Universally compatible with
all Apple devices
FirstWords
Available in several different languages FirstWords is an amazing iPhone app for helping children learn letter recognition, shape recognition, spelling, reading, and even familiarity with dragging items across the screen. I know, you may be thinking that last one seems kinda petty, but it's a valuable motor skill.
Just so you can make sure it's right for your child, the developer has made a free version available also. Download it and try it out! Once you get a taste you'll find yourself purchasing the whole package.
FirstWords shows a playful, fun, and child-friendly visual image of an object in the lower left corner with the letter tiles for spelling that object randomly scattered around the lower right portion of the screen. Toward the top middle of the screen are dimmed 'placeholders' for the letter tiles all in correct order spelling the word. Your autistic child just needs to touch and drag the letters into place. When a letter, or letter placeholder, is touched, the app says that letter. When the object in the lower left is touched, the app tells you what the object is. When the letter tiles are dragged close to the correct placeholder they snap into place. They're drawn in as if they're magnetized. Snap! And if the wrong letter is dragged toward another letter's placeholder, this app sorta pushes the letter back a bit as if there's a negative magnetism between the two.
After the letter tiles are all successfully in place FirstWords says each letter, beginning with the first letter. As it pronounces each letter, that letter is enlarged, as if it's coming a little closer to your face, making it obvious which letter is being spoken. After the last letter is pronounced, the whole word is enlarged a bit as the app pronounces the word clearly and with a friendly voice. Then comes the real reward. That object in the lower left spins up and into the center of the screen as an appropriate sound is heard. If that object were an airplane you'd hear a sound similar to a little jet engine. If the object were a bird you'd hear a little tweet-tweet.
It's a bit of a stretch to call this an 'autism app'. Nevertheless, FirstWords can help children with autism just as well as it can aid typical children. My son uses FirstWords Deluxe (when I pry him away from his favorite racing game) and he enjoys it quite a bit. He probably doesn't realize that he's learning. That's how education should be! And FirstWords embodies that.
The deluxe version includes all categories. Alternately, you could purchase the different categories separately; Shapes, Vehicles, At Home, and Animals. The deluxe version comes with the Colors category also, which you cannot purchase separately.
FirstWords lets you control the word difficulty (length), letter hints, and audible sounds the app makes. You can even control which category of words it uses. Maybe you want your child to learn the shapes? You can set it to only use shapes. This app offers a number of features you can customize.
The graphics/artwork used in this app are fun and professional and the sounds are appropriate. If you own an iPad and an iPhone you only need to purchase FirstWords one time. It runs universally on both Apple devices and the enlarged graphics look superb on the iPad's larger high-definition screen. The letter tiles are large enough for adult fingers and people with fine motor skills challenges. As the developers put it, "Push the letters into place and the pictures spring into action!" If all autism apps were this good there would be no need for my reviews!
