Transitioning from adolescence into young adulthood, one where you are being cared for and then expected to care for oneself, comes with a learning curve that can be a difficult skill to both teach and learn.
Many adolescent learners have some sort of prompt dependency on their families or caregivers who have offered them support across their life span. It can be daunting for both the child and parent when college, or moving out to start a career, is quickly approaching.
Technology has it’s pros and cons, but one of the great positives of everyone having a cell phone these days is the access to a plethora of resources. There are a wide range of apps that can be downloaded to both iOS and Android phones that utilize important self-management techniques. These can allow an adolescent to begin monitoring their own behaviors and be naturally reinforced for completing certain tasks or activities that are essential to autonomy.
Below is a compiled list of apps, from free to more significant purchases, that can be used to teach growing teenagers how to monitor their own behavior and input their own data and information to keep track of themselves.
Habitica- FREE
This iOS app can be used on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. It’s software mimics that of a video game, where the user collects points and coins by completing pre-programmed tasks throughout the day that are individualized to their own routine.
It focuses on habits, daily tasks, and a to-do list that the user can input into a schedule. As the user completes a task, such as washing the dishes, they can mark it off and earn points. These points can then be spent on changing the look of your avatar, cracking eggs that turn into cute pets, and food to provide for your pets.
Chore Wars- Free
Everyone in a household downloads this one, whether that is family members or roommates, and the idea is to compete with one another by completing daily chores.
It is played in a video game style format, where you create a character, collect points, and find treasures by completing ‘adventures’, which are input into the app beforehand. It's a great way to make doiing household tasks fun and exciting for your teenagers!
My Study Life- Free
This online planner is a versatile tool for students, and can be accessed and managed by teachers, although not necessary for it’s use.
Using this in place of a paper planner offers perks such as being notified for homework assignments or exam dates, and beautifully organizes classes by color as a visual aid.
Breathe2Relax- Free
Breath2Relax is an application used for stress management that educates the user on the effects of stress and provides exercises for breathing and
The home page is very direct and straightforward, with a button for “Show me how” that provides a video explanation of how to complete the breathing exercise.
When selecting the “Breathe” button, the user is then directed to rate their stress level, which they will do again at the end. Then, a meter will appear, filling up when the user is supposed to inhale, and emptying as the user exhales. It then adds another prompt to rate stress level after the exercise is complete to monitor the effectiveness. This tool is highly recommended for learners who utilize deep breathing as a coping strategy.
Alarmy- Free
This tool is essential for independence in waking up in the mornings and starting the day on the right foot.
It is simple to use and allows a plethora of upbeat alarm sounds for the morning and sleep sounds for relaxation or white noise at night. The best feature, however, is that it requires the user to complete a mundane task or activity must be completed in order for the alarm sound to halt. The activities range from mental (math problems, memory game), to physical (squats, number of steps), and even to finding an item in the home and taking a picture or scanning a barcode.
The idea is to get the user up and moving or get their brain firing, that way they are forced out of bed, and hopefully stay that way!
Work Autonomy- $189
Yes, that’s a hefty cost. However, the value that this app can provide for an adult who is moving into the work force for the first time is priceless.
Work Autonomy includes a feature for communicating with co-workers, task analyses for tracking the completion of tasks, and access to direct information on work expectations.
It provides similar functions as an augmentative communication system, but uses real photos of the work environment, as well as programmed voices of coworkers and supervisors as a collaborative tool.