Welcome to our 2023 Neurodivergent Friendly App Guide!
There are so many great apps to help us organize our lives, remember to take care of ourselves or help us calm down when we are overstimulated. Below are some of my favorites for both kids and adults.
Let us know if you have any other great recommendations that you think we missed!
Reading, Writing & Listening
NOA- Humans read articles from a variety of major news sources.
Grammarly- Real-time support with spelling, punctuation, grammar & tone.
Atmosphere - Use premade sounds or create your own custom soundscapes by mixing different sounds.
ChatGPT- Text generator that can be useful for drafting text. *Note all information must be verified, as false content can be created.
Otter.ai- Automatically transcribes in-person and online meetings creating searchable notes. It can also be used to create captions in real-time.
Libby- Access free audiobooks, ebooks, and magazines from the library.
Speechify- Allows you to have anything read to you, from docs to PDFs or emails.
Libro.fm- Buy audiobooks while supporting your local bookstores.
Timers & Productivity
Dubbii- A body doubling app that provides step-by-step body doubling videos to help you complete everyday chores and self-care tasks.
Time Timer- A simple and straightforward visual timer.
One Sec- A simple app that limits mindless social media use by asking you to confirm that you want to open the app.
Flora- Encourages you to focus and stay off your phone through incentives, including planting both digital and real trees. Also includes to-do lists and habit trackers.
Think Divergent- A text only body doubling app that pairs you with someone who is also trying to accomplish a task.
Opal- Helps manage app usage and limit doomscrolling. Optional focus tracking and leaderboards.
Study Bunny- A timer and motivation tool to support studying.
Alarmy- Make sure you are awake before you shut off your alarm by having you answer questions, play games, or complete missions.
Planners & Reminders
Countdown- Simple app for multiple countdown timers.
Water Llama- Reminds you to drink water in a fun and interactive way.
Tiimo- Daily planner and organizer specifically designed for people with ADHD.
Remember the Milk- A to-do list app with a lot of extra features to help you organize, prioritize, and remember things on your list.
Owaves- A visual planner with days organized as 24-hour circles.
Kinder World- Reminds you to do simple self-care by guiding you through a 2-minute check in twice a day.
Structured- A visual daily planner including to-do lists and reminders.
Goblin Tools- A variety of tools designed to help neurodivergent people complete everyday tasks like breaking a project into steps, identifying the tone in writing, or estimating how long a project will take.
Health & Mindfulness
Sleep Cycle- A sleep tracker that helps you fall asleep, provides data about how you sleep, and wakes you up gently.
Daylio- A daily visual bullet journal, mood tracker, and habit tracker that does not require any writing.
How We Feel- A feelings tracker that helps you explore your feelings, spot patterns, and practice strategies that promote well-being.
Rootd - Step-by-step support for anxiety and panic attacks.
Insight Timer- A robust meditation app with everything from sleep support to expert lectures and discussion groups.
Finch- Encourages the self-care that works best for you while caring for a virtual pet.
Stellarium- A planetarium app that tells you what you are seeing in the sky.
Bearable- Health and symptom tracker for moods, mental health symptoms, physical symptoms, pain, energy levels, medication and more.
Fidget & Sensory
This is Sand- Sand art creation game with optional sound component.
Fill the Fridge- Calming organizing game based around organizing and sorting objects.
Fluid Simulation- Calming liquid swirling experience.
Pop it Game- Simple pop-it games with a variety of shapes and colors.
Heatpad- Turns your screen into a relaxing heat based drawing pad.
Paint by Number Coloring Game- Simple but beautiful color-by-number activities.
Tappy- Customizable tap and fidget games along with extras like mood tracking and breathing guides.
Cats & Soup- A simple and relaxing game that involves caring for cats. Includes a variety of calming background music to choose from.
Kids: Learning & Fun
Starfall- Simple interactive games, videos, and songs that cover k-5 grade academic content, including phonics and number sense.
Otsimo Special Education- Learning and social skills app designed for neurodiverse kids
Speech Blubs- Uses educational games and videos to encourage speech and language development.
GoNoodle Games- Fast-paced mini-games designed to get kids moving.
GoNoodle Videos - A variety of videos for kids, including dance, yoga, and mindfulness. Great for brain breaks and gross motor activities.
Science for Kids- Science videos, activities & games for elementary students.
Brain Pop- Simple, clear, and engaging videos & activities explaining a wide variety of topics from SEL and personal care to academics. Designed for grades 3-8. Also available: BrainPop Jr for grades k-3 and BrainPop ELL for students learning English.
Kahn Academy- Short and engaging educational videos and activities on a wide variety of topics. Also available: Khan Academy Kids for grades prek-2
Kids: Help & Support
Visual Countdown Timer- A simple visual timer with customizable images.
Choiceworks- Allows you to create interactive visual schedules, choice boards, feeling boards, and waiting timers.
Proloquo2Go- A simple assistive communication tool designed for children.
Tap 2 Distract- Simple calming and distracting activities to help kids get through anxiety-inducing situations like medical exams.
Social Story Creator- This allows you to build your own social stories or buy pre-created ones.
Touch and Learn Emotions- Uses real photographs to help students identify emotions.
Pokemon Smile- Turns toothbrushing into a fun activity using Pokemon.
Joon- Turns everyday activities into a quest for kids to complete.