Applications to help children with special needs

Portable electronic devices like tablets and iPads are proving to be invaluable resources for imparting communication and social skills to children who have developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder or Asperger’s syndrome. There are hundreds of specialized apps available for download that can run on these devices. apps like what is the expression Y All! they are helping children with special needs learn important skills.

What’s the Expression app helps kids express themselves better. Children with autism spectrum disorder often cannot understand how to express themselves in various situations. This particular app was created to address the problem of development. Children with special needs have to learn to express emotions such as happiness, anger, surprise, sadness, etc. What’s the Expression helps them do just that.

Classifying, on the other hand, is a basic skill that children often acquire by observing their elders. But it could be a difficult exercise for those with autism spectrum disorder. All Sorts helps children see various concepts and objects in one place and group them according to their common characteristics.

The elusive cool factor of these two apps for autistic kids cannot be overlooked. But it is its versatility that particularly appeals to parents of these children. Katherine Fisher, a product reviewer and mother of an autistic child, said that she tested several apps for autistic children and found these two to be the most appropriate. They delivered what they promised. Both What’s the Expression and All Sorts can move into more general early childhood education apps, Katherine said, adding that these two apps are regularly updated.

There are several other useful apps that have been designed to help both adults and children affected by Down syndrome, Lou Gherig’s disease, cerebral palsy, and similar disabilities.

Children with autism spectrum disorder show significant signs of improvement after playing such fun apps on their tablets and iPads. According to a recent study in Australia, corrective behavior was reinforced with the help of images and voice-over, in 10 autistic children who could not wash their hands. Researchers claim that more than 60% of their target was successful.

But almost 70% of autistic children fail in their motor skills, and that includes poor movement planning. These children may have difficulty operating the small buttons on a tablet or smartphone. But the iPad, with its larger size, is often more accessible to autistic children.

One of the main reasons portable devices like tablets and iPads have become particularly popular with parents is the relatively lower cost of these devices compared to heavy and expensive text-to-speech devices.

Take the case of Rio, a 7-year-old autistic boy. Before the iPad hit the market, Rio’s autism made him dependent on others for play, entertainment, communication and learning. But with the iPad, Rio now electrifies the atmosphere with his independence and newfound skills. Those who have known Rio are amazed to see the transformation of the child. He really has fun with his iPad and a suite of apps for autistic kids.