Attainment's Dollars & Cents is a realistic money app with a clean interface that is very user friendly. Although it is simple to use, it is very robust and the free version focuses focuses on these three skills: Counting Coins, Spending Money and Making Change. Within each of these activities in the lite version of the app, there are other activities that students can do.

We trialed this app with students that have autism, and found that it was very helpful in helping them practice coin recognition, matching and sorting. Whether you are using the lite version, paid version or even the subscription based plan for your PC or Mac computer, Dollars and Cents is a great way for students to practice the skills needed for a real world experience using their devices in a relaxed environment. Although face to face conversations are important, this app is a great addition to any transition program or simply working with students or any age as it is fully customizable and goes from simple to more difficult. The “Counting Coins” activity is probably the most simple and is best used as an introduction to money and coins. It uses realistic coins with the choice of four activities. The activities within this section are naming the coin, sorting the coins, matching coins and vending (which is always a favorite).

The “Spending Money” activity allows users to select from a list of shopping items where they need to identify the correct amount of money to give to the virtual cashier so they can practice before their trip to the store. The user has a shopping list with three items and the objective is to make their way through the shopping mall finding the items. After locating the items, the student pays the cashier.

The “Making Change” activity gives students a feel of working behind a cash register. The cash register shows how much money the customer needs to pay and then how much change the student needs to give the customer.

Spending Money gives the user a wallet with a certain amount of money. In the free version, the user only has access to a few stores in the mall to purchase items. In Making Change, the user is given money and they are asked to add it up then enter it on a simulated calculator. After they enter the money, they are asked to give the customer the correct change. The app is not filled with bells and whistles, but it gives students a realistic experience using money. Our students use this app on all three levels. Money can be a difficult concept to teach.

Out of all the activities, one of the student favorites is the vending machine. In vetting this app, some of our teacher reviewers have shared their experiences in incorporating this app while addressing student IEP goals like the ones listed below and have commented, “At the end of the week, we transfer the skills in our cafeteria using the vending machine. We also go to the local mall to practice finding stores and use a shopping list to find items and their costs. Using this app has been beneficial in helping our students understand spending money.” With the paid version, in the “Spending Money” section, students can choose different stores within the mall. There is also the quiz within each section as well.

In addition to this app being great to use with students on the autism spectrum, we have also used this app with children functioning between the 5 and 9 year levels with speech and language delay and developmental delay. For those with motoric impairments and need to access the app with a switch, this app has single or two-switch scanning. Although more and more classrooms are moving to one to one devices, this app allows those single device classrooms to have a multi-user experience with multiple sign-ins. Depending on whether you have the lite version or the paid version, users can track student performance within the “quiz” activities. In the software version for computers, users can customize the interface even more as well as have full access to progress reports within each activity. In both the paid and lite versions, there is a “guest user” option for iOS, Android, and the subscription based web account so that you can immediately start using the app. The ability to have multiple users on the same account is great and something to the lite version offers as well.

Suggested IEP goals: The student will identify ____ common coins and bills. When presented with verbal math problems involving money, the student will add and subtract play money. The student will correctly exchange money for simulated purchases. The student will make simulated purchases and know to wait for change, if appropriate. Common Core Standards: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.C.8 Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ and symbols appropriately.