Home Tech 11 Best Autism Apps To Improve Cognitive and Social Skills

11 Best Autism Apps To Improve Cognitive and Social Skills

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least one in every batch of 54 children suffers from autism spectrum disorder in the United States.

Autistic adults and children, including their families, friends, and teachers, come from almost every part of the community. The symptoms of are may be different from person to person.

However, some very common issues include the complete inability to speak, speech delays, difficulty with fixation, repetitive behavior, misinterpreting cues, poor motor skills, etc. Individuals with autism may find it difficult to manage their friendships and relationships. 

There are so many different ways of treating and managing autistic people. And we can surely get some help from technology. How can you do that?💁

Use some of the best autism apps available on both the Apple Store and Google Play Store. Yes, these apps will not be enough for properly dealing with autism.

However, they can go a long way in improving the overall behavior and social life of autistic individuals. These apps are smartly designed for adults and kids dealing with developmental difficulties.

Let’s find out more about these extraordinary apps. 

What Will I Learn?💁 show

Best Autism Apps – Our Top Pick👌👌

1. Autism Social Video Exercises  

Videos are among the most successful ways of dealing with individuals having autism. And autism social video exercises app is about unique educational videos specially curated for managing autism and its symptoms.

The interactive video exercises are designed to improve the social confidence of persons with autism. The app allows practicing conversations even before they happen!

There are hundreds of highly interactive and engaging videos where various actors appear on the screen to deal with the most frequent social situations.  

The learner needs to answer the questions, and a parent, teacher, or speech pathologist can ensure accurate responses by easily interacting with the autistic person.

The videos are designed in such a way that even an untrained teacher or parent can easily model the response whether great concentration.

Thanks to a scientific approach, you don’t need to fear accidentally developing echolalic responses or confusion.

The app automatically trains you to focus on which part of the dialogue to respond to or ignore. Using the app is as simple as you would want for someone struggling with comprehension and cognizance.  

Features of Autism Social Video Exercises:-

  • Train building confidence with hundreds of interactive video exercises 
  • Simple questions based on usual daily life 
  • It makes working with kids and adults very simple 
  • It allows you to ensure practicing conversations even before they happen 
  • Based on clinical research by the experts 

Devices – iOS Devices, Including iPhone and iPad

Ratings on Apple Store – 5.0 / 5

Download the App from Apple App Store 

2. CommBoards Free – AAC Speech Assistant

CommBoards Free is next on my list of the best autism apps. The app is designed uniquely as a very effective communication assistant for non-verbal adults and children to improve speech impairment.

The ACC speech assistant enables people of all ages, even kids, to overcome autism, and learn to communicate and interact with the world around them.

Best Autism Apps 1

Various highly effective and proven communication boards train individuals with special abilities to learn communication in a fun and intuitive ways.  

The learner needs to tap on different symbols and shapes, and the app will automatically create words and sentences that are read loudly. It encourages the learner to express thoughts and feelings through oral speech.

Based on alternative and augmentative communication, the app can be beneficial not only for autistic individuals but also blessing for Asperger patients and other conditions are known to affect verbal self-expression.

Thanks to a highly interactive and feature-packed solution, you can enjoy a completely different way of training an autistic individual.   

Features of CommBoards Free – AAC Speech Assistant:-

  • Easy to understand words through natural pronunciation 
  • Preconfigured for individuals struggling with autism 
  • Predefined communication boards for an all-round learning 
  • Accessible even without the Internet 
  • Easy to use irrespective of the situations and conditions 

Devices – Android and iOS

Ratings on Apple Store – 4.9 / 5 | Ratings on Google Play Store – 4.1 / 5

Download the App from Google Play Store

Download the App from Apple App Store

3. Proloquo2Go 

Undoubtedly one of the most revolutionary autism apps for those with any speaking difficulty. Proloquo2Go can be life-changing for those unable to speak or who need special help for comprehending.

The app is packed with a wide range of natural-sounding voices that can inspire individuals with special abilities to improve their communication and comprehension skills.

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As one of the most powerful alternatives and augmentative communication tools, the app is fully customizable and can be more than handy in building long-lasting language skills.  

It doesn’t matter whether you are dealing with a kid or an adult with autism; Proloquo2Go will surely prove magical.

Parents, teachers, psychologists, therapists, and even users from different walks of life worldwide have already recognized the app as the gold standard in alternative and augmentative communication solutions.

In addition to autism, the app has been proven as a lifesaver for individuals with cerebral palsy, Angel man syndrome, Down syndrome, and other medical conditions affecting speech and communication skills.

