Leo will either give up or not access an app’s full functionality if he can’t set the tempo to a pace that suits him. Many kids with autism or other special needs have a hard time processing audio input they often can’t follow along at the same speed as their typical peers. For any paced-based, interactive musical, or rhythm-based apps, tempo variation is mandatory. An app with a multi-step yet graphically varied and so Leo-accessible interface: Whizzit 123 (1 to 1 correspondence, e.g., how many objects “5” is).Ħ) Tempo Change Option. Plain text interfaces don’t work well for Leo, because he’s not yet reading - but he can remember distinctive visual patterns with uncanny accuracy. Two of his favorites: Fruit Ninja (slice flying fruit!), Scoops (catch the falling ice cream scoops on your cone!).ĥ) Visually distinctive interface. Apps that focus on a single function or action make it easier for him to understand games, and have a good time playing them. Apps with simple but powerful interfaces: Tappy Tunes (tap your way through popular songs), ShapeBuilder (simple puzzles).Ĥ) Pure, Silly, One-Note Fun. If you insist on an involved introduction to your app, make sure it can be bypassed with one click. A complicated, many-step introduction may confuse him and prevent him from accessing the apps’ function or content. Fewer steps equals a higher rate of engagement and usefulness for kids like Leo. Good examples: iWriteWords (handwriting, numbers, spelling) and FirstWordsDeluxe (spelling).ģ) Simplicity. Leo has the most success with activities that do not penalize users for wrong answers, and which instead only let users put items in the right spaces, or which contain prompts that encourage users to succeed. Examples of fun apps that are great for Leo but have general kid appeal: Faces iMake (goofy, beautifully designed collage maker), iEarnedThat (animated, puzzle-based reward charts).Ģ) Error-free learning. Leo likes to have fun! And so do his two neurotypical sisters, both of whom hop on his iPad the moment he puts it down. When I choose an app, here are the factors I weigh:ġ) Factoring in Leo’s “kid” status before his “autism” or “special needs” label. #Iwrite words app you tube software#I don’t just evaluate apps with the eyes of an autism parent - I also look at them from the perspective of a former software producer for Electronic Arts and The Learning Company who has no patience with software that isn’t well-planned or doesn’t at least have marked potential. I am always on the prowl for good apps for my son Leo, who is nine years old, has autism - and has found his iPad to be an absolutely transformative tool for apps both special-needs-specific and not. And to the app developers, she hopes you don’t either. You can find Shannon on her personal blog, contributing at BlogHer, encouraging others via the Can I Sit With You Project, or providing needed resources to families with autism via the Thinking Person’s Guide to Austism. This post expands upon apps that work for autism, in hopes of sharing with developers specific features that make a difference. We are privileged to have a guest post this week from Shannon Des Roches Rosa: mother, writer, and advocate for autism and special needs. A few months ago, Shannon’s 9 year old son Leo got to know the iPad, and she documented the impact it made for Leo and the family.
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