Apps for Social Skills and Autism Interview by Time Timer(R)

Thanks to Jessica Chase of Consonantly Speaking website and the Time Timer®  team for a great blog post: Apps for Social Skills and Autism.

Jessica mentioned The Social Express when asked to name her favorite social skills apps.

Here’s an excerpt from the Time Timer interview:

Time Timer: What is the goal of speech therapy? How can it help children across the Autism Spectrum? 

Jessica Chase: Speech-Language Therapy is all about helping people communicate by any means possible.  People on the Autism Spectrum are so diverse. Some have much difficulty communicating at all, while others are great verbal communicators but have difficulty with social communication skills. Some may be working on using eye contact, some may be focusing on using an Alternative Communication device, and others may be learning how to maintain conversation topics.

It really depends on the person’s communication needs, but speech-language therpay can greatly benefit people on the Autism Spectrum – and the sooner they start, the better. 

TT: Which are your favorite apps for building social skills?

JC: I recommend the Social Express, Conversation Builder, Emotional Detective, Social Adventures and any of the Wonkido apps.

I also like the Fun Decks: What Would You Do At School If, What Would You Do at Home If, How Would You Feel If and Practicing Pragmatics.

Jessica also recommends The Social Express for Speech Therapists.

You can read the complete interview at the Time Timer’s blog by clicking here

Time Timer is a cool company that offers many different visual timers.  Each timer displays a wonderful large red (colorful) dot.

The dot becomes smaller as the time counts down. Time Timers are available in in physical clock form or as an app.

From the website, Time Timers are recommended for special needs children and youth.

Recommended by Autism and ADHD experts, the Time Timer is totally intuitive. It comforts toddlers, builds independence in youth with learning disabilities…

They also suggest ideas for using Time Timers to help children with autism. Here are two tips from the company’s Tip Sheet for Special Needs:

Succeed at timed activities:  “Finish your dinner before the red runs out.”

Learn to anticipate transitions: “Here’s what ‘5 more minutes’really means.”

I think we may all need help with ‘What 5 more minutes really means’. Like maybe when I’m watching a football game and my wife has a chore for me to do…

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