My favorite weather ap for the iPad
iDress Well worth the $1.99, this application is a visual way of displaying the weather for your student with ASD. The settings allow you to change the units of measure for temperature, location, and temperature levels for what you consider hot, warm, cool, cold and really cold. the first page is an image of the weather including sun or moon, clouds or none, and trees. There may be animated rain, snow or wind as well. When you slide the page over you get a closet of clothing options that match the weather for hot, warm, cool, cold, rainy, and really cold. You may change the closet if you chose.
I like this application because not only does it illustrate the weather, but gives the clothing options appropriate for the weather. In the ASD Resource Room, we have students with lots of sensory issues. These sensory issues mean they do not like certain types of clothing. Some do not like having to wear long pants or socks with their shoes. Others want to wear a sweater no matter how hot it is. The closet option really helps with talking about appropriate dress.
Misses
Dress Chris for the Weather This application has a very low tech look and should be called, "Dress Chris for the Season." While at first the it seems adorable, the functionality is very limited. The app shows a boy in a unitard that can be dressed in either summer, spring, fall or winter clothing. This does not help students dress for the weather. When I tried to use this in the classroom, my students with ASD were quite bored and lost interest quickly. The ap always starts with winter and then transitions through the seasons in order.
My Sunny Day This application reminds me of a Nickelodeon cartoon. However, students quickly recognize the pattern and repetition without learning anything new. The student has the choice between boy or girl and 'helps' them through their day. The children have milk, eggs and bread which seems harmless, but if you are a child with gastrointestinal issues or on the DAN diet, this is not indicative of what you eat each morning. The app is not customizable to change what the children have for breakfast.
