Helpful Apps

This is a fun one for all ages. There is a long list of different fidgets and other activities available to choose from, or a random button to click. There are drawing activities, breathing exercises, fidget toys, visual activities, and more.

Thisissand

This is a really fun and calming art app. You can draw with sand and make pictures with it, one grain of sand at a time, and share the photos with the art community on the app or save and share with others your own way.

Magic Fluids Lite:

Fun visual sensory app where you can draw with different colors and textures of fluid. There is a full and free version. I have the full version on my iPhone, and it's cool! I get to make my own custom setup to draw with and it is very fun and relaxing.

Relax Melody:

This is a great white noise generating app if you cannot get a white noise machine. You can customize the sounds and there is a full version with more sounds. My favorite is a frog, forest, and river combination! They are good for helping people get to sleep.

Kaleido

This is another fun art app that lets you draw in a kaleidoscope pattern, and there are lots of brushes and colors and backgrounds you can use. You can even watch a replay of your drawing to see how you drew it when you are done!

Go Particles

This is another great sensory app that allows you to play with particles and move them around. They can be different colors, shapes, etc, and there are different movements you can use to interact with the app.

Particle Flow

Android

This looks like the closest equivalent to Go Particles on the App Store for Android :)

Teasear

Do you like the sounds of slime, but hate to touch it? Or just want to have a fun sensory app? This is an awesome one! You can play with pre-made slimes or other sensory sounds and textures, or you can make your own slime and adjust the color, texture, etc. It's a lot of fun!

Bead Sort

This app is one of the many advertisement games I have downloaded, but it is a favorite when I'm stressed. You sort beads and the level doesn't end until all of the beads are sorted. There are no time limits either, and it's a nice calming activity.

Executive Functioning

Habitica (HabitRPG)

This app is amazing for people who struggle with motivation. If you put in your daily chores or tasks, it turns them into a game! You can level up your character and complete missions as you go along.

Flipd

Flipd is another app for people who want to work on using their phones less. You can set custom timers and reminders for studying, working, etc, and when you keep the app open it will have the option for relaxing music or white noise as you work.

Flat Tomato

iOS | Website

Flat Tomato is a good app for dividing up tasks and schedules. You input your tasks and it can help make a more concrete to-do list and schedule.

LifeRPG

Android

This app also turns chores into a game, but with lots more customized options for points, rewards, and organization. It is really useful for keeping track of tasks and is a fun way to keep yourself on track!

Medisafe

Medisafe is an amazing app if you take medication. Input the name, dose, and reason for taking it, along with how many you have, the type, and even the color and shape, and you can set custom reminders for all of your medications.

Sweepy

This is an app I discovered more recently. You create a "room" of your house and select tasks or create custom tasks and how frequently you want to do them, and then you can collaborate with others (maybe have your whole household download the app!) and have everyone help work to take care of each task.

Plantie

iOS | Website

Plantie is awesome if you struggle with being on your phone at the wrong times. When you use Plantie, you have a tree and a timer on your screen. The longer you keep the app open, the more your tree will grow! If you exit the app, it restarts.

Countdown Timer

This app is awesome if you want to stay on top of birthdays, events, and appointments. You can choose an icon and color and add past and future events.

Fitbit

This app is useful for many reasons. If you own a Fitbit, it can help you be more mindful of your sleep habits. You can also track heart rate, food and water intake, and weight, along with fitness levels.

Google Keep

Google Keep is an amazing addition to the wide range of Google products. This note-taking app can hold checklists, text notes, voice memos, drawings, and photos. If you take a photo, you can transcribe the text from the image and it can write down the text in the image for you. You can also color-code your labels and notes. I use this one for homework since it is easy to organize and navigate, and I struggle with handwriting so I can write in the drawing option and use it as scratch paper for notes.

BeFocused

iOS | Android (different version)

This app is great for executive dysfunction. You input your tasks and the amount of time you want to spend on them, plus the number of times you need to complete the task. You are given a timer for the task and can check them off one session at a time!

AAC and Communication Apps

EmergencyChat

This app is really useful if you are hard of hearing/Deaf, non-verbal/non-speaking, or have speech difficulties. Each chat will erase when you close the app, but it is a message-based text app where you can type what you need and another person can type on your phone back to you and respond.

LetMeTalk

LetMeTalk is a free AAC picture board app that allows you to customize the icons and words. It reads in an automated voice and there are hundreds of icons to choose from, or you can take and add your own photos.

Live Transcibe

Android

This is a Google-based transcription app that was made in collaboration with Gallaudet University, the famous historical school known for being the first Deaf school in America. It can pick up words and sounds and you can keep and save the transcriptions for later use if you would like. I use this frequently in the hospital on my tablet, since lots of medical procedures require removing my hearing aids and because hospitals are very loud.

Otter

Otter is an app that allows the user to transcribe and/or record the audio nearby. I haven't used it personally, but I have heard it is good for documenting doctor's visits and other important events or appointments.

TouchChat

TouchChat is another easy-to-use AAC app allowing you to easily customize icons and phrases. There are multiple voice options available. It costs $74.99.

Google Docs

This may sound like an unlikely app for communication, but it is actually pretty handy! If your text-to-speech or speech-to-text app or device is not immediately handy, you can use Google Docs on any phone, tablet, or computer and use the voice typing feature to take down what you or others are saying. This also should work in Microsoft products on computers.

ChatterBoards

ChatterBoards is a free AAC app that allows use of keyboard and icons to build sentences. It has a customizable voice and takes some setup, but works on iPhones and iPads!

Educational Games

Pocket Frogs

Pocket Frogs is a fun game to play where you can learn about frogs and genetics! You can catch, buy, breed, sell, and gift frogs to your friends. You have your own neighbor code you can give to other players you want to connect with and can view their frogs or send them gifts. The frogs all have a system of made-up scientific names that help build your understanding of how they are classified, and when you want to breed your frogs it shows all possible combinations of frogs you can get, so you can learn about genetics and how they pass on their colors as traits! It's a super fun game!

mySolar

iOS Water Sort | Android Water Sort

This is a cool app that allows you to build a solar system and travel through the universe attacking other planets and growing your planets. It's not entirely based in reality, but it's a fun game to play!

Ball Sort and Water Sort

iOS Ball Sort | Android Ball Sort

These two are similar apps but the premise is the same. There are several test tubes full of four colors, and you have to sort them out so they all contain the same color. But you can only have 4 balls or 4 parts of water in each tube, and you can only move one color on top of a matching one. It's a fun brain teaser for sure! (I play with the cellular data disabled and with my wifi off for no ads, but can't watch an ad for the extra test tube.)

Where's My Water?

This is a Disney-based game where you have to help Swampy the alligator get some water to wash himself off! You draw in the dirt to make a path for the water, but watch out for bombs, poison, or gas!

Powder Game

This is a fun sandbox simulation game where you can watch how different materials interact. You have a plain space in 2D, and materials can be placed inside like water, fire, birds, ants, vines, etc. and they will interact differently. The only thing is--every material is in pixel form!

Other Useful Apps

AccessNow

AccessNow is an amazing app for rating locations on the go for accessibility. You can input the address and write a review, including accessible and inaccessible features, so other users of the app can look ahead of time and find out if they can access a location. There are options for everything from elevator or ramp access, scent-free spaces, or service dog friendly spaces, and any feature that could help or harm a disabled person when they try to access that location.

Be My Eyes