Smartwatch for people with executive functioning deficits

[LucyStoner]

If anyone has executive function difficulties and uses a smart watch to help you with your schedule, I would love to hear your feedback. Or perhaps you have a teen who uses one.  

 

Any advice in functionality and apps is appreciated.  

 

Backstory:  My older son has ASD and is "2e".  He has been homeschooled (with a fair bit of outsourcing and group classes) from 2nd to 8th grade.  He is finishing up 8th grade and is thrilled that he has been offered a spot at a specialized, small high school that is right up his alley skills and goals wise.  This school was his first, second and third choice so it's such a relief that he got in.  

 

Our concern is helping him make the leap from having classes no more than 3 hours a day (and not every day at that) to having classes all day 5 days a week.  He's had a fairly rigorous homeschool experience, in keeping with his interests, goals and academic needs but he's also had a lot more support structure wise from me than he will have at school. 

 

I was thinking that a smart watch might help him with his schedule and reminders better what we have tried so far.  I think the wearable factor would help him keep track of it.  That said, they aren't cheap gadgets so I'd like to hear feedback from others who have used them.  Helpful or a big waste?

 

Obviously, we aren't putting all our eggs in the idea of a smart watch...he receives specialized instruction and practice now with EF issues and while my intention is to be hands-off with school, the school does expect a fairly high level of parental awareness and involvement in making sure he has the right tools, enough time and space to do his schoolwork.  

 

I got the idea when I saw the something like a smart watch for younger kids on the spectrum to help with routines.  But an actual smart watch would look more age appropriate and be more suitable for a high school and college student.  

 

I've set aside a little money for a larger than normal birthday present for his 14th birthday (which is in June so I was thinking birthday-finishing 8th grade-going to high school he's super excited about combo celebration).  I'd been thinking smart phone or a new tablet but now I am kicking around the idea of smart watch instead.  

[justasque]

I dont have a smart watch but I do use my phone to help with executive function stuff. Two apps that help are Errands and Alarmed, both by the same company Yoctoville. Alarmed is all about reminders, with various options - snooze or not, repeat throughout the day or not, etc. very customizable. Errands is more task management. Lists of tasks that can be programmed to repeat automatically - like wash kitchen linens can be scheduled with a deadline of every Wednesday; once it is marked done this week it pops up on the list of things to do by the following Wednesday.
Both are apps that are simple to use, with several layers of additional layers of complexity available if needed. (As an example, your grocery trip to do item can have a list of items that are typically needed.). I interact with each of these programs many times daily to keep me on track.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited March 12, 2017 by justasque

[Sandragood1]

My DH uses his smart phone like this. He's had one since the 1990's and we call it his external brain. Honestly we'd probably be divorced without it.

 

A note of caution: Neither of my teens, who really, really need the help were capable of using the tools a smart phone provided. First, they can set alarms and whatnot but they don't DO what the alarm is reminding them about. The maturity wasn't there. Second, there are distractions available that have been designed to be addictive. That's tough for any teenager.

 

Currently dd has had her smart phone confiscated and replaced with a flip phone. She's almost 17 and can't handle it.

 

Obviously YMMV but I want to give you a heads up.

Edited March 12, 2017 by Sandragood1

[Heathermomster]

My DS is not on the spectrum but has EF issues. He gave up using devices for scheduling because usage tapered off until he forgot about it. Son uses a basic paper organizer and checks things off as he goes. If he needs reminders, son uses Google. My boy uses Quizlet, Audible, VoiceDream, Kindle, and EverNote on his phone.

[PeterPan]

Do the smart watches have cameras? If they don't, then from a practical perspective they aren't going to be completely helpful for the EF. I think must adults using a smartwatch for their EF are *pairing* it with a smartphone. In fact, check, but I think some of the features don't work except when paired like that. My dd uses her apple ecosystem products extensively for her EF, and having a camera is essential. I haven't used the watch, but I can't fathom it's as easy to enter things as a phone or ipad. 

 

I'll just ask, is this an ASD-specific school? If it is or if they're used to dealing with a lot of SN, I would ask them. We use services at our ASD charter school, and kids regularly have tech. They would definitely have opinions on which tech for which age.

 

Just in general, if it's a socially-typical placement, I think an iphone would be significant more common than the watch. If he has any issues with fine motor, etc., he might even prefer to go directly to an ipad. Socially typical kids are going to be texting at that age and texting a LOT. My dd's high school age friends all text. It's just the norm, the expectation, and doing it on a watch wouldn't be convenient. (no privacy)

 

Personally, I really like my plus size iphone. It's finally big enough to really SHOW my calendar. I use the Calendars 5 app. It's not the default app on the iphone but one you buy. I also use the alarms on the iphone a LOT. I don't think Calendars 5 is available for the watch. I'm not seeing it on iTunes. I just don't think that's a set-up that would work very well, which might be why they didn't bother. 

