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Parents of Twins with Autism Open Up About the App They Created to Help Kids Develop Social Skills: It’s ‘Incredible’ to See Its Impact

By Tiare Dunlap @tiaredunlap

04/29/2016 AT 01:50 PM EDT
Shari Grande and her husband call the day their two-year-old son Elijah was diagnosed with autism “the day of nevers.”

“His physician told us he’ll never talk, he’ll never interact, it was just one ‘never’ after the next,” Grande, 49, tells PEOPLE.

Eleven years after his diagnosis, Elijah has gone on to accomplish much of what was deemed impossible. The Sunnyvale, California, teen even attends a mainstream public high school.

Grande, a clinical social worker, credits her son’s success to a number of interventions, including the learning app The Social Express.

Keep up with your favorite celebs in the pages of PEOPLE Magazine by subscribing now.

Created by parents Marc and Tina Zimmerman, whose identical twins Jason and Jared have autism, The Social Express is an interactive software that helps kids with autism learn how to read emotions, empathize and react in social situations.

Parents of Twins with Autism Open Up About the App They Created to Help Kids Develop Social Skills: It’s ‘Incredible’ to See Its Impact| Twins, Autism, Medical Conditions, Real People Stories

The San Diego, California, couple invented the app as a way of giving their sons the tools they needed to ease the social isolation they experienced every day.

“It was very difficult because all of our nieces and nephews are highly social and have always had a lot of friends and play dates,” Marc tells PEOPLE. “Our kids never had many play dates and if put into a social situation, they would just go sit alone in a corner.”

However, after seeing how their sons responded to technology and cartoons, the Zimmermans enlisted experts to write a software program that could model social situations with engaging animation. The parents took turns sitting with their sons as they watched the animations, and helped them talk through their decision-making process when asked how a character on the screen should react.

“They would sit down to use the program and engage with us,” Marc recalls. “That was the tough part – getting them to engage. Once they were engaged we saw them speaking more to each other and acting more comfortable in social situations.”

Parents of Twins with Autism Open Up About the App They Created to Help Kids Develop Social Skills: It’s ‘Incredible’ to See Its Impact| Twins, Autism, Medical Conditions, Real People Stories

Now 14, Jason and Jared are best friends attending a mainstream middle school, earning straight As and playing in a band. “They’re different kids than they were when they were diagnosed,” Marc reflects.

The twins’ case is not unusual. Since its launch in 2011, use of The Social Express as a teaching tool for kids with social differences has been adopted in 70 countries and in hundreds of schools around the U.S.

“We get emails from around the world from parents telling us about how it has helped their kids,” Marc says. “It’s just incredible to see how something we created to help our own kids has had such a bigger impact than we would have ever imagined.”

Parents of Twins with Autism Open Up About the App They Created to Help Kids Develop Social Skills: It’s ‘Incredible’ to See Its Impact| Twins, Autism, Medical Conditions, Real People Stories

That impact is not lost on moms like Grande, who says the program helped her son to open up and fit in.

“He’s just a nice, open and bubbly kid and he has become my greatest teacher,” she says.

http://www.people.com/article/social-express-california-couple-creates-app-social-skills-twins-with-autism

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Bullying, Students with Disabilities, and Social Emotional Skills

Bullying, Students with Disabilities, and Social Emotional Skills

Students with disabilities face an increased risk of being bullied. Some also engage in bullying behavior. To ensure the emotional well-being of its most vulnerable students, schools must take essential steps to reduce the bullying of students with disabilities and remedy the harmful effects.

This document will address the federal laws associated with bullying of and by students with disabilities, research insight related to such bullying, as well as how The Social Express® and Cool School™ can support a multi-tiered approach to assist all students in gaining more effective social relationship skills.

Federal Laws Associated with Bullying and Students with Disabilities:

Three federal laws govern situations related to bullying of or by students with disabilities: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).[i]

The importance of addressing the risks associated with bullying and students with disabilities was recently reinforced by the U.S. Department of Education (Department) in two Dear Colleague Letters. In 2013, the Department’s Office for Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) issued a Letter that called upon schools to address bullying of or by students with disabilities who are receiving services under the IDEA.[ii] In 2014, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Dear Colleague Letter reminding schools of their obligations to address the harassment of students with disabilities under Section 504 and Title II.[iii]

Under Section 504 and Title II, a school’s inappropriate response to harassment of a student based on disability constitutes disability-based harassment. It is the responsibility of schools under Section 504 and IDEA to ensure that students receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Bullying of student with a disability on any basis (whether based on the student‘s disability or not) can result in a denial of FAPE that must be remedied. Discriminatory harassment and denial of FAPE are two different, but related, issues.

