10 Cheap Apps For Autistic Kids

When my daughter was diagnosed with a severe form of autism over 11 years ago, my husband and I immediately got to work on finding out different tools, devices, games, and programs that would help her. In many cases, her unique ‘brand’ of autism meant we had to adapt the available tools to her specific needs.

And that’s where this post comes in. Not only is there so much out there for autistic kids–and most of it assuming that all autistic kids are alike–we ran into another major problem: money. It’s not just that we couldn’t afford this stuff, it’s that nobody can afford it. There are seriously apps the cost over $300, mostly for the fact that they know you’ll pay it if it will help your child.

Instead, here’s a list of more economical apps, and many of them have lite editions that let you see how helpful they are before you invest in the real deal.

Pocket Frogs

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I'm not gonna lie to you and say this is addictive. I played with it, I fed my frogs, I even bred a few and sold them. Then I realized I have living creatures in my house that also need to be fed, and I was done with this app.

But right away, I realized the colorful images but serene environment (complete with soothing water-drop background noise) was perfect for helping my daughter cope during a stressful situation. Coupled with the added benefit of teaching her to care for a virtual creature (or a few dozen), this is a must-have.