15 Empowering Resources for Persons of ALL Ages with Autism

As many of our blog readers may know, April is World Autism Month. It is a dedicated time to help raise awareness for autism and the 1 in 68 children as well as the many adults challenged with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). You may also know that when provided with appropriate resources and family as well as community support, persons challenged with the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders can live productive lives and in many cases thrive within their supportive communities.

It is important to also keep in mind that the right tools, strategies and resources can significantly improve one’s learning success, too, especially when reading and learning can be difficult for someone with autism, ADHD, dyslexia or other issues. If you or someone you know is challenged with an ASD, however, the significance of those tools, strategies and resources may be even more important in efforts to improve the quality of life. You may already know about physical and digital tools that effectively help challenged, unfocused readers with autism and sensory issues. A FREE list of reading and learning strategies to help persons of any age with autism (and other issues, too) can be found here.

For this article, we wanted to address the third component---resources that can actually help to EMPOWER children and adults with autism to become more confident, more socially interactive and better able to overcome their obstacles. In our efforts to write this article, we have received the assistance of Ms. Kathleen Carter, a high-school student with autism who has been a volunteer-intern-extraordinaire at EducatorLabs. She assisted the organization with its research and outreach activities.

Ms. Carter kindly provided the first six empowering resources in our list included here. We want to thank her for these good resources for autism. We have added a few more links to the list and hope that because of our combined efforts, these resources may help you or others you know in the autism community to feel empowered to become more confident, more comfortable in social situations and more independent in overcoming the challenges of autism---each and every day!

Empowering Resources for Persons with Autism

1. Autism Speaks Resource Guide
http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/resource-guide

2. Career Assistance for People with Autism
http://www.hloom.com/career-assistance-for-people-with-autism/

3. National Center for Autism Resources & Education
https://www.nationalautismresources.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Brand&utm_term=%2Bnational%20%2Bautism%20%2Bresources&utm_content=Trademark%20-%20Brand

4. AutismNOW Transition Planning
http://autismnow.org/in-the-classroom/transition-planning-for-students/

5. Aquatic Therapy for Children with Autism
http://www.saveonpoolsupplies.com/landing/aquatic-therapy-for-children-with-autism.aspx

6. Autism Services
http://healthfinder.gov/FindServices/SearchContext.aspx?topic=81

7. Equine Therapy Programs for Children with Autism
https://www.equestriantherapy.com/equine-therapy-children-aspergers-autism/

8. Autism Resources from Easter Seals
http://www.easterseals.com/explore-resources/living-with-autism/autism-resources.html

9. Family Grant Opportunities (for Therapy, Assistive Technology, etc.)
https://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/resource-library/family-grant-opportunities

10. Resources - Solutions to Problems in the Autism Community-US Autism & Asperger Association
http://www.usautism.org/resources.html

11. BEST Apps for Sensory Processing Issues (iPad, Android and Desktop Apps)
http://helpforstrugglingreaders.blogspot.com/2015/04/best-apps-for-sensory-processing-issues.html

12. BEST Apps for Autism(iPad, Android and Desktop Apps)
http://helpforstrugglingreaders.blogspot.com/2015/01/best-apps-for-autism-2015.html

13. NEW Reading Focus Cards App for Windows 10 PCs (via Windows Store)
https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9WZDNCRDF33D

14. NEW Reading Focus Cards App for Windows XP, 7, 8 & 10 PCs (via Gumroad.com)
Click on drop down to version preferred.
https://gumroad.com/l/ReadingFocusCards

15. Physical Reading Focus Cards Tools for Challenged Readers
(For Reading Actual Books & Documents)
http://www.focusandread.com/products

For more information on customizable tools for challenged readers with autism:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of: Brennan Innovators, LLC: www.FocusandRead.com and Pixabay: https://pixabay.com

BEST Apps for Autism-2015

It's a new year, and with that new year we want to provide the most up-to-date resources and support possible to assist our readers in search of practical help for challenged readers and learners of all ages. Many of those readers are parents, teachers and counselors of children, teens and adults on the autism spectrum.