Thanks to a simple user interface, the app can be used literally by anyone without any problem.  

Features of Proloquo2Go:-

  • Research-based vocabularies for communication development 
  • Progressive language for effective growth 
  • Allows you to select your default skin tone 
  • Create, move, and modify buttons according to your ease 
  • Dark mode compatibility makes it easy on the eyes

Devices – iOS Devices, Including iPhone and iPad

Ratings on Apple Store – 4.8 / 5

Download the App from Apple App Store

4. Otismo | Special Education AAC

Otismo is an award-winning and longest-featured, certified educational game app designed for special individuals diagnosed with autism, Down syndrome, learning disorders, Aspergers, attention deficit, and other conditions that require special attention.

The app has earned over a dozen awards over the years from experts from all walks of life and has been proven groundbreaking for millions of parents, teachers, speech therapy experts, and patients worldwide.

The app is exclusively Curated by various special education teachers, psychologists, and parents.  

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It teaches multiple fundamental concepts of communication and understanding and aims at improving the overall cognitive development of people with special abilities.

Multiple categories exist to explore, including words and vocabulary, emotions, music, colors, animals, numbers, vehicles, and more!

For those fighting speech and language disabilities, the app offers a free AAC alternative and augmentative communication module, updated recently with more than 1700 unique words.  

Features of Otismo | Special Education AAC:-

  • Special education techniques are right at your fingertips 
  • More than 100 award-winning fun learning games 
  • Safe for kids of all ages 
  • Improve social and cognitive skills through engaging in games 
  • Certified pedagogical quality  

Devices – Android and iOS

Ratings on Apple Store – 4.5 / 5 | Ratings on Google Play Store – 4.3 / 5

Download the App from Google Play Store

Download the App from Apple App Store

You may like to read our guide on the 13 Best Social Skills Apps To Develop Important Social Skills.

5. Language Therapy for Kids – MITA 

One of the most exceptional autism apps backed by clinical research and data – language therapy for kids, is not just another app for improving speaking and comprehension abilities.

The app is designed after 3-year clinical trials of more than 6000 children with autism. Thanks to the app, the language score of the children involved in the research increased surprisingly.

The app is packed with a wide range of cognitive exercises in various languages designed to improve the overall mental fear of your kid for up to 10 years!

More than 1,000,000 children with language delay add comprehension disabilities have benefited. 

MITA is a unique early intervention app for autistic children. It improves language and mental integration by improving the vocabulary, verbs, objectives, pronunciation, syntax, and other important aspects of language learning.

Based on the most popular ABA techniques, the app is more than suitable for auditory-visual and visual-visual conditional discrimination. The pivotal response treatment in the app effectively targets the overall response development to different types of cues.

Additional subjects like logic and reasoning, numbers and counting, writing and reading, mental mathematics, critical thinking, mental perspective-taking, etc., are available exclusively on the app!  

Features of Language Therapy for Kids – MITA:-

  • A very effective way of improving speaking and cognition 
  • Dozens of unique cognitive therapies 
  • Based on clinical research and trials 
  • Teaches your kid to match by color, size, and shape 
  • Improve your kid’s reasoning abilities like never before

Devices – Android and iOS

Ratings on Apple Store – 4.4 / 5 | Ratings on Google Play Store – 4.3 / 5

Download the App from Google Play Store

Download the App from Apple App Store

6. Speech Blubs: Best iPad apps for autism

It’s important to deal with autistic individuals with so much love and care. These special individuals need special attention, and it becomes paramount if you are trying to move to improve their social life as a parent, as a teacher, or even as a therapist.

Speech Blubs is one of the most popular autism apps designed for the same purpose! The app makes things very easy for learners and trainers and is more effective for autistic kids up to 8 years old.

The speech therapy app is controlled by voice add trains the special kids to learn and understand words and sentences with sounds. The app ensures an educational and stimulating environment for learning. 

The Speech Blubs app is exclusively curated by the hard work of parents, teachers, and speech therapists with the help of video modeling.

It has proved more than handy for effective speech development and is free of flashy features and disturbing ads.

The app rewards unique kids with fun stickers and games thanks to the positive reinforcement based on ABA therapy. With the app right at your fingertips, you can help your ward learn something new daily, irrespective of where you are!

I recommend you try this app at least once, and I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed with its excellent features! 

