DayCape - Daily visual planning

Many children with Autism have difficulty with changes in routine which can in turn lead to anxiety and frustration. Being able to prepare children in advance for upcoming changes in routine quickly is important for both parents and teachers. DayCape gives you the power to do this in a really efficient and collaborative way. When reviewing this app for the first time, I quickly noticed how user friendly it was. A user account is needed to enable you to set up profiles but this is a very simple process, which allows you to add schedules or activities remotely through the apps website, an excellent feature for both teachers and parents. I was really impressed by the speed in which you could do this, no sooner had I finished creating a schedule on the website, I checked the app and there it was. This feature is particularly useful for children in special education provision who often have many professionals working with them, allowing various professionals to add schedules is a fantastic way of keeping everyone in the loop, parents included. If you are scheduling for multiple users, you can set up multiple schedules for them. All schedules can be easily accessed from one account.

 

We trialled DayCape with four children with Autism at our school and the feedback was extremely positive by all. The Children really responded well whilst using the app and teachers and parents loved how simple it was to create activities. We also had a parent adding an evening schedule while their son was at school as his usual routine had changed.  

 

DayCape has preloaded images that you can use but you can also personalise the app by using your own images from your gallery. In addition to creating day timetables, you can create weekly planners or longer term schedules. A voice synthesiser feature also enhances the whole experience allowing you to reinforce visual with audio. 

Once you have created your account on the website, you can quickly start adding activities. The activity schedule quickly appears on the app and is presented on a visually pleasant, distraction free interface.  A visual timer is also present to help prepare the young person for a task/lesson coming to an end. This can also be turned off in settings if you need to do so. The visual also changes colour the closer it gets to the end of a task. 

 

The app is free initially on a 30 day trial followed by subscription options at very reasonable prices considering what the app can do. Suggestions for improvement are minimal; having a search option within the preloaded images section could be beneficial but this is a very minor suggestion.  

The developers have done a wonderful job in creating DayCape. They really seem to understand what works for children and young people with autism. Additionally, they have also recognised what is important and what works for parents and staff working with children on the spectrum. We have trialled and forgotten many visual planning apps at our school but DayCape definitely takes first place. Well done guys!