As you can imagine, it takes a very special individuals to serve the autism community and its families. Patience and compassion can go a long way to soothe the fatigue of a parent who has experienced just too many meltdowns. Encouragement and gentle motivation are other gifts needed to help teachers make a real difference each day in the lives of the children in their classrooms who are on the spectrum. Determination and fortitude are front and center in the social workers who try repeatedly to place adults with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) in appropriate employment situations and/or housing arrangements.

We tip our hats to ALL of them and would like to provide some assistance from our end of of the community. After all, if one is not part of the solution, then there is a possibility that one is part of the problem. So, this week our part is to provide a new crop of resources for the new year---resources in the form of apps and app lists for persons of all ages on the autism spectrum. Since it was back in 2013 when we created our last list of these autism apps, we thought it was the right time for a new list to be presented to our readers.

This past week, we gathered together a collection of autism apps here that we hope will provide some much-needed support for the individuals and their families in the autism community. We also hope that parents, teachers and counselors, who have very little time, will find this list convenient with many of these specialized apps ALL in one place. From organizational apps to social and educational apps, you'll find them all here---here in 2015!

Happy Reading---AND Happy New Year one more time!

BEST Apps for Autism

Autism Apps---current list provided by Autism Speaks
Apps are listed in alphabetical order. You can sort apps by rating by clicking the "Rating" link above that column. You can rate apps by first clicking on the app name to visit the app detail page. Then, below the description of the app, click on the number of stars for your rating of the app.
http://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-apps?page=2

Look At Me---New App to Boost Social Skills of Autistic Kids (Released by Samsung)
This new app aims to train autistic children to maintain eye contact and convey basic emotions.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99TL3hGPw5I
Article & VIDEO: http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/22/samsung-lookatme/

13 Best Autism Apps for the iPad
by Michael A. Prospero, LAPTOP Reviews Editor
(NOTE: To access the 13 app titles, click on the yellow arrow buttons in the article's graphics.)
http://blog.laptopmag.com/best-autism-apps-ipad

Android Apps Autism Parenting Magazine 2015
The latest list of Android apps for autism from Autism Parenting Magazine.
http://2015android.com/Android_Autism-Parenting-Magazine_2015.html

Social Skills and Autism Apps List (1/13/15)
original list by Jessica Chase, MA, CCC-SLP
This list contains apps for life skills, conversation starters, conversation maintenance, idioms, non-verbal communication, eye contact, emotions and many more.
http://parentingautismindia.blogspot.com/2015/01/social-skills-and-autism-apps-list.html

9 Great Apps For Kids With Autism---by Patricia-Anne Tom (9/18/14)
Experienced readers with kids on the autism spectrum share nine apps that have helped improve how their kids interact with others.
http://www.popsugar.com/moms/Best-Apps-Autistic-Kids-31793054#photo-31793054

Reading Focus Cards Desktop App (Patent 8,360,779) (for Macs & Windows PCs)
from Brennan Innovators, LLC
This DESKTOP app is the digital version of the physical Reading Focus Cards (Patent 7,565,759), solutions for struggling readers. This app for Windows PCs and Macs provides practical READING SUPPORT for children and adults with ADHD, dyslexia, autism and other conditions that can affect reading success. It promotes more FOCUS, FLUENCY and VISUAL COMFORT for online reading of almost ALL digital media (webpages, PDF files, Word docs, Excel spreadsheets & more.) In addition, the Reading Focus Card app is compatible with and supports touch-screen technology. The application can be moved on the screen over text by the fingers, mouse or arrow keys as needed.
1. For Macs (desktops & notebooks):
Visit the Mac App Store at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/read-and-focus/id920617853?mt=12 or search for the app called Reading Focus Cards.
2. For Windows PCs (desktops & laptops):
Visit Gumroad at https://gumroad.com/l/ReadingFocusCards OR visit the Microsoft Windows Store and search for the app called Reading Focus Cards. (No URLs are ever provided for apps in the Windows Store.)