In determining whether disability-based harassment has occurred, OCR will consider the following:

  • Was a student with a disability bullied by one or more students based on the student’s disability?
  • Was the bullying conduct sufficiently serious to create a hostile environment?
  • Did the school know or should it have known of the conduct?
  • Did the school fail to take prompt and effective steps reasonably calculated to end the conduct, eliminate the hostile environment, prevent it from recurring, and, as appropriate, remedy its effects?

Schools also face the potential of financial liability if sued by a student based on discriminatory harassment. In 2012, the Second Circuit upheld a 1 Million Dollar verdict against a New York school by a student who had endured over three years of harassment.[iv] It appeared the school was doing everything required in most anti-bullying statutes. It had a policy against bullying, held trainings, had a reporting system, and responded every time the student reported. The Court noted that the school ignored many signals that more action was needed and only engaged in “half-hearted efforts” to correct the “culture of bias” that was fueling the harassment.

When addressing discriminatory harassment, the focus is on the overall school climate, the behavior of other students towards students with disabilities, and the effectiveness of interventions in hurtful situations. If students with disabilities are regularly treated badly by their peers, a school must be engaging in diligent efforts to increase the level of respect demonstrated by all students towards those with special needs and intervene effectively.

In determining whether a student receiving IDEA FAPE or Section 504 FAPE services who was bullied or engaged in bullying was denied FAPE, OSERS or OCR will consider:

  • Did the school know or should it have known that the effects of the bullying may have affected the student’s receipt of IDEA FAPE or Section 504 FAPE?
  • If the answer is “yes,” did the school meet its ongoing obligation to ensure FAPE by promptly determining whether the student’s educational needs were still being met, and if not, making changes, as necessary, to his or her IEP or Section 504 plan?

When addressing FAPE, the focus is on the educational needs of and services provided to the student. A school’s investigation should determine whether that student’s receipt of appropriate FAPE services has been affected by the bullying. If bullying of a student has created a hostile environment, there is reason to believe this has also interfered with FAPE. But even if the situation does not meet the level of a hostile environment, or if this is a situation where the student with disabilities has engaged in bullying, the school still has an obligation to address FAPE-related concerns.

As part of an appropriate response to a bullying situation, the school should convene the IEP or 504 team to determine whether the student’s needs have changed such that the IEP or 504 FAPE services plan is no longer providing a meaningful educational benefit. The team must determine the extent to which additional or different FAPE services are needed to address the student’s individualized needs and then revise and implement the IEP or 504 plan accordingly. However, efforts to address the bullying situation must also not result in a denial of FAPE. For example, schools must avoid the unilateral placement of a student in a more restrictive environment as a way to address the bullying concerns.

Under IDEA, schools must establish objectives for both academic and functional skills. A student who is being or engaging in bullying will likely require additional or different functional skills objectives, specifically those related to improving this student’s social relationship skills.

If a student with a disability is engaging in bullying, the situation must be investigated thoroughly to determine whether this student’s inappropriate behavior is associated with his or her disability. For example, the symptoms associated with trauma or conduct disorder include aggressive behavior that could be considered bullying.[v] It is also possible that this student’s aggressive behavior is in response to being disparaged by other students.[vi] Both of these kinds of situations, should result in an IEP or 504 meeting to determine whether additional or different FAPE services, including functional skills objectives, are required.

Increased Risk of Bullying Associated with Disabilities:

Students with disabilities are more likely to be involved in bullying situations than their peers.[vii] This includes being bullied or engaging in bullying–or both. These students may have physical characteristics or engage in behaviors that place them at greater risk of being targeted. They may be perceived to be “different” because they leave the general classroom environment to receive more specialized services. Their disability itself may play a role in limiting their ability to accurately interpret social cues and respond in an effective manner. Also their disability may make it more difficult for them to recognize the concerns and gain adult assistance.[viii]

The aggressive behavior of students with disabilities, especially those who are classified as having emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), may be a component of their disability. Alternatively, such aggressive behavior may be a reaction to the frustration of constantly being the target of aggressive behavior by others. It is important these situations are distinguished.

