TOP 5 IPAD APPS FOR KIDS WITH AUTISM/ASPERGER'S

Let me just start out by saying that my 8 year old son loves the iPad.  And it's an incredible learning tool for anyone, but more so for kids with autism or Asperger's.  My son first used the iPad this year at school when he went to the learning resource room if he needed a break from the classroom.  So for passing, we got Jacob his own iPad.  And immediately we began looking up apps that we felt, would help Jacob both learn and have fun.

Now let me tell you, there are literally 1000s of apps, so we had a lot to go through.  And after some clinical testing, Jacob became very fond of a few.  Keep in mind there are no games on this particular list.  And, all of these apps are free.  So here are Jacob's top 5 favourite iPad apps.

5.  Animals Free  -  This is a pretty cool app.  It has pictures of over 20 animals and every time you tap a picture, it will make the corresponding animal sound.  I haven't bought the full version yet, but for $2.99, it will likely be worth it.

4.  Country Flags  -  This is an app that allows users to see all of the world's flags.  It has a built in reader so that each country will be read to the user.  And it also has a feature that lets you record your own voice as you read the names of each country.

3.  iPastels  -  This is a drawing app that allows users to draw pictures using pastels.  There are dozens of different colour choices and many different drawing features.  It's great for doodling and for serious pieces of art.

2.  Planets  -  This is a wonderful app that allows aspiring astronomers to learn about the planets and constellations.  It has a 2D and 3D setting with which you can use your exact location to see the constellations right outside your window.

1.  Car Buzz  -  This is a great app for everyone.  It allows you to learn about almost and brand/make of car.  It has a news section and it gives specs about many of today's popular cars.  It lets you learn about any car from Ferrari to Ford and everything in between.

These are only 5 of the thousands of cool apps available on the iPad.  I was a bit hesitant to pay the hefty price for an iPad, but I'm glad that I did.  Video games on the DS are great, but the iPad really allows a user to explore and learn about anything they want.  The only issue I foresee is the number of apps that an iPad can hold.  Since there are hundreds of cool apps for kids with autism, I'm sure that Jacob's iPad will be full soon enough.