Sensory- and Autism-friendly Technology Applications
SENSE-ational Spaces believes that in the right environment, we all thrive.
That is why we will discuss ways to make any environment work for your child with autism and/or sensory processing differences through technology apps. Some apps target emotional regulation skills, while others can help distract from the busy world around us. These apps range in price and recommended age level. Below are a few different app options that may work for your child based on what they target!
Education
Emotional Regulation
Emotional Regulation is when individuals understand and manage their behavior and reactions to feelings and things existing around them. This can include situations that evoke significant emotions like frustration, excitement, anger, or embarrassment, and the ability to regulate oneself enough to calm down after that reaction occurs. This can also be when strong feelings of happiness or excitement occur. Furthermore, self-regulation allows one to focus on a task or refocus attention on a new task. Lastly, self-regulation can also be when one controls impulses that help one get along with others (Raising Children Network, 2021).
Children and other individuals sometimes need help regulating their reactions, emotions, feelings, and thoughts through practice or external assistance. One way to help someone with emotional regulation is through technology: Apps! Apps that target emotional regulation can teach about feelings, display healthy emotional responses, teach skills, provide distraction, and more! Continue reading to find apps that may help your child learn and improve emotional regulation skills.
Daniel Tiger's Grr-ific Feelings
Purpose: Based on the PBS show Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Children can play, sing, and learn about various feelings with their friend Daniel Tiger.
Targeted Audience: Pre-K through Kindergarten
Price: Free and Paid versions
Platforms: Google Play Store, Apple App Store (only for iPads), and Amazon App Store
Touch-and-learn: Emotions
Purpose: This app works to help children learn, identify, and recognize the emotions and body language of others. Likewise, this app allows the child to view an individual's feelings and provides words to describe them.
Targeted Audience: Kindergarten through 2nd grade
Price: Paid version only ($1.99)
Platforms: Apple App Store
Smiling Mind
Purpose: This app works to help children learn, identify, and recognize the emotions and body language of others. Likewise, this app allows the child to view an individual's feelings and provides words to describe them.
Targeted Audience: 8th through 12th grade
Price: Free
Platforms: Google Play Store and Apple App Store (only for iPads)
MoveMindfully
Purpose: This app provides mind-body practices to reduce stress, increase focus, and improve overall mental health symptoms. These age-appropriate, accessible, and simple strategies can help with any child’s anxious and depressive symptoms, attention, and focusing skills. Interested in this app and other products MoveMindfully has to offer? Click this link to see more about MoveMindfully!
Targeted Audience: Kids, teachers, therapists, parents
Price: Paid version only ($9.99)
Platforms: Google Play Store and Apple App Store (only for iPads
Sensory Breaks
Sensory stimulation is the input and sensation one receives when one or more senses are activated. Occupational therapy recognizes eight unique senses: Proprioception (body awareness), vestibular (sense of movement), visual (sight), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), tactile (touch), interoception (internal body regulation- such as hunger), and auditory (hearing).
A sense can be activated when an individual engages in movement, eating, smelling, vision, and basically every minute of the day! Sensory stimulation benefits children and adults alike; from an infant to a teen with anxiety to an older adult with dementia (Alzheimer Scotland, 2023; Frothingham, 2020).
However, some children need more, and some need less sensory input, so depending on your child’s needs, these apps may be very helpful in providing distraction and needed visual, auditory, and tactile input.
Sensory Stimulation
Sensory lighting that provides stimulation aims to evoke the senses by providing bright lights and colors. This can help improve cognition, focus, communication, and social skills. The lights and patterns can also soothe, calm, and regulate emotions (Stefani, 2022).
Fluidity
Purpose: This app allows children to control the flow of stunning colors at their fingertips. This app can improve visual attention and provide an opportunity for distraction.
Targeted Audience: All ages
Price: Free
Platforms: Apple App Store
Miracle Modus
Purpose: This app provides calming music, various colors, and numerous patterns. The creator of Miracle Modus, who is diagnosed with autism, made this to help assist with their own personal experience with sensory overload. This app provides calming sensations and soothing sounds to the user.
Targeted Audience: All ages
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Platforms: Apple App Store
Sensory Movement
Movement breaks provide a child with proprioceptive, tactile, vestibular, and visual input. Movement breaks are essential for a child as they help create a level of alertness to help them focus and concentrate (Cambridgeshire Community Services, 2023).
