If somebody could make an App for autistics

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What should it be able to do?

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Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

Depends what it's for.

There are many different app-worthy things autistics need, and no way you could ever pack them all into one single app.

Unfortunately, most of the apps I can find for autistics are for young children or low functioning people. Things like assistive communication apps, DTT trial apps, and apps for caregivers to track our meltdowns.

The stuff I've found most useful is not aimed at autistics, such as a scheduler app with alarms and a spending tracker.

I wonder though.. imagine the 'Autistic App' that had all kinds of support, from low to high functioning.

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Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

I will, on occassion, use a DBT app, a mindfulness app and a Rhythm app. All, are helpful for calming me at work. Considering sensory and social issues as being root causes for my anxiety, and vise versa, I would say these apps are extremely helpful in turms of curtailing some autism related symptoms.

You could hold your phone up to someone's face and it would tell you what the expression meant.

You could hold it up to your own face and it would give you a thumbs up when you were making whatever expression you were going for.

You could record their voice and it would translate the tone of voice.

You could record your own voice or type in a phrase and it would play it back in whatever tone of voice you set it to.

It would give you picture suggestions of what to where on different occasions for different styles (prep, nerdcore, gangsta, lumberjack, whatever).

It could rewind time back a few minutes when you or someone else made a blunder. You would have time to either try again or make a quick getaway.

Improbable, yet handy potential apps:
-Figurative/implied speaking language translator (to eliminate my internal screaming of the phrase "what the hell are you saying?!")

-App that emits a certain frequency that will quiet/put to sleep those making noises above a specified decibel.

-App that shuts off all bass noises when you come within range of it.

-App that protects you in meltdown/shutdown situations by projecting a halographic person that will block any approaching people from making it worse.

-App that helps you translate your thoughts and feelings into words. (Like when I can see what the pain looks like, but can't put it into words that people would understand).

An AS/NT and an AS/ADHD translator.

I type in what I want to communicate, and the app spits back the words, facial expression, and tone of voice I need to use to have NT people (or ADHD people, depending on the setting) hear what I actually want to say instead of what they assume I said.

I would learn to co-exist with a smartphone for that app.

I also want an app that analyzes what a person said and how they said it and tells me whether they really mean it, or whether they're just in a pissy mood and saying what they know will hurt me JUST BECAUSE.

Funnily enough, I was actually thinking of creating apps about certain mental health issues as I've previously delved into programming languages, C# specifically (obviously I'm no expert, so it would based off of reading I have done, and it would for the most part just be a knowledge base, rather than an app for practical uses). In terms of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (I'll use this term to include low and high functioning, rather than say Autism/Aspergers), there were a few things I was thinking that it would need:

- It would need information that's applicable to all age groups, not just children.
- The information would need to be communicated a clear and direct manner, to give those on the spectrum the best chance of correctly understanding the information.
- It would need to be easy to navigate, with clear categories and links. In other words, no "hidden information", having it all out there in the open and easily accessible.
- In terms of the actual information, it would need to include things such as: symptoms, how to look for the symptoms, treatment options, coping strategies, areas of difficulty, how it is diagnosed, potentially related conditions. It could also include self-assessment tests, such as the AQ test, as "Aspie Quiz", any other related tests.

I think there is terrific potential in this idea. Not just one app. There are myriad possibilities. And given that there are geek HFAs here with that kind of ability...

Aside from apps meant to provide support/assistance/accommodations, I've been thinking about more autism friendly social media and other software, maybe even an entire operating system. This would probably be more geared to non-verbal people though.

Yeah, like, somebody please make this! I'll scratch up some cash and invest!

Similar apps I would like to see:

Generational translator: You can figure out what kids these days are saying or what sneaky old people are up to.

Student/professor professionalism app and boss/employee professionalism app: How to say things respectfully without brown-nosing? How to make underlings more comfortable without being inappropriate? A guide you could put on your phone would be awesome.

Politically correct translator: You can type in phrases you're about to say and it can give you a check or an x to say if it's politically correct. Rejected phrases would then have suggestions for what is okay to say.

Not nearly good enough at coding (yet) to make it but I'd like to one day.

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Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

I agree that it will take a long time.

Facial expressions are not so cut and dry. They could be very subtle.

Something that could help we sequence with. Keeps created by the user.

I could do with one for circuit training so that I can remember all the steps and the which weighted items to use, etc. It would need to be able to store lots of these, rather than mini timetable ones.

Even better would be a device where you could take a photo/video of your room and it would tell you which item to start with (pick up x from the floor and put it in this cupboard) all the way through.

Maybe start a post similar to this in the computer forum Norny, where some of the geeks are more likely to read it
perhaps, and expand on the potentials.

The more I think about it, it surprises me that no-one has done it already. Perhaps some have?

Not sure if I'm missing some point, but here at least there's a thing called a Handi Defy+, its a Motorola phone running a specialized Android-based OS designed for helping people with cognitive difficulties. I use one, and it's pretty useful.