 

If he has big pockets, being a guy, then an iphone plus would be super fab. Has a camera for him to take pics of whiteboard assignments. Has a big screen to show his whole calendar. Can text easily. Can let him scan documents using Turboscan so he doesn't lose them. He'll just find a ton of uses for it. And as far as losing it, well just make sure it fits in his pant pocket, kwim? You can also turn on Find My Iphone, making sure you also have on Location Services. Between that, interestingly, you'll be able to track him too. If he has a tendency to be non-compliant or disappear, it would give you that info. 

 

Yeah, I'd be concerned that the watch is giving you *some* things but not *all* the features you'd want. I assumed my dd would want one, but she uses her phone. I think he's going to need more flexibility to enter in everything. But, you know, go to Best Buy and play with the watch. I see people with them, but it's usually mothers. I think it means they can afford to have both the phone (your main device) and the watch (bonus, with you even in the shower, while you run, etc.).

[ktgrok]

I have major executive function issues and I think a smart phone is definitely a better way to go. Especially if you compare it with some other things. I also like having an Amazon echo you can get just the.which is a little cheaper and let you add reminders by voice at home but you don't really need that. But being able to add with my voice to my phone things to my Calendar or Reminders list is hugely helpful.

[ktgrok]

I think part of the reason I like being able to add things with my voice is that my handwriting is awful.

[Katy]

I use my apple watch for things like this.  I set a timer to remind me to go check the dryer.  My schedule on my iPhone syncs and as long as I have the calendar events set to alert, it vibrates on my wrist to remind me of things.  I use it far more often for this & for exercise tracking than I do to check the time.  I do think it's useless without an iPhone though, so it was expensive.

[cuckoomamma]

I have an apple watch and think it's a huge waste of money (it was a gift).  It doesn't work without the phone, the battery doesn't last more than the day (have to charge overnight and if it isn't perfectly seated doesn't charge at all) and is not user friendly.  

 

I wear it for the time and use my phone or laptop for everything else.  Don't waste your money.

[Jan in SC]

I have an Apple Watch and use it, but I don't think it will do what you want. It doesn't work without an iPhone, and the size makes it more difficult to use than a phone or iPad.

 

What will he use at school? My dc use iPads for everything at school. Some schools use chrome books or laptops. I would get something compatible with the requirements of the school, assuming it uses something.

 

I think a smartphone is a more useful tool for your son. There are lots of apps that can be useful.

[LucyStoner]

He has an iPhone 5s.  We, fortunately, don't (knock on wood) have the screen addiction issues that many run into with smartphones and teens.  His phone though is older and has a crack in the screen and he's no at the point of using it for an effective reminder yet.  I was thinking of getting him a somewhat newer iPhone without the crack in the screen as that gift. Or possibly a smart watch and then just replace the screen on his phone ourselves.  I thought the wearable factor might make the reminders more useful- just a glance at his wrist.  It's good to hear from people for whom they haven't worked.  Because the school will require carpooling and public transit, him carrying a phone of some sort is non-negotiable for me.  He needs to be able to call me and say "uh, I got on the wrong bus and ended up in someplace called "Issaquah".   :lol:   The iPhone worked great for this last summer when he was bussing back and forth between the university and home.  I liked being able to see his location too.  

 

It's not a school specifically for kids with ASD.  It is a small, unique high school program though and it's pretty much the only high school program he wanted to attend.  He will get some support from the special ed department and they are pretty good with following IEPs.  I know that they have other students on the spectrum and with ADHD who are successful there.  The person who works with him now liked the idea of a watch since we are constantly having the "well, check your phone."  "Oh gosh, WHERE'S MY PHONE?!" conversations.   :lol:  In the past, he's had an iPad as tech for his schoolwork.  This year, he got a laptop with a touch screen instead because I wanted him to learn to type in a more serious way.  The school will issue him a laptop.  Not as adaptive-tech because he has ASD but because all kids are required to use their school-issued laptop.  I'm thinking between a phone and a tablet, a newer phone might be his preferred gift.  

 

We've got some time to decide since it's a June thing.  

Edited March 12, 2017 by LucyStoner

[LucyStoner]

I dont have a smart watch but I do use my phone to help with executive function stuff. Two apps that help are Errands and Alarmed, both by the same company Yoctoville. Alarmed is all about reminders, with various options - snooze or not, repeat throughout the day or not, etc. very customizable. Errands is more task management. Lists of tasks that can be programmed to repeat automatically - like wash kitchen linens can be scheduled with a deadline of every Wednesday; once it is marked done this week it pops up on the list of things to do by the following Wednesday.

