Screen shot showing the boards available on Let's Create.
This week I’m reviewing Let’s Create (also listed as Autism Nonverbal Therapy Game). The developers, MyFirstApp Ltd., have created several educational apps for children including Our Feelings, My Scene, Color Me, and My House which are specifically designed for autistic children to support emotional expression, speech development, creativity, and fine motor development. Throughout this post I will refer to people with autism as autistic. This is in keeping with the preferences of members of the autistic community who view autism as an integral part of their identity and experience of the world (Sinclair, 2013).
Intended Use: The app is intended for making art and may also be a tool to support developing non-verbal communication skills.
Target Audience: The app is listed as being developed for children ages 0 to 5. It may also be appropriate for older users who are autistic or have other developmental delays.
Usability: The interface is primarily graphic. Users are presented with various pre-made shapes which they can drag and drop onto the screen to make artistic images.
Cost: The app is free to download and includes two boards (colored sticks and geometric shapes). There is an option for in-app purchase of the other ten boards for $4.99.
Technical Requirements: Available for iOS.
Sample image created with the Let’s Create app.
Pro’s: The app is simple to use and does not require reading comprehension skills.
Con’s:
The app is limited in terms of user choices (e.g. the user cannot change the color, orientation, or size of objects). This is likely by design to make the app approachable to younger users.
If the user hits the back button (arrow on the upper left corner) the app goes back to the home menu and the work the user made is lost. This is fine if you wanted to start over fresh, but also means that pieces could accidentally be deleted which might be frustrating.
Is it worth it? As a process-oriented app, Let’s Create might be a good option. To get the most out of the app it would be best to purchase the full version. I can imagine integrating this app with traditional materials to encourage sensory exploration (e.g. arranging paper shapes into a collage, making images or sculptures with colored popsicle sticks, etc.).