TOP PICKS | 19 TOOLS
Best Apps for Kids with Autism
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Emotional Regulation
Touch and Learn - Emotions
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.
Grades: K–2
Price: $1.99 $1.99
Breathing Bubbles
Students release worries and embrace joys with anxiety-fighting tool
Bottom line: A must-have tool for your classroom management toolbox.
Grades: 1–5
Price: Free
The Mood Meter
Well-designed tool encourages kids to reflect on and manage emotions
Bottom line: Appealing, thought-provoking tool builds emotional intelligence.
Grades: 6–12
Price: $0.99
Language and Communication
Skill Champ
Foundational-skills-practice tool supports specific learning needs
Bottom line: Well-designed tool for targeted foundational skills practice.
Grades: Pre-K–3
Price: Free
Autism Core Skills School Edition: Academic, Communication, and Social Skills Plus Data
Robust app combines high-quality lessons with handy quantitative data
Bottom line: Academic and social lessons are worth the purchase price for the amount of depth and data produced.
Grades: Pre-K–10
Price: $9.99
LanguageBuilderDeluxe
Audio, visual prompts help boost kids' communication skills
Bottom line: LanguageBuilderDeluxe is a useful tool for teaching and learning language skills, especially if adults are nearby to adjust app settings and provide feedback.
Grades: K–3
Price: $9.99
QuestionIt
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.
Grades: K–7
Price: Free to Try, Paid
Proloquo2Go - Symbol-based AAC
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.
Grades: K–12
Price: $249.99
TapToTalk
Unique way for kids with limited verbal skills to express themselves
Bottom line: Expensive but worthy investment can pay off in helping non-verbal kids learn to communicate thousands of things.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free The app is free, but only loaded with very basic albums for sample content. There are three levels: Home, Pro, and Agency. The basic home version is $99.95 a year or $179.95 for a "forever" pass with more word/image albums and to be able to customize TapToTalk by designing your own albums. Pro allows you to design two TapToTalks and is $249.95; additional TapToTalks are $179.95 each. Agency, for schools with several professionals serving several children, is $429.95 for three TapToTalks; additional ones are $179.95.
Pictello
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.
Grades: 1–5
Price: $18.99
Routines and Schedules
FTVS HD - First Then Visual Schedule HD
Useful multisensory tool teaches self-direction and follow-through
Bottom line: This simple but powerful tool engages kids in independently following a schedule.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: $21.99
Time Timer
Easily conceptualize, manage, and visualize time
Bottom line: Goes above and beyond standard timers to include handy customization and visual cues.
Grades: 1–12
Price: $2.99-$4.99 The mobile app is $2.99 and the iPad app is $4.99.
Choiceworks Calendar
Empowering calendar tool alleviates transition anxiety
Bottom line: Great structure, lots of visual choices, and ease of use make this tool a worthwhile investment.
Grades: 3–9
Price: $4.99
Social Skills
Kid in Story Book Maker
Easy-to-make personalized stories can help boost social skills
Bottom line: A must-have story creation tool for teachers in special-needs settings.
Grades: Pre-K–1
Price: $6.99
Social Stories
Quick and simple behavior-reinforcement tool for kids with autism
Bottom line: Teachers will find this an efficient way to engage their students in understanding and creating social stories.
Grades: Pre-K–5
Price: $4.99
Social Story Creator Educators
Create multimedia stories that help with social skills
Bottom line: Solid and very simple app for kids with social challenges.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: Free to Try, Paid A free version allows teachers to try the app with limited content and capability. The paid version unlocks all content and does not include in-app purchases.
Social Adventures
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.
Grades: K–3
Price: $7.99
ConversationBuilder
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.
Grades: K–6
Price: $19.99
The Social Express II
Fabulous multimedia lessons boost social-awareness skills
Bottom line: Compelling webisodes help students learn to cope with real-life situations.
Grades: 2–8
Price: Free to Try, Paid While the app is free to download and try, the full curriculum requires a subscription that costs $14.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