Brain Works
Purpose: This app provides parents with ideas for child-based sensory break activities. This app helps determine what sensory diet is needed for your child to allow parents and teachers to provide much-needed sensory breaks!
Targeted Audience: All ages
Price: Paid version only ($8.99)
Platforms: Apple App Store
GoNoodle Games
Purpose: This app is designed to get kids moving with over 300+ dance videos, yoga exercises, mindfulness activities, deep stretching, exercises, how-to’s, and more! Check out SENSE-ational Space’s blog about SPD and Exericse to learn the critical connection between the two!
Targeted Audience: Ages 4 years to 10 years old
Price: Free
Platforms: Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon App Store.
Routine Builders and Maintenance
Building routines is essential for creating a stable and healthy environment for a child with a cognitive disability and sensory processing issues. Building a schedule doesn’t need to take a long time, nor is there a right way to do them! Routines need to be customized per each child, their family, and the needs of all members. Check out tips for building a schedule for your child.
Personal Hygiene
Chomper chums
Purpose: This app targets oral hygiene by educating children on proper brushing techniques and establishing long-lasting and healthy oral wellness habits. This fun animated app teaches children while they brush by displaying three lovable animal characters interacting each time the child brushes. The characters and the child learn to brush their teeth together.
Targeted Audience: children between the ages of 4 and 11 years.
Price: Free
Platforms: Apple App Store
Transitional Aids
CDC (2021) explained that visual timers for kids help in transitions between tasks, as a child can visually see how much time they need to wait. Visual timers can also help maintain focus and increase task productivity, promote the independence of school-age children to complete homework promptly and begin to teach the concept of what time really is (CDC, 2021).
Visual Countdown Timer
Purpose: The purpose of this timer is to provide the child with independence while still enforcing time restrictions. This timer slowly reveals an image as the time runs down. Once the timer is done, the user is rewarded with an exciting sound, and the picture spins. If your child does not like unexpected noises, this is not an app recommendation for your child. If your child is excited by praises and noises, then your child may enjoy this app.
Customizations: The apps’ background image can change to match the time of day or images of your choosing.
Targeted Audience: Young children
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Platforms: Apple App Store
If your child can tell time, understands the concept of numbers, or just likes a less complicated display, the next timer may be best for you!
Kids Timer
Purpose: Similar to the app above, the purpose of this app is to
Targeted Audience: ages ten years and above
Price: Free (with ads) and paid versions
Platforms: Apple App Store
Overall, all apps need to be tested to truly tell if they will succeed with your child and fit their needs. Trial and error is fine- and actually encouraged, as it allows you to find what is best for your child and family as a whole.
Interested in learning more about Sensory Processing and the Use of Technology? Click the button below!
References
Alzheimer Scotland (2023). Sensory interventions at Alzheimer Scotland
https://www.alzscot.org/living-with-dementia/getting-support/accessing-alzheimer-scotland-support/therapeutic-activity/sensory-interventions#:~:text=Sensory%20stimulation%20uses%20everyday%20objects,familiar%20foods%2C%20flowers%2C%20music.
Cambridgeshire Community Services. (2023). Movement breaks. NHS Trust.
https://www.cambscommunityservices.nhs.uk/Bedfordshire/services/occupational-therapy/ot-leaflets/movement-breaks#:~:text=The%20aim%20of%20the%20movement,wake%20up%20the%20under%20alert.
Child Development Center, CDC. (2021, May 25). Visual timers: What, why, and how!
https://www.cdchk.org/parent-tips/visual-timers/
Raising Children Network. (2021, May 20). Self-regulation in children and teenagers:
Suitable for 1-18 years. https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/behaviour/understanding-behaviour/self-regulation
Frothingham, S. (2020, September 10). What is sensory stimulation?
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-sensory-stimulation#:~:text=Sensory%20stimulation%20is%20the%20input,neurocognitive%20disorders%2C%20and%20older%20adults.
Stefani, A. (2022, 28 June). 7 Benefits of Sensory Lighting for Children with Autism.
Amber Lights. https://amberlights.co.uk/7-benefits-of-sensory-lighting-for-children-with-autism/#:~:text=Sensory%20lighting%20works%20by%20stimulating,the%20senses%20and%20regulate%20emotions