Features of Speech Blubs: Language Therapy:-

  • Kids can learn from well-trained kid “teachers.”  
  • Trains with shapes, numbers, animals, and more  
  • Build a vocabulary for your kids with playtime  
  • Bite-sized unique videos for parents and teachers  
  • Tips for understanding autistic kids effectively  

Devices – Android and iOS

Ratings on Apple Store – 4.4 / 5 | Ratings on Google Play Store – 4.3 / 5

Download the App from Google Play Store

Download the App from Apple App Store

7. Endless Reader  

Recognition of words is one of the first and most important steps in learning to read. If you have a kid who is struggling with word recognition due to autism is any other similar condition, here is one of the most prominent autism apps for you!

The first package of words in the app is free and is more than enough to start positively and effectively! If you like the features of the app, you can, of course, opt for the paid premium version.

Using the app, you can successfully set the stage for an early, engaging, and focused reading. Thanks to the unique sight words concept, the app teaches the most commonly used words in children’s books, libraries, and schools. 

The app challenges your kid to identify the words by sight and targets overall reading fluency. It is undoubtedly a very beneficial app for beginning readers.

There are so many words with unusual spellings to challenge the learner’s cognitive ability.

Your kid will love the concept with various adorable monsters featured in the app! Each word is designed as an engaging word puzzle with letters that keep coming on the screen, and then a sentence puzzle follows with multiple words.

All in all, your special baby will feel at ease while learning from the Endless Reader! 

Features of Endless Reader:-

  • An extensive collection of sight words to learn by playing 
  • Interesting and interactive puzzles to keep the kids interested 
  • Puzzles automatically reinforce the whole word recognition 
  • A simple and quick demonstration of word meaning by adorable monsters 
  • Challenges to the cognitive ability of special kids 

Devices – Android and iOS

Ratings on Apple Store – 4.4 / 5 | Ratings on Google Play Store – 4.1 / 5

Download the App from Google Play Store

Download the App from Apple App Store

8. AutiSpark: Kids Autism Game Apps

If you have an autistic kid at home, this is probably one of the most effective autism apps for kids.

The app can be helpful for you to improve the communication, comprehension, motor response, and behavior of your kid with a wide range of social activities, social games, and skills.

It is a one-of-a-kind educational and behavioral app specially curated for kids with autism spectrum disorder, perfectly designed by experts and approved by therapists, mind coaches, and psychologists.

The app offers many interactive, engaging, and well-researched games to improve your kid’s learning ability. 

AutiSpark: Games for Kids with Autism | Preview Video

The app can assist you in improving the recognition ability of your kid by understanding the emotional and responsive aspects.

How are these games different than most other similar games? These apps are specially designed to take care of various requirements and demands for kids dealing with the autism spectrum.

Features like positive reinforcement, basic math skills, words and spellings, highly effective memory games, racing games, and sporting games help your baby get involved in mentally challenging tasks.

The app will slowly but surely aid your child in improving their sense of logic by understanding and recognizing different objects on the screen.  

Features of AutiSpark: Kids Autism Games:-

  • Teaches basic skills effectively with games  
  • Approved by educational experts 
  • Dozens of specially designed educational activities and games 
  • Hundreds of worksheets to keep your kiddo engaged 
  • It makes learning easy and full of fun

Devices – Android and iOS

Ratings on Apple Store – 4.6 / 5 | Ratings on Google Play Store – 4.0 / 5

Download the App from Google Play Store

Download the App from Apple App Store

9. Avaz AAC  

Avaz AAC is an alternative, augmentative, and fully featured communication app that empowers adults and children with various speech-related disabilities, including autism.

If you are new to the autism apps, you will like Avaz ACC the most, as it offers an extensive training module especially curated for new ACC caregivers and users.

The research-based pragmatic vocabulary in the app is packed with more than 15,000 symbolstix with a wide range of voices to make learning exciting and fun.

With several customization and personalization options, you can make the app your own in only a few minutes. 

80% of the words we use in our daily life are known as “core words”, these core words are listed in the app in a very extensive way based on years of thorough research.

This arrangement of words allows users to learn slowly but steadily, starting from 1–2-word phrases and moving ahead to master full sentences.

Various activities in the app challenge the motor memory of the communicator and enhance the overall sphere of speaking.

Thanks to color-coded words with the Fitzgerald key, the app automatically teaches you to correlate different parts of the speech. And there are various other classroom education materials to explore as well. 

