A toy designed for autistic children won the 2011 Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum. Designed by Laura Chun Urquiaga, PlanToy’s Build-a-Robot aims to teach facial expressions and enhance dexterity in autistic children aged 3 to 7. Build-a-Robot offers four interchangeable heads, with different emotional expressions and different tactile surfaces. To exercise dexterity, the robot’s head and legs can be detached and re-attached.
Painting or wallpapering sounds like a nightmare to me, given my poor coordination and absent-mindedness. No doubt, most autistics with similar traits would feel the same. Tempaper is an interesting alternative. It’s as good as standard wallpaper, but has a self-adhesive backing and is repositionable. Most important of all, it’s removable and (on most walls) doesn’t leave a sticky residue. No glue to spill, no messy brushes and if you make a mistake, just take it off and try again.
Multi-tasking is a challenge for anyone, but especially for many autistics. Some have problems listening and 
taking notes at the same time. That’s where the Echo Smartpen comes into its own. It records the audio as you take notes, and syncs the recording to the notes. Simply tap in a section of your notes, and the Echo will play what you heard when you wrote that bit. The Echo requires special dotted paper, but you can print it out yourself or buy from the affordable range of Livescribe notebooks.
“EVERY high school and college student with learning disorders involving processing speeds, slow writing, Asperger’s Syndrome, or attentional issues should have and use this product.” [Customer Review]
This is one of those products that appeal to me personally, but I suspect other autistics would appreciate. It’s a one-handed watch by Defakto of Germany, a simple and logical design. The big indexes indicate hours, and the smaller ones are 15 minute increments. There are several versions (as well as traditional two-handed ones) on the Defakto website. Each watch comes with a two-year guarantee. Dial sizes vary (some are a little large), so be sure to pick a size that’s right for you. Defakto is not the only maker of one-handed watches. Others include Botta and Meistersinger.
Video review courtesy of Word & Wound.
Many autistics are irritated by the texture of certain fabrics or rough clothing in general (often including seams and labels). Some even resort to wearing clothes inside-out to avoid contact with seams. Thankfully, there’s now a line of clothing for children with such sensory issues. The brand is simply called ‘Soft’, and its clothes have the following special features (according to the company factsheet):
- Flat seaming for extra comfort
- Soft cotton combed, peached and bio-washed for extra softness and smoothness
- Wide collars for a roomy fit around the sensitive neckline
- Encased elastic waistbands that donʼt pinch
- Printed labels that donʼt itch
- Printed details like buttons, zippers, ties, and accessories—allowing children to dress up without discomfort
- Vegetable dyes, natural enzyme washes, and water-based prints to protect against allergies
For more info, visit their website.
Absent-mindedness or ‘brain fog’ can be an issue with the sensory overload that usually accompanies autism. The Find One Find All (FOFA) system is a practical solution for keeping track of everyday items like keys and wallets. The best feature of FOFA is that no base station or remote is required (so no need to recall where you left the remote!). Instead, every token is a remote that can be used to find the others. The set comes with one flat token for wallets and one fob token for keys, etc.
I bought this for my son who has a brain injury and loses his wallet. He loves how easy it is to program and use. He has one in his wallet and one on his key chain. I recommend it for anyone who consistently loses things.
Lack of dexterity and an aversion to complex procedures can make using a cell phone a pain for many autistics. The Just5 pretty much just makes calls and texts (though surprisingly it has a torch and radio), with a large keypad for ease of use, and amplified sound to drown out background noise that autistics are sensitive to. The talking keypad calls out the digits as they’re dialled, minimising error. A physical switch on the side locks the keypad to prevent accidental dialing. An added bonus is an ’emergency button’ at the back that when depressed for four seconds, auto-dials any number programmed into it (such as the cell phone of an autistic child’s parent). This how the button works (from the company’s website):
For emergency situations, users can preset up to five phone numbers for 911, family, friends, doctors, etc. When users press the emergency SOS button, the phone will text an urgent message (e.g. “I’m having an emergency, please answer”) to these five numbers, then dial them in prioritized order. When dialing, the phone will sound a loud siren to attract the attention of others. Once someone answers a call, the phone automatically switches to loud speaker mode for easier communications. This feature is vital if a user drops the phone after pressing the SOS button.
This award-winning guide is written from an autistic person’s perspective, in language that appeals to other young people. It’s a short (only 48 pages) but succinct manual for anyone trying to relate to an autistic young person. Ideally, there should be a copy in every school library and a class taught from it in every school.
Best of the Best 2012—Chicago Public Library
Books for a Better Life Awards finalist
Clearly explain[s] the difficulties with communication and social interactions that frequently accompany autism, while urging readers to reach out to and stick up for autistic children—Publishers Weekly
Keeping organized is a struggle for many autistics, either because of cognitive weaknesses in planning and organizing or the opposite, an obsession with tidiness. Either way, autistics may find the Wonderfile personal workstation useful for storing and organising documents they work on regularly. When using the corner pocket, it may help to keep documents in folders so they don’t fall out when the bag is shut. Here’s a review by a user with ADD:
I am very pleased with WonderFile. I have ADD. This product is the first to really help me. It is uncomplicated, folds easily and has room for my tablet if I want to carry it. It’s light weight but fabric is tough and the handle is sturdy. Great value for the cost. I use it for things that are pending which used to be scattered or lost. Now my husband puts the mail in the fold and I organize bills as I open mail. I also use it for receipts. I keep travel planning and relevant tickets, maps and coupons. The best slot is my troubleshooting. It helps me prioritize actions we need to take. I get emails for the most part and put them in order giving me a timeline. I used to feel overwhelmed wondering what might be falling through the cracks and anxious when finding unopened mail. No more wondering with WonderFile. I’ll buy another if they give us new colors. I think you would be pleased with this product.
Some autistics have difficulty using a standard computer keyboard, if they have problems with muscle coordination (particular where a series of quick and subtle actions are required, as in typing). Qwerty keyboards are not laid out in alphabetical order, which can frustrate autistics who like consistency. The Orbitouch keyboard is operated by simple movements of the arms, which some autistics (and users with carpal tunnel syndrome) find a less stressful way to type.
DESIGN FOR ASD 