A consistent finding in the literature is that students with disabilities often lack the social relationship skills necessary to avoid involvement in bullying situations. One recent study found that students with disabilities engaged in fewer prosocial behaviors and were more socially isolated than students without disabilities.[ix] The authors outlined the necessary steps to address these concerns:

Effective interventions that target bullying behaviors in schools are designed to restructure the school climate so that it is positive and inclusive. These interventions underscore the complex ecology that foster and maintain a bullying climate suggested that by increasing awareness, understanding and acceptance among all students and teachers may decrease the risk of involvement in bullying for students in special education. Bullying prevention and intervention should be implemented for students, regardless of disability status and should emphasize the teaching of prosocial skills. Students in general education may participate in this process by serving as the prosocial role models for students with disabilities. Additionally, programming should be consistently implemented across general and special education, should occur in each grade, and should be part of the inclusive curriculum. Social and emotional learning initiatives can create a culture of inclusion for all individuals. A culture of respect, tolerance, and acceptance is our only hope for reducing bullying among all school-aged youth.

The Social Express® & Cool School™ Can Support Prosocial Behavior:

Addressing the challenges associated with bullying of and by students with disabilities will require a multi-tiered social-ecological approach. Schools must focus on increasing the tolerance and acceptance of students with disabilities by their peers and assisting those with disabilities in gaining the prosocial skills necessary to more effectively interact with peers. Social Express & Cool School™ can provide essential support for the necessary multi-tiered social-ecological approach.

Tier 1. Universal Instruction

The objective for universal instruction is focused on increasing the awareness, understanding, acceptance and compassion of all students, especially towards those who are “different,” including those who have disabilities. This instruction should also reinforce how students can reach out to be kind to others and step in to stop hurtful situations. The Social Express® and Cool School™ support effective universal instruction especially at the elementary school level.

Tier II. Individualized Targeted Supports.

Because students who have disabilities face greater social relationship challenges, it is recommended that schools proactively address this concern by providing social skills instruction in the Learning Center.

Students with social learning challenges require direct instruction, with each facet of every skill broken down into small pieces. The Social Express® addresses these areas of need by providing a highly interactive and visual presentation which allows for the generalization of skills outside of the teaching environment. Cool School™ utilizes the same individualized approach to address the specific challenges associated with those who are hurtful. For both of these programs, additional face-to-face role-playing activities can provide the opportunity for students to practice essential social skills in a protected environment.

Intensive Interventions:

The Social Express® and Cool School™ can also be incorporated into the more comprehensive intensive interventions required by the minority of students who face even greater social relationship and behavioral challenges.

 

[i] Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 29 U.S.C § 79; The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12134; and Individuals with Disabilities Act. 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.

[ii] U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (August 20, 2013) Dear Colleague Letter Keeping Students with Disabilities Safe from Bullying.

[iii] U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, (2014) Dear Colleague Letter on bullying of students under Section 504.

[iv] Zeno v. Pine Plains Central School District, 702 F3d 655 (2d Cir. 2012).

[v] Rose, C. A., Swearer, S. M., & Espelage, D. L. (2012). Bullying and students with disabilities: The untold narrative. Focus on Exceptional Children, 45(2), 1–10.

[vi] Rose, C. A., Espelage, D. L., & Monda-Amaya, L. E. (2009). Bullying and victimization rates among students in general and special education: A comparative analysis. Educational Psychology, 29, 761–776,

[vii] Rose, C. A. (2011). Bullying among students with disabilities: Impact and implications. In D. L. Espelage, & S. M. Swearer (Eds.), Bullying in North American schools (pp. 34–44). (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

[viii] Rose, C. A., Espelage, D. L., & Monda-Amaya, L. E. (2009). Bullying and victimization rates among students in general and special education: A comparative analysis. Educational Psychology, 29, 761–776,

[ix] Swearer, S. M., Wang, C., Maag, J. W., Siebecker,A. B., & Frerichs, L. J. (2012). Understanding the bullying dynamic among students in special and general education. Journal of School Psychology, 50, 503–520.

