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Apps for Your #AutLife

Like anyone else’s day-to-day life, autistic life has its challenges. A good deal of ours relate to social communication, sensory issues, and executive function fails. And luckily, those are exactly the sorts of things with which tech can provide great support. Autistics did, after all, invent most of it, right?

Recently I took to #AutisticTwitter to crowdsource this list of apps used by real-life people in their real lives. Each one is someone’s favourite. Hopefully there’s something here for you*.

Time & Task Management Apps

Hello Executive Function! How are you?! When you struggle with keeping track of time or completing tasks, apps can be enormously helpful in making the most of your day.

Sweepy

Gamify cleaning your home. Create chore lists, track progress, get notifications of what’s up next, share tasks, and more. 

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Amazing Marvin

“Marvin incorporates principles from behavioral psychology to help you beat procrastination, feel in control and finish your to-do list.”

The desktop app is ridiculously customizable so you can make it work with the way your brain works, not the other way around. Give the adorable Marvin a try and take your time with it. You’ll be happy you did.

Try It Free

Tiimo

Tiimo is a paid subscription app that helps you organize your life, stick to your routines, and work towards your personal goals in a original, visual way.

Subscribe on the App Store Subscribe on Google Play

ClickUp

ClickUp is a wildly customizable freemium project management app. With calendar views, Kanban boards, a workload tracker, and more, the feature-rich free version is ample for managing most everyday lives.

Get even more features plus 30% off the Unlimited Plan or 15% off the Business Plan when you upgrade using this link!

Try It Free

Google Calendar

This popular tool is a robust calendar that integrates with your other Google services. Schedule what you want to do and get reminders when it’s time to get to it.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

KanbanFlow

Kanban is a Japanese system for tracking all the things you’d like to do and what needs to be worked on in a day. This simple app allows you to stay on task with color-coded “cards” combined with limits you set. Want to know how I use Kanban? Ask me on Twitter!

Free

Motivation Apps

Level Up Life

Level Up Life allows you to gamify your personal goals. Track your daily achievements and gain motivation while progressing in an RPG-style online platform.

Free on Google Play

Grocery & Meal-Delivery Apps

For days when you just can’t feed yourself well or to ensure you always have nutritious meals and snacks on hand (and if you have the means), try these apps.

Out of Milk

A little time spent adding your pantry and regularly purchased items pays off with this popular sharable, sync-able shopping list app.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Instacart

Get access to everything your local grocery has in-store. Instacart’s local shoppers personally pick your order then bring it straight to you. Available in the U.S. and Canada.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Amazon Fresh

Grocery delivery with Amazon Fresh and Amazon Prime Now. Large urban centres currently enjoy free 2-hour delivery from Whole Foods Market and local restaurants. App available on Amazon.com

Free on Amazon

Hello Fresh

Meal kit delivery service. “HelloFresh delivers weekly meal kits with delicious ingredients and recipes directly to your door.”

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

GrubHub

One of many (many!) delivery apps that access most local restaurants in an area. Cooking for yourself is most healthy and economical but sometimes getting a meal on the table is what’s needed.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

2nd Brain Apps

Because no one can keep all the plates spinning in the air at all times, make tech come to your rescue. These apps allow you to offload some of the thoughts that occupy valuable processing bandwidth and even remind you to check in. What’s not to love?

Google Keep

Allows you to do more than jot notes. You can set location- and time-based alerts that help you follow through, dictate reminders, snap photos, share lists, and more!

Free on Google Play Free on the App Store

Evernote

The granddaddy of note-taking apps. Dictate notes, doodle, and share it all.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Medisafe

Set personalized reminders for each of your medications and get drug interaction warnings (US feature).

Free on Google Play Free on the App Store

Communication Apps

QuickTalk AAC

This highly customizable app allows you to choose from 50 voices in 24 languages or record a voice of your choice.

(Listed as “Quick Type AAC” on Google Play.)

Buy on the App Store Buy on Google Play

Make It Big

A super simple app that makes the text you type HUGE and easy for someone else to read when you show them your phone.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play
White text on black background says "big"

Flip Writer AAC

“Every word you type will be shown in the flipped display. Offers high-quality text-to-speech” in four different voices. Perfect for conversations IRL.

