Apps for Supporting Independence: The Transition to Adulthood
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PSN Team 
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Transition to Adulthood
Apps and mobile devices like iPads, tablets and smartphones can make a tremendous difference in the lives of people with disabilities like ADHD and other difficulties with executive functioning and independence. These apps can aid in the transition from childhood to adulthood by increasing independence.
For children and young adults with these challenges, trying to be organized and writing things down is frustrating and can lead to dependence on their parents or other caregivers. They often have difficulty getting and staying organized. They may write hundreds of sticky notes of lists, phone numbers, names, and dates. The notes can blow away in a big wind or end up crumpled in the bottom of a backpack. Sound familiar? Then the notes – and all the information on them– are gone! When a phone or tablet is used to keep these little pieces of information together, they are easily accessible and are available at all times.
By organizing information and being able to access the information at all times, the individual will stay more organized and this leads to greater independence. Independence is vital to successful transition to adulthood!
Here are some of the apps we recommend to help with organizational skills and increase independence.
Notes
By Apple
A must-have app, the Notes app is included on all Apple devices. Jot down notes on the Notes app on a daily basis. The app allows typed notes as well as create hand-drawn notes. You can also attach web links and photos. The app has a list building feature that inserts checkboxes. You can share a note and the person you share with can make changes to the note. You can send your note via email, text message, Twitter, Facebook, Voxer, W hat’s App, LinkedIn, Trello and more. The notes in the Notes app are searchable. And, with Notes iOS 9 and later, you can create checklists, change formatting, add attachments, insert photos or videos, and sketch.
Price: FREE
Reminders By Apple
By Apple
Reminders allows you to make lists and set reminders and share these items with others. You can also set location-based reminders with this app. Use Reminders for projects, groceries, and anything else you want to track. You can choose when and where to receive reminders. You can also remind yourself to get back to something you are doing in another app.
Price: FREE
NINE
By Iain Reid
NINE is a photo-based list app, meaning you take photos to make your list. Each photo is then paired with text and put into an icon-based list. You can add a date and/or time-based reminder; recurring reminders are also supported. The app automatically adds a location to your entry. You can send your entries to other people via text message, email, Voxer, W hat’s App, Twitter, Facebook and more. You can also copy your entries into the Reminders app, the Notes app, Google Drive, Asana and more.
Price: $0.99
EveryDollar: Personal Budget
By The Lampo Group Incorporated
Every Dollar uses Dave Ramsey’s principles to help you organize your money, budget and save money. Easy to visualize where you spend your money each month. Each budget category within the app is color-coded. A ring at the top of the app creates a visual for how much of your budget has been spent for the month, broken into colors according to the categories.
Price: FREE
FTVS HD – First Then Visual Schedule HD
By Good Karma Applications, Inc
A phenomenal time saving app for teachers, parents, and educational specialists of students who need visual schedules. The app makes it easy to create, customize and share schedules. FTVS offers options to save, print and share without having to recreate the schedule.
Price: $14.99
If you are interested in searching for more apps, creating your own list of apps and sharing them, please go to BridgingApps.org. BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston, is a community of parents, therapists, doctors and teachers who share information about using mobile devices with people who have special needs.
Betsy Furler is a consultant with BridgingApps, a speech pathologist and the mother of two children, one with special needs.
Amy Barry is the Content Manager and Editor at BridgingApps and mother of five children.
Additional Apps
- Medical Tech Support
- Break It Down Tech Tools for Task Analysis
- Life-Changing Apps for People with Disabilities
- Health & Nutrition Apps for Family Fun
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This post originally appeared on our September/October 2017 Magazine