Both are apps that are simple to use, with several layers of additional layers of complexity available if needed. (As an example, your grocery trip to do item can have a list of items that are typically needed.). I interact wih each of these programs many tomes daily to keep me on track.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I need to check out Errands for me.  I've been looking for something like that.  Thanks.  

[PeterPan]

I had the smaller phone (iphone 5? I forget) and I was constantly losing it. I seldom lose my phone now that I have the 7+. I know that sounds crazy, but the size makes a big difference! And the screen is so much nicer.

 

If it will fit in his pockets and he has enough alarms, he'll check it. It will vibrate. I use the alarms under the clock feature a LOT. If he won't set them for a phone, I don't know why he'd bother on a watch. And I agree, not ipad if he's got a laptop with touch. But check out the big iphone plus. 

 

Btw, I don't know if his iphone 5 is updated for the iOS, but now you have, even from the lock screen, the ability to swipe up and access the clock. I use it CONSTANTLY. Like I've used it 3-4 times in the last couple hours with ds. It's super fast. You can change what appears on the flyouts also (I don't know what they're called) in the newest iOS and show more. You can get your calendars to show, countdowns, all kinds of things. It's really handy. In the old iOS they were crunchy, in a top pulldown, yuck. 

 

If you get him the new iphone (plus, plus!) then maybe for christmas get him bluetooth desktop speakers to go with it. :)

[LucyStoner]

Interesting about the size of the phone.  My husband replaced his 5s (which is the one our son has) with the iPhone SE because he hates the size and shape of the iPhone 6 and 6S.  I have the 6s because I decided that the plus was too large for my pockets (I like to have it in my back pocket all the time).  Whatever I get him will be gently used from Gazelle or the refurb store. 

[ktgrok]

Maybe load some planner/calendar/etc features on it before giving it to him?

[bettyandbob]

Will he use it. This applies to any device or method.

 

In eighth grade I made reviewing multiple approaches part of school. The goal was to pick something that was his choice. I assigned ADHD and Me:what I learned starting fires at the kitchen table and 7 habits of highly effective teens and something else. These books had different methods of dealing with various issues related to executive function. Ds tried stuff out and came up with new things to do.

 

I would not invest in something expensive unless I had an idea that DS would follow through with using it. If he likes the idea of a watch it may be worth it.

[LucyStoner]

I already have 7 habits of highly effective teens on order. The franklin covey stuff has been very helpful for people in our family in general. Doing that workbook is part of his spring plan for homeschool.

Edited March 12, 2017 by LucyStoner

[kewb]

My dh uses his smart phone as an external brain. We have been working with ds to do the same but as someone else mentioned their is a maturity issue that impedes progress.

[Daria]

For those of you suggesting a Smart Phone as an alternative -- how does your kid with EF issues keep track of the phone?

 

The fact that the watch is attached makes me cautiously optimistic.

[PeterPan]

Daria, good question. My dd has never lost hers. I don't know why not. I used to lose mine ALL THE TIME when I had the smaller iphone 5. Like it was perpetual for me, every day! I'm terribly, terribly scattered. I went to the iphone 7 plus, and boom I almost never lose it now. There's something so visceral about it when you get it big enough.

 

I had problems too like it would fall in the bottom of my purse and be hard to find. I needed it so big that it would go in the exterior cell phone pocket on my purse. Big is better for me.

 

My dd, who is diagnosed straight ADHD-inattentive, is on an SE and never seems to lose it. I really don't know how. I think it may just be a party of her body. :D

 

You know, I think it's that my phone is so big I can't forget it, lol. When it was tiny, maybe it was falling out of my peripheral vision? It would get buried under papers. It was just always lost! The bigger phone is less easy to bury like that.

 

Just keep the location services on and use find my iphone. Put insurance on it. Lock it so you can activate kill if it's truly, truly stolen/gone somewhere.

 

Ok, just a total aside. They're not as great probably, but you could look at these new google phones or android or something. My ds' kindle fire has a terrific alarm feature, and the dc would be able to access google calendar with it. If you want to start with a less $$ item, that would be the way to go. Better to lose a $100 kindle fire than a $700 phone.

 

You could also get an ipod and skip the phone feature. Can ipods text? Really, kids these days want to text. 

Edited March 13, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[Daria]

Daria, good question. My dd has never lost hers. I don't know why not. I used to lose mine ALL THE TIME when I had the smaller iphone 5. Like it was perpetual for me, every day! I'm terribly, terribly scattered. I went to the iphone 7 plus, and boom I almost never lose it now. There's something so visceral about it when you get it big enough.

 

I had problems too like it would fall in the bottom of my purse and be hard to find. I needed it so big that it would go in the exterior cell phone pocket on my purse. Big is better for me.