Buy on the App Store

Proloquo2Go

Proloquo2Go is a free symbols-based app Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app for iOS. Perfect for non-speaking people, those situation mutism moments, and when you need a communication break. AssistiveWare also offers Proloquo and Proloquo Coach as paid upgrades.

Free on the App Store
Proloquo2Go app logo: an illustrated owl raising one wing, beak open, as if making a point.

WhatsApp

Standard messaging apps like WhatsApp allow you to communicate by text when other methods are not available. In a pinch, you can type and show your device to the person in front of you. Not super clever but effective when you need it.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Apps For Getting Around

Commuting and travelling can take all our mental resources, leaving little for when we arrive. Sure there are great map apps out there but apps like these take things up a very useful notch.

Transit

Your public-transit companion currently available in ten countries. Clear visuals not only allow you plan your trip but you can monitor upcoming arrivals and count down to when you need to exit your bus or subway car.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Waze

We like to know what’s up ahead of time. “Always know what’s happening on the road with Waze. Even if you know the way, Waze tells you instantly about traffic, construction, police, crashes, & more. If traffic is bad on your route, Waze will change it to save you time.”

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Health & Wellbeing Apps

Because when it comes to feeling good, strong, and balanced, who doesn’t need all the help we can get?

Daylio

A mood tracker and personal diary because neuroscience has proven that getting your thoughts out of your mental churning can be incredibly beneficial for every person at a every age. Track the highs and lows of every day so you can spot patterns that affect your moods. Brilliant!

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Youper

An AI assistant that helps you monitor and take control of your emotional health. We love robots and robots love us.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Finch

“Finch is a self care pet app that helps you feel prepared and positive, one day at a time. Take care of your pet by taking care of yourself! Choose from a wide variety of self care exercises personalized for you.”

A cute, gamified way to build your self-care routine.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Clue

“Accurately predicts your period, helps you understand your symptoms, and can be used as a reliable ovulation app, menstrual calendar, fertility tracker, birth control pill reminder, and menstrual cycle tracker complete with your period history.”

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Tampon Timer

“A simple alarm. To set up a reminder (tampon, pad, menstrual cup, pill), tap on the product you’d like a reminder for and select a time.”

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Gratitude

A simple interface that lets you quickly jot note what you’re grateful for. Daily zen feature drops positivity into your day if you choose.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

MEDITATION & Sleep Apps

Whether learning to meditate for the first time or practicing our 10,000th hour, the Internet has the app for you.

Headspace

Learn how to calm the mind, train your focus, understand your anger and more with this app. A range of sleep stories and soundtracks are available by subscription.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Calm

Daily meditations, music, video sessions and more to help you connect body to mind and improve your wellbeing overall.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Distraction Apps

There are times when you need to get your head *out* of the game. Maybe you’re hyperfocusing when you need to rest. Maybe you’re wound up after a sensory assault in the city. Whatever the reason, turning to the app in your pocket can bring a sense of calm when you need it most.

These 100% non-productive apps could add the oasis in your day your mind craves. The trick is to choose something that’s engaging enough that your mind doesn’t wander but not so engrossing that you’re trading one hyperfocus for another.

Chromaldry

Promises to “Turn your photos into a coloring book.” Any photo you choose is transformed into a line drawing on which you “finger paint”. Messy, colouring outside the lines is encouraged.

Buy on the App Store

Mindfulness Coloring

Coloring apps for adults is a collection of detailed illustration “books” ready for you to colour.

Buy on the App Store

Blendoku

“A puzzle game that will challenge your ability to distinguish and arrange colors. The game is based on color principles and exercises taught in art schools around the world.”

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

Special Interest Apps

Any app that’s centred on a topic that you’re interested is a good way to quickly regulate your mood or reactions. Love adorable animals? There’s an app for that: Cute Animals — Aww! on iTunes. A fan of tracking weather? Yep, there’s an app for that too: Accuweather on Google Play.

Whatever interests you, find an app that will deliver it in abundance at your fingertips. Then, when you feel the pressure rising, destress with some happy time.


There are LOADS more out there in the wild. If you have a tremendously useful app that could change a life for the better, share it here in the comments or on Twitter, using the hashtag #AutLife!

Notes:
*Recommended apps are U.S.-based. Look for similar apps for your area

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