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Social Express named in Common Sense Media Power Up Special

Common Sense Media has officially launched its updated Power UP Special Needs and Learning Difficulties Guide for Kids; and The Social Express II is included!

Being featured in this guide is a meaningful milestone for us. The Common Sense Media team spent months diving deep into research, interviewing experts and educators, and testing products with families and field leaders. Their goal? To identify high‑quality, thoughtfully designed tools that can genuinely support kids who benefit from learning in non‑traditional ways.

We’re proud that The Social Express II was selected as one of those standout resources. It reinforces our mission to help all learners build the social‑emotional skills they need to thrive through engaging, interactive experiences that make skill‑building feel natural and fun.

If you’d like to explore the full guide, it’s available for free on Common Sense Media’s website:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/guide/special-needs

At Brighten Learning, we’re committed to creating tools that meet diverse learners where they are. Being recognized in this guide motivates us to continue innovating and supporting educators, parents, and,most importantly, kids.

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Review of The Social Express – Best Social Skills apps for Teenagers

 

 

 

Review of The Social Express – Best Social Skills apps for Teenagers

By Helen Wagner

Overall Impression

This is the most comprehensive social skills app which I have found, to date. I highly recommend it to SLP’s, parents and teachers of socially deficient students. It’s lessons must not be rushed through.

Overall Rating: 5

Appy Ratings (Appy’s):
•Educational Value: 5
•Entertains/Engages User: 5
•Customization/Settings: 5
•Value for the money: 4
•Ease of Navigation: 5
•Quality of Graphics: 5
•Overall Rating: 5

Category:
• Social Skills

Goals:
•Comprehension
•Emotions
•Problem Solving Skills
•Wh Questions
•Social Skills Development

Age Group:
•Lower Grades (Age 6-8)
•Upper Grades (Age 9-10)

Overview

The Social Express is a unique movie-like set of interactive training/practice lessons in using Hidden Social Keys or rules, in order to enable users to become more socially competent and to fit in with a group. It is intended for elementary to middle school aged learners who do not understand unspoken social rules. The Hidden Social Keys are: Keep your body facing a group; Look at who is talking; Use your eyes, ears and brain to figure things out; Talk about what the group is talking about, Monitor and adjust your behavior when you’re with a group; Look at what others are looking at; Try to figure out what to do based on how others are feeling; and talk about things that others like to talk about. There are two levels of instruction to choose from, depending on the severity of the social delay. The app is designed to be completed with a teacher and a learner working together to explore a variety of social situations. The user makes choices about what should be done in given social situations. The teacher and learner discuss the different scenarios presented and problem solve together to determine the appropriate course of action in various social situations. A pause button allows discussion and questioning during each activity. 12 coping strategies are also taught. The program comes with an online user guide, printables (achievement awards, feelings cards, coping strategies, hidden social keys cards, and character profiles). Emma, Zack and their dog are the featured, animated characters who are faced with social scenarios in a realistic environment/world. The characters use a hand-held “Digital Problem Solving” device to make appropriate behavioral decisions. A matching app called DPS
(Digital Problem Solving) can be purchased separately to go along with the use of Social Express. The Social Express provides for specific practice of social skills.

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San Diego Walk Now for Autism Speaks Was a Great Event!

 

San Diego Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Our family had an awesome time at the San Diego Walk Now for Autism Speaks on Saturday, October 6. The twins were overjoyed that the organizers had arranged for a jumpy! They had a great time because jumpys are a big favorite with our boys. It was not easy to get them to get off of the jumpy…

So, the twins’ second favorite activity (after the jumpy) of the day was drawing…

San Diego Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Maybe drawing was so cool that day, because they’d just walked 2 miles. And they were tuckered out. They could sit down. Which was fine with their mom and me!

The San Diego Walk Now for Autism Speaks turnout was really big. Safe to say, a great time was had by all. There were tons of families.

Walk Now for Autism Speaks San Diego

You can click to the Facebook page for Autism Speaks San Diego for lots more pictures. Click here for their Facebook page.

I enjoyed talking to the other parents and all the exhibitors. San Diego has such great people and kids!

