Apps for Data Collection

There are quite a few apps for collecting data on behaviors, several of which are highlighted below. At the bottom I have included some apps for collecting language data as well.

Apps for Autism and/or Behavior Data:

My Autism Day

This is a good choice for a parent and allows for tracking for multiple children. It also has a place to store contact information for various caregivers, has a calendar view (alas no reminder feature) and lots of built in areas to fill in your observations about your child on a daily basis- including what they've eaten, the activities they have done, their behaviors, and sleep patterns etc.  I really like how this gives you a framework to look at when looking for patterns in behavior- for example do tantrums always occur after a specific activity, or are they more frequent on days with the least amount of sleep?
See a full review here: My Autism Day review by SASK

Behavior Tracker Pro (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, $29.99)


Track behaviors down to every last detail! This is great for a school setting and allows for video recording and tracking of ABCs (Antecedents, Behaviors, Consequences) etc.  In the past I've had stability issues with this app but it hasn't been a problem recently.  However, there is no way to enter a PAST event/behavior.  So this is not useful for filling in information about behaviors or events AFTER they have happened- like when I come home for the day and my husband fills me in on what my son ate, any problems he had and what set him off.
I would love to see a Parent version to address this shortcoming.

FYI, Behavior Tracker Pro is also available for the Android Platform.  I also appreciate that is universal and looks fantastic on either the iPod or iPad.  Free training at behaviortrackerpro.com/support/btp


School Psychology Tools (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, $34.99)

Again, very thorough tracking down to every last detail, and similar features to Behavior Tracker Pro. What sets it apart from BTP is that is designed with school pyschologists in mind and has a feature to include assessment and report dates and so on within the app. Just like with Behavior Tracker Pro, filling in incidents after the fact this is a no-go.  I appreciate the interface and ability to add photo icons for each child. If you need very detailed information about multiple behaviors, frequency and duration, antecededents and consequences- both School Psychology Tools and Behavior Tracker Pro will do this.

AutismTrack



This has so much potential but I find myself frustrated with it. There needs to be a way to enter whether a behavior is positive or negative. It is confusing when you are measuring something like hyperactivity with a 0% to 100% scale- with the slider bar showing more and more green the closer it gets to 100%.   Also each goal says 0% (least desirable) under the slider bar. If I am measuring a negative behavior, I want the slider bar to show red as the behavior increases in intensity.

BehaviorLENS (iPad only, $29.99)
Full Review here:

My new favorite for data tracking with students!  Simple (as in straightforward) yet powerful.  The charts are visually appealing and easy to understand.  I could also see this working for most parents who are interested in focusing on a few main behaviors to track- say for example the same behaviors set in your child's Behavior Plan at school.  For those of us tracking special diets/allergies and a zillion possibly related specific behaviors or symptoms, this will not be the best fit.  The decision to allow tracking of a small number of key behaviors instead of unlimited behaviors was a very conscious one- this focus is clear when you start the app and are able to effortlessly navigate, add students and school sites, begin an observation, view data, send a report- all within a few minutes.  


On the wish list:

Autism Tracker Pro: Track, analyze and share ASD daily  ( iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, $9.99)
I can't say much as I haven't tried it out, but I like how you can track as many behaviors or symptoms as you want. 

Apps for collecting Speech and Language Data:

Super Duper Data Tracker (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, $1.99)



An inexpensive way to track speech and language goals- I really appreciate the update allowing us to record an "approximate" response, in addition to correct or incorrect. 

Vocabulary Tracker (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, 99 cents)


 This allows a parent to easily account for the vocabulary his/her child is using. An awesome update has accounted for the fact that parents often have multiple children - up to 5 kids can be tracked!


Vocabulary Tracker Pro (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, $8.99) *
* Disclosure- I provided some help/feedback in the development of the pro version



As an educator providing speech therapy services to multiple special needs children, I had some needs not met by Vocabulary Tracker and asked the developer if some additions could be made.  Vocabulary Tracker Pro was born.  Beyond keeping an inventory of  a child's expressive vocabulary (unlimited children actually), this app lets me record sentence/utterance length, and percentage of mispronounced and unintelligible words. All data, word lists and utterances can be emailed and printed out!

Another great thing about this app is that when a copy is purchased $1 goes toward helping a child with special needs secure an iPad for communicative or educational needs through iHelp SN Kids.