Features of Avaz ACC:-

  • Available in various languages and countries 
  • Designed for children and adults with speech disabilities 
  • Color-coded vocabulary for easily identifying the words and pictures 
  • Powerful keyboard for predicting the input 
  • It gives you various personalization options 
  • The print option also available to convert the app into a printed book

Device – Android  and iOS

Ratings on Google Play Store – 4.2 / 5 | 10,000+ Downloads

Download the App from Google Play Store

Download the App from Apple App Store

10. Leelo AAC – Autism Speech App for Nonverbal Kids

Leelo AAC is another excellent app that effectively helps kids to communicate with their friends, teachers, and parents.

The app focuses on the comprehension aspect of the kids. It can be a blessing for those struggling with autism, Down Syndrome, Asperger Syndrome, Aphasia, Angelman, and other similar conditions.

There are many tested and pre-configured cards for kids struggling with impaired speech recognition. Designed especially for kids but can be perfectly customized for adults with similar apprehension disabilities.  

The user interface and functionality of the app are as simple as you want for a mentally-weak person. Every card in the app is matched uniquely with a similar character and challenges the learner to find the similarity and identify the characters.

In the newly added favorite category, you can collect all your favorite cards in one place and access them easily whenever you want. There are some very strong and effective techniques for managing autism.

Download the app now, explore fascinating features, and be a part of someone’s journey to overcome autism.  

Features of Leelo ACC – Autism Speech App:-

  • A modern approach to dealing with autism 
  • Contains more than 37 AAC packs  
  • Assistant packs designed for easy usage 
  • Ready-made phrases supporting 27 plus languages 
  • Design for enhancing rethinking and recognition

Devices – Android and iOS

Ratings on Apple Store – 4.0 / 5 | Ratings on Google Play Store – 3.9 / 5

Download the App from Google Play Store

Download the App from Apple App Store

11. Metanoa – Therapy for Autism, Speech & Learning Disabilities

Last but not least on my list of the best autism apps is Metanoa. The app features research and evidence-based online therapies for autism comma autism, learning disabilities, underdeveloped speech, and more.

The unique app provides a wide range of on-demand therapy techniques, especially for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

The best part about the app is it can easily be used even by kids struggling with autism spectrum disorder, deficit hyperactivity disorder, language and communication disorders, learning disabilities, motor disorders, and more.  

The app can even be a part of clinical trials and interventions with healthcare experts. Metanoa is exclusively created to minimize the common symptoms and dependency of kids with neurodevelopmental disorders.

The autism app is packed with a holistic and tailor-made therapy plan to improve the overall social behavior of special individuals.

There are numerous self-assessments and screening tests for accurate remote assessments, tracking motor response, and other behavioral improvements.  

Features of Metanoa:-

  • Helps to identify neurodevelopmental disorders 
  • Track the goals and activities of your child 
  • On-demand Telerehabilitation for instant and effective support 
  • Highly customizable personalized treatment plans 
  • Full of informational resources related to mental health 

Device – Android

Ratings on Google Play Store – 4.0 / 5 | 1,000+ Downloads

Download the App from Google Play Store

✅FAQ

Is ABCmouse good for autism?

No, ABCMouse is not specifically designed to cancel all students with autism. It is instead an online curriculum for children of up to eight years.

Kids at different kindergarten or preschool levels will surely love the application, as it is meant to offer a comprehensive learning experience.

Is iPad good for autism?

Yes, an autistic child can do many different things on an iPad. They can create different types of sentences or even stories using different images.

By doing so, the child can improve overall communication skills and engage with instructors, parents, and caretakers without frustration. However, an adult should accompany the kids while using the iPad to avoid misuse.

What is the best assessment tool for autism?

The ADI-R is one of the most appropriate assessment tools for adults and children with a mental age of about eight months and above.

It is a semi-structured, standardized, and highly recommended assessment of communication, social interaction, imaginative use of materials, and play for individuals struggling with autism.

Is autism Genetic?

Yes, as much as 40 to 80% of genetic factors are estimated to be responsible for the risk of autism. The risk may vary according to parental age, birth complications, environmental factors, etc.

Does autism run in families?

Children with an autistic parent or siblings are nine times more at risk of developing autism than children with no history of autism.

Why is autism so common now?

The prevalence of autism in the United States has suddenly and steadily risen since 2000.

The overall lifestyle of kids, including lack of interaction with other children, increasing time with smartphones, and genetics, are some of the biggest factors responsible for the prevalence of autism.

Which parent carries the autism gene?

Due to its comparatively lower prevalence in females, autism was always considered to have a maternal inheritance component.

However, researchers also suggested that the rarer variants of autism are mostly inherited from the father.

