Any parent with a child on the spectrum understands how important it is for them to have extra support with daily tasks. Thankfully, in today’s world of technology, there are many resources parents can use to be the best parents they can be for their children. What ABA Centers of Florida has found is that mobile apps are a fantastic way to help in all areas of development, from speech to social skills and every other topic you can imagine.
We compiled a list of some of the best mobile apps for autism. By utilizing these apps for your child and yourself, you can boost their skills outside of ABA therapy in Florida and ultimately improve the lives of everyone involved in this journey.
Best Mobile Apps for Nonverbal Children
As you may know, autism ranges in various levels among children. Some struggle with communication skills in general, while others may be more verbal. ABA Centers of Florida research shows that these are the best apps for nonverbal children or those who struggle with communication to any extent.
Language Therapy for Children/Kids (MITA)
This app is available on Android and iOS, has a 4.6 rating, and has over 100,000 downloads! The app offers unlimited cognitive exercises for children with speech delays and is undoubtedly one of the most versatile. It includes simple vocabulary and higher forms of language activities, adaptive activities, numerous feature levels, playtime rewards, and offline viewing. It is an early intervention app that follows a systemic approach that will improve the child’s overall development.
Additionally, this app has passed through clinical studies, meaning that this is one of the few apps supported by clinical data. The study was a 3-year clinical trial of 6,454 children with autism, and the results demonstrated that those who trained with MITA improved their language score at the end of the trial on average 2.2 times more. If you read what parents say about this app, you will find everyone is seeing improvement in their children!
Proloquo2Go
This award-winning app supports symbols in communication and provides a voice to hundreds of thousands of children who cannot speak. It is currently only available for Apple devices (Mac computers and iOS devices), and it’s a little pricey at $249. It is an intuitive app designed to help children express complex ideas they may be unable to convey. Specialists, doctors, and therapists highly recommend it for children with autism that struggle with speech and communication.
Proloquo2Go promotes the growth and development of communication skills through research-based vocabularies. It is one of the best apps for nonverbal children, providing simplified and universal symbols, synthetic voices, and helpful tools. Some key features include configurable grammar, such as nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives, and learning core words through related physical movements. The app enhances the ability to transition between vocabulary levels as the child’s skills grow.
Speech Blubs: Language Therapy
This speech-learning app allows children with ASD to activate language through various speech-based activities. Comprising over 1500 exercises, it can help children learn their first sounds, words, and sentences and provides a fun and engaging way to develop communication skills. Speech Blubs is therapist-approved and boasts 4.4 stars from nearly 15k ratings.
The app also features a Parents’ Academy section, providing access to a massive content library filled with articles on parenting, education, speech therapy, homeschooling, and more. If you’re looking for an app that strives for scientifically-proven learning techniques, Speech Blubs may be your best choice.
SymboTalk
Therapists and psychologists use SymboTalk to enhance the communication of children with autism. It is available on Android and iOS and has a 4.0 rating with over 10,000 downloads. As an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system, SymboTalk allows users to make communication boards for any use. Children can create and customize symbols, flexible boards, profiles, and more to help them become verbal (or more verbal).
SymboTalk facilitates communication for your child. By clicking on symbols, images, and icons, the app talks in a way that helps children associate images and symbols with sounds. A unique feature of this app is that you can upload any images you have on a device, helping your children further associate things they see daily with speech. If the words chosen by the app for an image or icon do not work with how you speak, you can also record your own and connect that recording with each image, so your child also hears your voice while learning.
Best Mobile Apps for Developmental Improvements
ABA Centers of Florida has compiled a list of the best mobile apps for autism designed to analyze a child on the spectrum’s behavior or improve skills like focus and attention, reading and writing, and memory. The four apps below are widely different, but if used accordingly and proactively, they can aid children with autism in gaining confidence alongside their regular therapy sessions.
Otsimo
Otsimo uses techniques to help children boost their speech development and achieve desired behaviors. The app features over 50 games with customization options for every kid’s needs and the ability to analyze progress reports as they progress, making it one of the best mobile apps for autism in this category. Parents, psychologist, and special education teachers: Otsimo offers necessary education from the comfort of your home. It is an excellent source of learning and entertainment for children.
Starfall Education
If your child with ASD is ready or close to ready for the classroom in a Florida school district, Starfall Education is among the best mobile apps for autism development. It offers school readiness by covering phonics, math, music, colors, and social development through digital activities, games, songs, rhymes and more. The app has various academic levels to cater to your child’s progress, with subjects ranging from Pre-K to grade school. Education professionals often use Starfall to motivate learning in children, especially those on the spectrum.
Autastico II
Autastico II is perfect for improving cognitive skills as it focuses on motor coordination through fun activities and attention through high-quality sounds and music. While it is only available for Android devices, the app offers tutorials and the ability to create avatars for your child. With beautiful content and graphics, this app is one of the most fun and educational apps for children with autism.
Dino Tim
This app offers many games that include fun voiceovers to help children learn shapes, colors, and numbers. The app follows a story to engage children that use it. A group of witches abducts Dino Tim and his family, and your kids are transformed into superheroes to rescue them as they play along against the funny witches. The app boosts motor coordination by helping develop attention and concentration skills through over 100 educational puzzles, increasing the speed of children’s activities.
Best Apps for Autism Parents
Parents can also benefit from certain mobile apps for autism. For instance, the Autism Tracker Pro app allows parents to keep track of their child’s daily tasks, health, and behaviors. It is truly a fantastic tool to have as a parent as it helps them stay organized and ready to address anything regarding their kiddo’s progress.
By organizing this information, patterns develop to better elevate the level of care a child with ASD requires. Some of the best things you can do with this app include:
- Keep a daily behavioral journal to maintain control of a child’s progress
- Keep a running total of successful interactions with caregivers
- Rank the severity of a child’s actions
- Watch for cyclical patterns
- Visualize a child’s behavior patterns with graphs and charts
- Monitor aggressive outbursts
Apps Help, But ABA Therapy is Necessary
Educational mobile apps for autism can help children on the spectrum in many ways. Apps can get their attention, make it easier to teach children new skills, and promote the exploration of ideas in a creative manner. Remember that apps are tools to teach new skills, but your continued involvement as a parent and regular ABA therapy is still critical.
ABA Therapy at ABA Centers of Florida
Parents can equip their children with the skills they need in real-life situations with early intervention, which ABA Centers of Florida is proud to provide from any of our state-of-the-art clinics. At ABA Centers of Florida, we specialize in helping families create the brightest future possible. We have experience with all forms of autism across the spectrum and with people of all ages. Contact us today for a free consultation with one of our autism treatment professionals and get started with the ABA therapy your child needs.
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