App Share

I found an iPad app recently that is really terrific. It's a visual timer that allows you to use photos to demonstrate what's going to happen. I'm using it with a student who responds very well to "First you do this" and "Then you get to do this." It works like a charm!  Here's a screenshot of what my student did during his 30-minute "free time" today:

His "First" list was long today, because he was uncooperative earlier in the day and had to make some things right before getting his free time. I made the photos by doing screenshots (of sorts) of what I'd typed in a document.  My student responded to this app almost magically. He ended up with only 5 minutes for free time and handled it beautifully.  This app has an added feature in that you can record an audio reminder that you can set to play at certain points in your time period. For example, you can tell your kid to hurry up! You could also set other sounds.

Some people use the app with more concrete photos, like a photo of a child doing a chore and then a photo of him playing with his legos. The app is called Picture Prompt Timer, and it currently costs $3.99 or $4.99, depending on where you find it, I guess. The only thing I don't like about it is that I can't just type text for the first "photo" and have it look right. I also wish I could save my timers for repeated use; though it is simple to select the photos for new timer settings, I find it tedious.

Got a favorite app to share? I'd love to hear about it!