Autism Apps---by Special Needs App Review (Some FREE apps)
Autism Apps is simply a comprehensive list of apps that are being used with and by people diagnosed with autism, Down syndrome and other special needs. It also includes links to any available information that can be found for each app. The Apps are also separated into over 30 categories, and the descriptions are all searchable, so any type of app is easy to find and download.
http://www.friendshipcircle.org/apps/browse/autism-apps/

Top 10 Apps and Software for Autism---by Autism Today
These apps and software became widely known throughout the world not only because of their features but also their abilities to manage autism behavior.
http://www.autismtoday.com/top-10-apps-and-software-for-autism/

For more information on customizable low-tech & digital reading tools for all kinds of challenged readers, please visit:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of:
Autism Mix at http://www.autismmix.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/fabric.jpg
Brennan Innovators, LLC at www.focusandread.com

One-Stop APP Lists for Dyslexia & Other Reading/Writing Challenges

Do you often discover great apps that could help a struggling reader you know? Are you short on time to evaluate and catalog them for later use? As you may already know, trying to relocate them online again at a future date may often lead you into a circle of frustration and a great loss of time, never actually accessing the desired app at all. Sound familiar?

When parents and teachers attempt give their efforts to help one or more struggling readers, time is of particular importance---both for the helper and the challenged reader. Parents' and teachers' time constraints are an issue and children's attention spans are often short or non-existent. What can one do?

We frequently hear from adults who work with challenged readers and ask us, "Is there just one, master list of apps for children and adults with additional or multiple reading needs?" We have asked this question ourselves here at Brennan Innovators, but until very recently, were only able to cobble together several lists to provide what parents and teachers have been trying to find for sometime. Our readers and clients wanted a list where all the needed apps were in one place---and electronically accessible, too.

So when we resumed "the hunt" for such a "master list" of helpful apps for struggling readers ALL in ONE place, we found several good ones. The first one discovered was created by CALL Scotland out of the University of Edinburgh. This organization's mission is to help provide information about communication, literacy and assistive technology for persons with disabilities. Their master list of apps does just that, AND it is electronic. In other words, the list enables the user to have easy, "clickable" access to iPad Apps for Learners with Dyslexia/Reading and Writing Difficulties, a master list of 75+ apps to help challenged readers and writers of all ages. These apps span five skill categories---organization, reading, writing, numeracy and memory.

The second list (presented in a pdf file format) is also electronic but for use with younger struggling readers. The LITERACY APPS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS by Harvey Pressman and Andrea Pietrzyk from Central Coast Children’s Foundation, Inc. lists many apps for various Apple platforms with a few for Android. Basic learning categories of phonics, word attack, alphabet and more for the apps are provided. Additional apps lists for young challenged readers are also provided at the end of this master list.

Finally, we also listed here several, non-electronic apps wheels should you prefer to download as needed. These apps wheels were created by Mark Coppin, Cherie Pickering and Allan Carrington for different kinds of readers/learners (autism, Asperger's and other additional needs).

We believe you'll find these resources helpful as you assist a challenged reader you know. We also hope that you'll return again and again to this blog page to more easily access these apps that could really make a difference for many struggling readers in all age groups.

One-Stop APP Resources for Dyslexia & Other Reading/Writing Challenges

iPad APPS Chart for Learners with Dyslexia/Reading and Writing Difficulties---from CALL Scotland at The University of Edinburgh)
CALL Scotland helps provide information about communication, literacy and assistive technology for persons with disabilities. The organization is funded in part by the Scottish Government. The electronic version of this chart (Version 1.0, November 2013) can be downloaded from:
http://www.callscotland.org.uk/Common-Assets/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Wheel_0f_Apps_V1_0.pdf

