Tech Tools for Growing Up
by
PSN Team 
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Growing up is hard. You spend your childhood attending a structured educational setting for 12+ years and then suddenly you are expected to find a job and pay bills, not to mention making sure you eat, have clean clothes, get enough sleep, and get yourself places on time! As caregivers, much of our daily activities and responsibilities revolve around the long term goals of helping our children become productive adults living as independently as possible. This task is daunting for all parents, constantly second-guessing our decisions and adjusting the amount of help and guidance we give based on that particular child’s needs and personality. Adding in the additional considerations when a child has a disability or special health care need can make some goals seem impossible to reach.
At BridgingApps we are constantly looking for new tools to help caregivers of people of all ages, young children, teens and young adults, and beyond. In this article, we thought we would focus on tools for parents of teens and young adults to help make that transition from childhood to adulthood a little easier to navigate.
For example, we know that you have lots of forms and documents sent to you for completion, so how about an app like Adobe Fill & Sign- Form Filler that lets you easily fill out and sign forms electronically and then send them wherever they need to go? This app could also be useful for your teen or young adult as they begin having to fill out forms on their own or complete job applications. For all of those doctor visits, medication changes, and more, there is a free app called The Lightning Bug App that reminds busy caregivers when they might need to update medical information while they are in the doctor’s office or pharmacy.
Perhaps your young adult is learning to take on the responsibility of planning their own meals and you want them to have some nutritional guidance? Try an app like Start Simple with MyPlate. Or maybe instead of cooking at home, they are learning to navigate visiting restaurants with friends? Tip Calculator % Tap Tip is an app that calculates the tip and even helps split the bill between the designated number of people quickly and easily. Many teens and young adults with IDD enjoy learning how to be more independent in a restaurant with this visual support.
Lastly, we, at BridgingApps, are a group of people that enjoy reading for pleasure, many of us finding it a great way to unwind and escape from the duties of caregiving for others. We encourage teens and young adults to discover what type of stories they enjoy and add reading to their tools for recreation and relaxation. The Little Free Library is a great, free tool for exploring different genres of books! We hope you enjoy these apps and find at least one of them helpful for your needs.
Adobe Fill & Sign-Form Filler
By Adobe Inc.
Adobe Fill & Sign is a great app for anyone who needs to scan a paper document and fill it out. You can enter text, mark checkboxes with checks or an “X”, use text from an autofill collection, and even use your finger or a stylus to create your signature. This is a great tool for people who do not have access to a printer to print, fill out, then scan a document to email. Just save it to the app and take care of all those tasks in one place!
FREE • Offers In-App Purchases
Tip Calculator % Tap Tip
By: Tardent Apps Inc.
This app is a simple interface with one screen for someone learning how to calculate the tip or how to split the bill at a restaurant. Simply put in the total of the bill, then choose how many people are splitting the cost and how much tip you want to leave by clicking on the stars to rate your service, then the app calculates how much each person needs to pay.
FREE • Offers In-App Purchases
Start Simple with MyPlate
By: USDA Food & Nutrition Service
Setting goals for healthy eating can be confusing in today’s world of nutrition misinformation and quick fix, too-good-to-be-true promotions. But simple, reliable guidelines do exist. The USDA’s MyPlate guidelines is a modern day version of the Food Guide Pyramid that uses the visual of a balanced plate divided into food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy). This app could serve as a great tool for the young adult learning to shop and prepare their own meals and for those who might tend towards unhealthy eating without guidelines to follow.
FREE • Offers In-App Purchases
The Lightning Bug App
By: WH Digital
Developed by caregivers and medical professionals, The Lightning Bug App was created to be a helper for anyone juggling multiple doctor appointments and needs to keep medical information updated regularly. The app helps out by using your location and reminding you to change or share important health information when you are in a certain location, like the doctor’s office or the pharmacy, sending you a helpful reminder about recent changes in care.
FREE
Little Free Library
By: Little Free Library, Ltd
Little Free Libraries are street kiosks set up to make hard-copy reading accessible to the public at no charge. If you aren’t sure where the nearest Library is, or want the adventure of trying a new one, the app can tell you where to go. The Little Free Library is a great, free tool for exploring different genres of books!
FREE
Check out BridgingApps App Search Tool to search for apps, create lists and even share them.
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.
About Authors
Amy Fuchs is the Program Manager at BridgingApps and a former special education teacher. Amy Barry is the Digital Marketing Lead at BridgingApps and mother of five children.
Cristen Reat is co-founder of BridgingApps and a mother who found success when using a mobile device with her younger son who has multiple disabilities. We share a passion for using mobile technology to enhance the lives of people of all ages with disabilities.
Helpful Articles
- Family Chat: Navigating Across the Lifespan
- Navigating Transitions How I did it!
- Transition Planning {Tip 20 of 31}
- Transition Planning Timeline (Checklist)
- Transition & Supported Employment Working for You
- Meaningful Summer Experiences to Aid Transition
- Transition: Shaping Our Views of Technology
- How Can Parents Prepare for an IEP Meeting? (Part 1)
- Apps for Supporting Independence: The Transition to Adulthood
- When Is the Right Time to Transition from Your Home to a Group Home?
- What Are Pre-Employment Skills and How Does My Child Get Them?
- Where to Go if Your Child Needs a Job or Help with Post High School Education
- Parenting Your Young Adult Through Their First Employment Experiences
- How Your Child’s Current Interests Can Help Them After High School Ends
This post originally appeared on our September/August 2022 Magazine
