I don’t think anyone expected the iPad to become the go-to product for working with autistic individuals, but it really has become the perfect vehicle to help them learn and communicate. AutisMate is a new app available through iTunes or the AppStore that encompasses many tools that are usually separate products, brings them together and allows them to be customizable and portable.

AutisMate offers preexisting scenes, but more interestingly, the ability to build your own scenes with photos that mean something to the person with autism. I built one using a photo of our pantry. I used the tool to put “hotspots” on the photo which are “clickable”. I used hotspots to designate the area where gluten free snacks are stored in our home. I also opted to record my own voice instead of using the synthesized voice that comes with the app. I think this is a great option since it allows the user to hear familiar voices in the correct setting. You may wish to have a teacher or therapist record their voice in the school or therapy settings. This helps to build consistency which is very important when dealing with autistic children who thrive on stability.

AutisMate also offers the ability to create visual stories which can be likened to social stories. You can, again, populate the stories with photos of specific items and people in your child’s life. This would be great for all sorts of situations such as going to school, to the dentist or even on vacation. As long as you have photos you can customize these stories and review them as often as necessary. If something changes, you can easily change the scene.

photo provided by AutisMate

It also offers a Sentence Builder which uses PEC type symbols and allows the user to “write” sentences to communicate wants, needs or information. There is the Visual Scheduler portion which allows you to customize routines and schedules for your child. These can be very helpful for children that need reminders of what to do in certain situations or at different times of the day.

AutisMate is a complete toolkit which can be completely individualized for each user. It can also easily be updated as a user’s skills and needs change. The fact that it is on an iPad not only makes it interesting but it is very portable and there is a GPS option which can build items around your location. AutisMate retails for $149.99. It is not limited to those with autism, but instead, can be used for anyone with communication issues. For more information visit AutisMate online.

I was provided with a free beta version of AutisMate to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Every night I read to my boys. They love to have me read a short story book first and then we read a chapter or two from one of our chapter book series. So when I was given a chance to review four new books available in March and April I jumped at the chance. Who doesn’t want to do a Children’s Book Review?

Moustachapillar

The first book is The Moustachapillar by Jonty Lees and is just an adorable, sweet book about a young boy who wants to grow a mustache. When he sees that he can’t grow one he tries all sorts of fake mustaches until one day he meets a caterpillar and they become friends. And the caterpillar pretends to be his mustache. I don’t want to give away the ending but I will say that it is a touching book about friendship, and a book that my boys ask me to read to them over again.

Hedgehog in the Fog

The second book, Hedgehog in the Fog, is based on sketches by Francesca Yarbusova to the award-winning animated film directed by Yuri Norstein. The book is truly lovely. It is heavy and well made, and beautifully illustrated. The story centers around Hedgehog and his nighttime trip to see his friend bear, but during that trip he encounters fog and many ethereal creatures in that fog. This is a dream-like book that allow your children to imagine.

Mishmash

This book, too, is illustrated by Francesca Yarbusova and I feel really shows her Russian background. The artwork evokes traditional Russian drawings while the story, by Korney Chukovsky, reminds me of Russian stories. The book starts off very playfully with animals that don’t want to make the noises they are supposed to make, but it takes a turn that I don’t think would typically appear in an American story. I think that is what I find so endearing with the story. It reminds me of the “old country” and it is an aspect of life that I think many Americans are yearning for.

The Fox and the Hare

The last book, The Fox and the Hare, is a Russian folk story told my Vladimir Dal. Again, it contains sketches by Francesca Yarbusova to the award-winning animated film directed by Yuri Norstein. This is a beautifully crafted book, but as the mother of 3 young boys I didn’t love some of the aggressiveness of this particular book. I think because it is based on a folktale, it uses some harsher words and concepts; harsher than maybe we are used to today. I do think it would be a great piece for someone that loves to collect folk stories and it is the kind of story to help open up discussions. The story follows a hare who has lost her home to a fox. Several animals try to get the fox to leave the hare’s home, but no one is successful until the Rooster comes to help.

These four books would make lovely additions to your library and may spur you to look for the Yuri Norstein films some of them are based on.

I was provided with free copies of the book to facilitate this review.