iPad Apps for Autistic and Nonverbal Children

As educators it's important to work collaboratively with the students IEP team to figure out what plan of action would work best for their individual needs. The new thing for students who are nonverbal or have Autism are iPad apps. There are hundreds of thousands of education apps. They apps help students learn, communicate, and feel like their peers. Here is an awesome video on iPad apps for kids with autism and who are nonverbal. Here are some apps used for students of all ages.

Little Sky Writers

This app helps elementary aged students learn how to shape letters. The creators use an airplane to help the students stay inside the lines. A narrator pronounces the letter for the student and provides examples of words that start with that letter.

A education app commonly used with middle schooler is:

Disney Story Central 

This app reads classic Disney stores to students and provides visuals of the story. Students can also color in the book.

A game commonly used for middle and high school students is:

Cut the Rope

This app brings logic into the equation. Students basically have to figure out where to cut the rope in order to feed the frog.


Using an iPad or iPhone is becoming increasingly popular in classrooms all over the world. Although I never actually have used education apps specifically for special needs students, I have used apps for my English class. My 10th graders downloaded the Shakespeare app. It's an awesome app because it has all the acts and scene, but it also helps students break down the meaning of the scene if they get lost or confused. 

In the next blog, I will talk about the different perspectives on iPads from the students point of view, the teachers point of view, and finally the parents point of view.