and easy meditation practice for busy classroom lives

Bottom Line: This easy-to-follow meditation program can help reduce stress and support social and emotional learning.

Foundational-skills-practice tool supports specific learning needs

Bottom Line: Well-designed tool for targeted foundational skills practice.

Wh- questions taught in concrete ways for kids with language delays

Bottom Line: A solid, if basic, approach to teaching question words and concepts to students with significant language issues.

Brilliant tool helps kids with speech difficulties communicate

Bottom Line: The price is hefty, but Proloquo2Go carries its weight by providing students and teachers an effective, one-of-a-kind communication tool.

Visual lessons reinforce concepts for students with special needs

Bottom Line: Thoughtful but dated tool helps with differentiation and progress-tracking for students with autism.

Fabulous tool can help kids create social stories

Bottom Line: Pictello is a great way for kids to create social stories that can help them find their unique voice and prepare for internal and external struggles.

Useful multisensory tool teaches self-direction and follow-through

Bottom Line: This simple but powerful tool engages kids in independently following a schedule.

Manage and conceptualize time with great visuals, a few bugs

Bottom Line: A decent option for visual timer needs, being sufficiently customizable, but there are still a few bugs and room for improvement.

Empowering calendar tool alleviates transition anxiety

Bottom Line: Great structure, lots of visual choices, and ease of use make this tool a worthwhile investment.

Create multimedia stories that help with social skills

Bottom Line: Solid and very simple app for kids with social challenges.

Expert-approved activities nurture students' social skills

Bottom Line: A treasure chest of social-skills-building activities created by speech and language pros that are worth the high price and need for facilitation.

Themed scripts help kids practice successful social exchanges

Bottom Line: For speech-language pathologists, this is a must-have tool for helping kids learn conversation skills.

Fabulous multimedia lessons boost social-awareness skills

Bottom Line: Compelling webisodes help students learn to cope with real-life situations.

Comic-style course on social nuances aims to help kids with ASD

Bottom Line: Sufficient tool to supplement social and emotional learning for students with autism.