 

My dd, who is diagnosed straight ADHD-inattentive, is on an SE and never seems to lose it. I really don't know how. I think it may just be a party of her body. :D

 

You know, I think it's that my phone is so big I can't forget it, lol. When it was tiny, maybe it was falling out of my peripheral vision? It would get buried under papers. It was just always lost! The bigger phone is less easy to bury like that.

 

Just keep the location services on and use find my iphone. Put insurance on it. Lock it so you can activate kill if it's truly, truly stolen/gone somewhere.

 

Ok, just a total aside. They're not as great probably, but you could look at these new google phones or android or something. My ds' kindle fire has a terrific alarm feature, and the dc would be able to access google calendar with it. If you want to start with a less $$ item, that would be the way to go. Better to lose a $100 kindle fire than a $700 phone.

 

You could also get an ipod and skip the phone feature. Can ipods text? Really, kids these days want to text. 

 

DS completely loses the phone completely about every 2 - 3 months.  I think he's gotten a new phone for his Christmas and Birthday (spring) gift every year for years, and usually between about May and Christmas he's using some ancient thing that we've repurposed.  We don't use iPhones for obvious budgetary reasons.  His current phone (early birthday present, because the Christmas one got left on the subway) is a $30 smart phone from Virgin Mobile.

 

But it's not the losing that I'm thinking of here.  It's that he leaves his phone where he can't hear it all the time.  So, I'm calling and he's not answering, and when I finally get hold of him he says "Oh, I was walking the dog." or "Oh, it fell between the couch cushions and I didn't hear it ring." or "I left it by the sink when I went to the bathroom 2 hours ago."  So, I figure that reminder alarms are not the solution, because he won't get them.  

 

I lose everything, but not my phone.  It's just automatic that wherever I go, it goes.  You'd think the younger generation would be more like that, but not my kid.

[PeterPan]

Daria, you might compare speakers on the phones. I can hear my iphone 7 plus all over my house, and honestly I have a kind of big house. On the newest phones you have separate adjustments for the ringers and main volume, so you can turn down the overall volume (say for your music) and still have the ringer up. And mine vibrates. Even just the vibrate on mine is surprisingly loud. LIke if it's on the counter in my bathroom and the vibrate is going off, you hear the dancing in other rooms of the house. 

 

I think as long as he keeps the battery charged and has the cell service on so he can call it, he could dial it to help locate it also. I usually keep mine in airplane mode with the location services off, so it would be really lost, oy.

 

Yeah, see about the speakers. It may vary with brands of phone. I use mine for alarms all over my house and can hear it.

 

You could get him checked for hearing loss.

Edited March 13, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[ktgrok]

For those of you suggesting a Smart Phone as an alternative -- how does your kid with EF issues keep track of the phone?

 

The fact that the watch is attached makes me cautiously optimistic.

 

1. I suggest a bright case to make it easier to see. 

 

2. I often use a website that will call your phone for you...I think it's called where's my cell? So it will call it so I can find it :)

[Alessandra]

1. I suggest a bright case to make it easier to see.

 

2. I often use a website that will call your phone for you...I think it's called where's my cell? So it will call it so I can find it :)

What's the name of the site? Thx!

[ktgrok]

Daria, you might compare speakers on the phones. I can hear my iphone 7 plus all over my house, and honestly I have a kind of big house. On the newest phones you have separate adjustments for the ringers and main volume, so you can turn down the overall volume (say for your music) and still have the ringer up. And mine vibrates. Even just the vibrate on mine is surprisingly loud. LIke if it's on the counter in my bathroom and the vibrate is going off, you hear the dancing in other rooms of the house. 

 

I think as long as he keeps the battery charged and has the cell service on so he can call it, he could dial it to help locate it also. I usually keep mine in airplane mode with the location services off, so it would be really lost, oy.

 

Yeah, see about the speakers. It may vary with brands of phone. I use mine for alarms all over my house and can hear it.

 

You could get him checked for hearing loss.

 

Agreed, I can hear the alarm all over the house as well. I think often the case/speakers matter. My old android, the volume was very muffled by the case. My new iPhone, that's not an issue at all, but I also have a different case. 

 

Are you more worried about alarms/notifications at home, or at school, or? 

[kewb]

For those of you suggesting a Smart Phone as an alternative -- how does your kid with EF issues keep track of the phone?

 

The fact that the watch is attached makes me cautiously optimistic.

My ds is never more than 2 inches from his phone. Someone might send him a text or he may want to watch a video.

[Ravin]

I have found that the more dependent I am on my phone, the less likely I am to misplace it. It is now glued to me almost as effectively as my glasses.

 

Mind you, I went through losing/smashing/drowning a long parade of phones before this happened, and let's not talk about the mishaps my glasses have undergone over the years.

 

So...give him 10 or 20 years to get the hang of it all.