The Toca Boca philosophy states:
‘We think playing and having fun is the best way to learn about the world. Therefore we make digital toys that help stimulate the imagination, and that you can play together with your kids. Best of all – we do it in a safe way without advertising or in-app purchases.’
We were approached by Toca Boca who informed us that their apps had been greatly received by children with autism as well as their parents, although the apps are not ‘autism specific.’
Toca Magazine has this month been running a series of articles relating to play and the use of interactive gaming apps for children with autism. The articles can be found here. http://tocaboca.com/magazine/
‘Toca Train gives kids control over a powerful machine that doesn’t stop unless they want it to. In a world that is constantly changing, calling for our attentions and demanding things of us, it sure is nice to be able to get into a mind state where nothing else matters, where things are predictable and where I am the master of my own domain.
Perhaps that is why Toca Train has become so popular with many children, some off, some on, the autism spectrum.’
Toca Boca gaming apps have been widely recognized as being a useful tool in helping children with developmental disabilities to engage in play and to further help them with communication and to engage with others.
All of the apps are brightly colored and simplistic in design.
Shannon Rosa who is the co-founder and senior editor at the Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, blogger, writer and mother to Leo, a 14-year-old with autism, was able to answer some of our questions related to the use of Toca Boca apps. Our interview with Shannon can be read below.
A friend who was an early iPads and apps enthusiast told me about Toca Boca apps. She is a speech therapist (SLP) and had been spending a lot of time evaluating which apps were most appropriate for — and most enjoyed by — her autistic clients. She also was sensitive to my software production background (at Electronic Arts and The Learning Company) and knew I wouldn’t have much patience for badly designed apps.
Leo’s first Toca Boca app, the one recommended by my friend, was Toca Tea party. Leo had just turned eleven at the time.
How did he respond and engage with the app?
I was skeptical because Leo had never really been interested in pretend tea parties before, but the app was about much more than that — about setting the table and cleaning the dishes afterward, and getting to pretend to eat yummy cake. He really enjoyed doing all those things in the fanciful, intuitively designed Toca Boca fashion.
What do you feel are the benefits of him using these apps?
I think the apps are useful because they let Leo play the way he wants to, and do so independently. Autistic kids’ lives tend to be highly scheduled, which can lead to less free time than their non-autistic peers. They also are too often put in “play” environments where everything is actually not play, but instead is therapeutic or social or otherwise for “building skills.” We need to remember to let autistic kids play, and have free time. A blog post by Cynthia Kim, The Importance of Play, can be read here.
What is his favourite Toca Boca app?
It definitely varies. He was a Toca Band fan for a long, long time, because he loves music and rhythm, and the app lets him experiment with sound textures, tempos, and layers. And he still loves making colorful, wacky hairstyles with Toca Salon. Lately, though, he’s been having fun driving all over the countryside of Toca Cars.
How do you feel generally about the use of apps and the iPad in teaching children with autism social and communication skills?
How do you feel generally about the use of apps and the iPad in teaching children with autism social and communication skills?
But the App Store is also very much a buyer beware scenario, from an autistic user’s perspective — apps with good content often have clunky interfaces, others do not take into account autistic learning styles or motor planning needs; still others try to teach autistic learners things that non-autistic people think they should learn, like making eye contact. So people need to be aware that just because an app says it’s for autistic users doesn’t meant it’s *good* for autistic users.
And then there are apps like those from Toca Boca, which aren’t specifically designed for autistic users, but work for kids like Leo because they rely on visuals and action rather than complicated storylines or reading.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers?
Besides how much I love my son? Perhaps, how pleased I am that Leo lives in the iPad era, and how fun it has been to watch him during the past five years as he’s used iPads and apps (like those from Toca Boca) to entertain himself and enhance his learning. Shannon’s article, Five Years of My Autistic Son Rocking His iPad can be read here https://synapse.pub/five-years-of-my-autistic-son-rocking-his-ipad-7bb380d10f1c
The Toca Boca website can be found here http://tocaboca.com/