LITERACY APPS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS by Harvey Pressman and Andrea Pietrzyk from Central Coast Children’s Foundation, Inc.(Mostly apps for Apple platforms with a few for Android) Another electronic list of apps sorted by focus category, then by price (least to most expensive, with all prices in US dollars). Each app description includes a target audience (“Ideal for”) - pre-reading (children who have not yet learned how to read), beginning reading (children who are just starting to learn how to read), and catch-up reading (children who have learned how to read but are having difficulties)
http://www.schools.utah.gov/CURR/star/Documentation/AppsforEarlyLiteracy-final.aspx

Apps Wheels by Mark Coppin, Cherie Pickering & Allan Carrington
3 Non-electronic Apps Wheel Charts for Autism and Other Additional Needs
http://apps4stages.wikispaces.com/AppWheels

Other Related Resources

Dyslexia Reading Well---A virtual well of dyslexia resources
http://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/apps-for-dyslexia.html

Reading Focus Cards Desktop App (Patent 8,360,779)
This DESKTOP app is the digital version of the low-tech, physical Reading Focus Cards tools (Patent 7,565,759), solutions for struggling readers. This app provides very practical support for children and adults with ADHD, dyslexia, low vision, stroke or brain injury issues, autism and other conditions that can affect reading success. This desktop application promotes more FOCUSED online reading of almost ALL digital media (webpages, PDF files, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets & more.) In addition, the app supports touch-screen technology (where applicable).
1. For Macs (desktops & notebooks):
Visit the Mac App Store and search for Reading Focus Cards or go directly to
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/read-and-focus/id920617853?mt=12
2. For Windows PCs (desktops & laptops):
Visit Gumroad at https://gumroad.com/l/ReadingFocusCards OR visit the Microsoft Windows Store and search for the app called Reading Focus Cards. (No URLs are ever provided for apps in the Windows Store.)

What's on my iPad? Assistive Apps I Use as a Dyslexic Student---from the Assistive Technology Blog
A number of assistive apps for students with dyslexia (provides direct links to apps)
http://bdmtech.blogspot.com/2014/02/whats-on-my-ipad-assistive-apps-i-use.html

40+ iPad Apps for Reading Disabilities from Educational Technology and Mobile Learning blog
We discovered this electronic list after our article was published but wanted to include it here, too.
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/03/40-ipad-apps-for-struggling-reading-and.html?m=1

For information on customizable reading tools for ADHD & other reading challenges:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of:
TeleRead at http://www.teleread.com/tablet/how-has-the-tablet-changed-your-life-your-business-your-general-disposition/
Brennan Innovators, LLC at www.focusandread.com

BEST Websites for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)

The last in a series of five articles with specific special needs resources

As LD Awareness Month concludes during this last week of October, we are bringing you our final article in a series of five that provides websites and resources for specific special or additional needs.

The most recent data from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) indicates that in the U.S., about 1 in 88 children have been identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autism spectrum disorders are almost five times more common among boys than girls – with 1 in 54 boys identified.
(Source: CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, March 2012:
http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2012/p0329_autism_disorder.html)

Because of this high level of autism prevalence, we thought it most appropriate to conclude our series here by providing our readers with helpful website resources for that specific need. We hope that this list of autism websites will help you as a parent, teacher or caregiver of a child or adult with autism.

BEST Websites for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)

Autism Spectrum Disorders---from the National Center for Learning Disabilities
http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/adhd-related-issues/autism-spectrum-disorders?gclid=CI-okIvJr7oCFUkV7AodSj4AUw

National Autism Association
http://nationalautismassociation.org/

Autism NOW---from the National Autism Resource & Information Center
http://autismnow.org/

TeachersFirst Resources on Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger’s
http://www.teachersfirst.com/spectopics/autism-asperger.cfm

Websites for Families from Autism Speaks
http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/resource-library/websites-families

10 Great iPad Apps for Students on the Autism Spectrum---by Patrick Jordan
http://ipadinsight.com/ipad-in-education-2/10-great-ipad-apps-for-students-on-the-autism-spectrum/

For information on customizable reading tools:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of: Brennan Innovators, LLC