App Friday: Autism Awareness

Welcome to App Friday, our weekly link exchange of family-friendly apps. This week our developers in the special needs community stepped up to highlight apps for autism awareness in the month of April. They have a lot to say, so let’s jump right in and get started…

GRACE APP – What is your app about? Many kids with autism or speech delay use pictures attached to a board to ask for what they need or to say how they feel. These boards are stored in a book which they carry around with them. Even when they begin to say a few words, those words might be difficult to understand, and so they rely on a growing picture vocabulary which can become very unwieldy. As the mother of a severely autistic little girl with a few words but many pictures, I wanted to keep supporting her speech development by prompting her to use her own voice – with the support of having her pictures anywhere. This is where the Grace App for Autism comes in.

Grace App replicates the picture exchange system by storing a basic picture vocabulary of Foods, Things I like, Places, Colors, Sizes, and Shapes on an iPhone with a function for creating a sentence. It can also be used on iPod Touch and iPad. On the smaller devices you tilt and the cards are enlarged for you to point and read together. The iPad works on Landscape or Portrait view with the pictures big enough to be read easily without enlargement. There is also a facility for finding, taking and sharing photographs of all the other things that you may need or want. You can sort the pictures into categories, delete those you don’t need, and teach the child or user to add their own independently – giving them power over their communication choices. Thanks to the support and feedback of the wider Autism community, Grace App has been improved and we are delighted to be launching a major update.

SEE. TOUCH. LEARN. – What is your app about? See.Touch.Learn.™ is a picture learning system designed by professionals specifically for those with autism and other special needs.  See.Touch.Learn.™ is used by parents and professionals to build  and deliver custom lessons for their children.  It uses stunning, vibrant photographs of items and allows unlimited customization of lessons.  See.Touch.Learn.™ also includes almost 60 exercises designed by a Certified Behavior Analyst with each of its image libraries. Reviewers said – “This app is great for vocabulary development, learning concepts, and improving comprehension skills”, and, “I love having and app . . .that allows me to tailor what we do to meet a variety of needs and skill levels”.

EXPRESSIVE – What is your app about? Expressive is a picture exchange application that allows children with Autism to express themselves by the use of pictures. Expressive is one of the most easy to use apps of its kind, which allows parents and educators to easily program and adjust to meet the needs of the children. Some of the key features of Expressive are its easy customizations, attractive design, and affordability. We are giving children the power of communication. Also, if you have a family member that has lost the ability to express themselves(even if just temporarily due to a surgery, accident or aphasia) Expressive will give them back the ability to communicate and express their basic needs.

ZANNY BORN TO RUN – What is your app about?Do you know a child who never seems to sit still? Grab your running shoes and follow a day in the life of Zanny, a little boy who simply CANNOT stop moving!  Just featured in iTunes “What’s Hot” and “New & Noteworthy” lists, “Zanny, Born to Run” is a fun, witty, interactive book app that is loaded with exciting on-touch features, special effects that are activated by gravity, flying Cheerios, leaping frogs, and much more. Also included in the app as a free bonus is “The Extra Special Feelings Game” — for kids with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, PDD, young children, or anyone who needs help with recognizing feelings and facial expressions.

“Zanny, Born to Run” is part of the first series of picture books expressly written for children on the spectrum as way of helping them understand their behavior better in a positive and engaging way. We know not all kids are the same, so each book in our series addresses a different symptom, not a disorder. This way, parents can pick and choose the books that apply to their own spectrum child and tailor-make a digital library that encourages self-acceptance and neurodiversity.

MY TALK TOOLS – What is your app about?MyTalk is an augmentative, alternative communication (AAC) solution, packed with functionality.  MyTalk’s Apps for iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone and now Android Tablets are easy to use, easy to manage, and highly customizable and affordable.  With device-based board building capability, and web based board building and backup, MyTalk enables schools to better meet inclusion guidelines, helps speech professionals manage multiple caseloads on a single device, and allows families to take greater control because it’s so easy and personal and without the stigma of traditional devices.

There are two MyTalk Tools: MyTalk Mobile and MyTalk Web Workspace. MyTalk Mobile is software for the hand-held device. MyTalk Mobile has both ‘User’ Mode for communicating and ‘Author’ mode for supporters to build communication boards ‘on the fly’ using easy authoring capabilities built right into the Mobile software.  Mobile supports the spontaneity of life in your board building, fostering user engagement.  MyTalk Workspace (available at www.mytalktools.com) is a revolutionary web based board building tool.  Workspace enables unlimited personalization, drag & drop board building, web based back-up, and collaboration tools that enable new levels of partnership among parents, speech pathologists, OT/PT support, educators and other supporters.  Workspace enables a team approach to communication and learning. Users are encouraged to watch the first six tutorial videos, lasting less than 20 minutes in total, which provide a great first time experience.

What’s in it for me this App Friday, April 1st?

• Grace – FREE
• See Touch Learn – FREE (always), with 50% off in app purchases
• Expressive – $17.99 (50% off)
• Zanny Born to Run – $.99 (from $2.99)
• My Talk Tools – $29.99 (from $39.99)
• Just added – iCommunicate $29.99 (through April 3rd)

Note:These prices are applicable to Friday April 1st until 8pm US PST unless it’s being extended by the developer. After the promotion is over, prices revert back to regular pricing on the iTunes App Store.

MORE APP NEWS???

If I hear of more promotions, I’ll update the post throughout the day. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, because April is Story Sharing month  and that group always does a fantastic job advocating for families with autism.

App Friday Link Exchange Our goal at Moms With Apps is to spread the word about family-friendly apps. We also like to know about great deals. Do YOU have some app news to share? If so, please participate in our link exchange and post it down below. Include the app name (& details) in the Link Title, your email, and a URL to the app. Thanks for your participation.