Digital resources quickly build bridges between people with autism spectrum disorders and the educational experience they need. Autism is linked to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems with social interaction and communication. It includes conditions such as Asperger’s Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and an unspecified form of Pervasive Developmental Disorder and is estimated to affect nearly 18 million people in India.
On the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day, observed on April 2, which focuses on the contribution of people with autism at home, at work, in the arts and in policy-making, TOI examines the mobile apps that children and neurodivergent individuals can use to improve their skills and monitor their progress.
Avaz AAC India
Helps people with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, aphasia, apraxia and other conditions with speech delays. Users can browse phrases and words with pictures. They can play them to communicate. There are numbers, colors, words with time prompts and a keyboard for typing.
The interface is easy to navigate for kids and adults. It also has voice assistance in regional languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, and Hindi. Available on Android and iOS.
Autism BASICS
Helps parents care for a child with special needs. Turns learning into a fun game and teaches alphabets, numbers, spelling, math concepts and calculations, shapes and colors. There are slideshows with image representation and voice assistance for actions, animals, body parts and days to repeat after. Parents can also plan daily activities after consulting with their therapist. The app also offers a free speech consultation and a free autism consultation. Available on Android and iOS.
AutoSpark
An educational game for autistic children.
Work on building basic skills through fun, interactive games and talking animals. App teaches words, spelling, basic math, tracing games to trace alphabets, letters, numbers and shapes, memory games to develop cognitive skills, sorting games to identify similar and different objects, matching games and puzzles. Available on Android.
Moms belief
It aims to provide mentorship and training to caregivers through online therapy and counseling sessions. It also focuses on specific bodily functions such as motor skills, hand-eye coordination, activity monitoring, and keeping a log of daily behaviors. It also has worksheets and other activities for kids.