What is causing autism to rise?

Healthcare experts believe that autism has existed for a very long time. However, the rate of autism is increasing dramatically because of various factors like better access to healthcare, increased awareness and screening, and improved diagnostic criteria.

What country has the highest autism rates?

India has the largest number of children with autism (851,000), followed by China (422,000), Nigeria (207,000), Pakistan (172,000), and Indonesia (159,000).

Can screen time cause autism?

No, there is no association between screen time and autism at three years of age.

How can you prevent your child from getting autism?

Providing a healthy lifestyle, avoiding unnecessary drugs during pregnancy, avoiding alcohol, seeking timely treatment for existing health conditions, and getting vaccinated are some of the most effective ways to prevent your child from getting autism.

Who is at high risk for autism?

Children born to older parents are at a higher risk of developing autism than younger parents. The first child with ASD also increases the chance of the second one having the condition to 2 to 18 percent.

According to studies, among identical twins, if one child is autistic, the other will be affected by the condition about 36 to 95% of the time.

What foods cause autism during pregnancy?

According to a study from the Harvard School of public health, there is hi striking and eye-raising link between an unbalanced consumption of Omega fatty acids, especially during pregnancy.

The study found that the children born to two mothers who were consuming adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids were at high risk of having ASD.

Can a stressful pregnancy cause autism?

Depression solely cannot impact the overall pregnancy outcomes. However, there might be some connection between stress during pregnancy and autistic children.

The connection is more common when the parent is stressed, especially between the 25th and 28th weeks of pregnancy.

How do I calm my autism?

Remember that autism is a neurological disorder and cannot be “calmed” in the same manner that one might calm an anxious or disturbed person.

Autism sufferers may experience sensory overload or trouble processing information, which can occasionally cause behavioral problems or emotional outbursts.

However, several techniques can assist those with autism in controlling their symptoms and leading happy, fruitful lives.

Some methods for controlling autism symptoms include:-

Establishing a dependable daily schedule: A predictable timetable can help lower anxiety and give a sense of control.

Establishing a tranquil and comfortable environment: Sensory overload is a common problem for autistic people, therefore, it’s critical to establish a space free from interruptions and overstimulation.

Using visual aids: People with autism who have trouble digesting verbal information may find it extremely beneficial to use visual aids like calendars, schedules, and social stories to assist in providing order and clarity.

Regular physical activity and exercise can lower stress and enhance overall well-being.

Seeking professional assistance: Consulting with a therapist, counselor, or another mental health expert can help people with autism learn coping mechanisms and control their symptoms.

Remember that every person with autism is different, and what works for one person may not work for another.

To create a specialized strategy for controlling autism symptoms, working with a mental health expert may be beneficial.

What technology can help with autism?

People with autism can manage their symptoms and lead fulfilling lives with the aid of a variety of technologies.
Several instances of technology that may be useful for people with autism include:

Apps that facilitate communication: Many apps can facilitate communication for people with autism, including voice-to-text apps, picture and symbol-based communication apps, and speech-generating devices.

Social skills applications: Social skills apps can help practice and enhance turn-taking, dialogue, and emotion identification in people with autism.

Apps for sensory regulation: People with autism experiencing sensory overload may find comfort in apps that offer calming sensory experiences, including guided meditation, deep breathing exercises, and relaxing noises.

Educational apps: A variety of educational apps are readily available to assist people with autism in learning and practicing a variety of abilities, including reading, math, and problem-solving.

Assistive technology: Assistive technology, such as voice recognition software, text-to-speech software, and adaptive switches, can make it easier for people with autism to access and use technology.

It’s crucial to remember that technology cannot take the place of expert advice and care.

However, it should be used with other types of support and therapy to help people with autism better control their symptoms and live more independently.

The Conclusion 

These are some of the most prominent autism apps you can explore and give a try. As I already said earlier, an app alone can never be enough to deal with conditions like autism.

However, these apps are designed exclusively based on research and clinical trials performed by parents, psychologists, mental disorder specialists, teachers, mental coaches, and personal trainers.

All of them are packed with highly unique features, and you can only decide what is best after trying them.  

There is no way you can substitute these apps for medical treatment and management by healthcare professionals, but these unique apps can go a long way to enhance the lives of autistic individuals.

Or, at least, you can improve the pace of improvement through some holistic and science-based techniques.

Download at least a few of them, and be a part of a revolutionary and modern way of dealing with autism and its symptoms. Don’t forget to hit the comments section if you have something to say!