Apps to support meaningful engagement and emotional regulation

Take a look at your phone or iPad (other tablets are available). I bet you have a number of apps to help you with your everyday occupations such as cooking recipes, managing your banking and shopping as well as apps to support your leisure activities such as singing apps, Pinterest and YouTube?

The use of technology has changed the way we interact and access our everyday activities. When I first trained as an occupational therapist we were ass

essing how someone puts a CD into a CD player to access music or how they can read a recipe book for cooking. Now people, can say 'Hey Google, play Little Mix' or 'Hey Siri, what do I need to make cheese on toast'. We no longer need to do the same assessment because we way we access these everyday occupations has changed.

People with disabilities can use these apps and technologies to their advantage. We have put together two lists of apps which we have found helpful in our practice:

1. Apps for people with learning disabilities to access meaningful activities

2. Apps for people who need support with emotional regulation. These include yoga and movement based apps as well as breathing and mindfulness apps.

You can access these on our resource pages on the website.

These apps are just a few on the market and not an exclusive list. They can help people with learning disabilities, sensory processing disorder, anxieties, autism and ADHD.

More information contact us