The Walk was held at the beautiful, historic Liberty Station Park. It’s located near San Diego Harbor and was originally the site for the United States Naval Training Center for new recruits.  Like a lot of historic buildings in San Diego, Liberty Park has many restored buildings that are in the Spanish style of architecture.

According to the history on Liberty Station’s website, from 1923 until the 1990’s, thousands of US Navy recruits were trained here. It also says that San Diego is home to one-sixth of the US Navy’s entire fleet!

The boys were disappointed that they missed out on the face painting at the Walk. It was over by the time we arrived. Oops. Better planning next time.

If you’d like to check out where the next Autism Speaks Walk is happening near your home, click over here. They keep a handy list of upcoming walks.

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Music is One of the Best Activities for Kids with Autism

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I think music is absolutely one of the best activities for kids with autism. Music played a huge role for me when working with my twin boys diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

I was so lucky to be able to learn music and the piano, myself, at a young age. By the age of four, I was a child prodigy playing difficult piano pieces. I went to Berkley School of Music in Boston. Later I became a music composer as well as a musician.

I was so lucky because I played keyboards with lots of different bands. The bands ranged from jazz, to metal bands to rock. It was so cool.

So, as you can imagine, I really believe that old saying, “Music has the ability to soothe the savage beast”.

I think music is just as important as English, mathematics or any other school subject. Fortunately, our boys love music too. One has learned to play the violin and drums. The other is learning to play the piano. Although, one of our twins also loves art. He’s become an illustrator and draws pictures for stories all the time.

Music Provides Great Autism Help for Parents!

Music became especially helpful when our twins transitioned to mainstream school from special education classes. That’s also about the time the boys became interested in socializing with other children. For your child on the spectrum, an interest in music might come at a different time.

Because of the boys’ transition to mainstream classes, I was inspired to write about singing, dancing. I wanted to help them understand how we use our words to socialize with others.

My friend, Kelly Keeling helped me create an album of songs on the topic of social learning. He’s a wonderful singer. Kelly and I met twenty years ago while we were playing together in the band Baton Rouge. (We were signed to Atlantic records.)

Then 20 years later I called Kelly to help me with this unique children’s set of songs. I wanted to write music to help our twins learn about social awareness and social skills through original songs. Eventually, these became the songs we used when developing our social learning program, The Social Express.

We named the collection of songs (album) “On Our Way to Happy Village”. The music is for our upcoming software (Brighten Learning) which is due out in 2013.

We finished the music first and thought people would enjoy it even though the software isn’t finished. The proceeds for sales of songs on Lime Green Limousine go to help research for Autism.

My boys really like one song I wrote, Feelings Change Each Day. They also like a soft ballad I wrote, Beautiful Day. If you’d like to check out the lyrics, you can click to this website. www.limegreenlimo.com/lyrics

When to Use Music with Your Child

I suggest that you try using music with your child with autism, if you don’t already. Anytime of the day or evening is good. When they need to settle down, or when they may be starting to have a meltdown.

I play softer songs like ballads for our boys at night when they’re getting ready to go to sleep. We play songs on the iPad. You can also play songs for your child on a PC.

Sometimes when they come home from school, they have to get the pent-up energy out. Do your kids have this energy thing when they come home from school?

Anyway, we put on music, sing and dance together. We have fun and the boys get the bugs out and work off their energy from the day at school. We think music is one of the activities for kids with autism.

Join our free newsletter! Get insider updates from The Social Express, click here to join us![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Activities for Kids with Autism: LA Walk Now for Autism Speaks – Los Angeles

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 One of the Most Inspiring Activities for Kids with Autism!

We were so excited to spend Saturday, April 21, 2012 with the Autism Speaks – Los Angeles community. The LA Walk Now for Autism Speaks took place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

We’ve attended many activities for kids with autism over the years. The 10th annual LA Walk Now for Autism Speaks event was one of the most inspiring! Families, teams of walkers, and kids—everyone had an awesome time for a wonderful cause.

There were so many heartwarming moments at the LA Walk Now for Autism Speaks. As a parent of kids with autism, or an educator working with families of kids with autism, you can imagine. So many people coming together for such a worthy cause. And such a safe environment for all of the kids!

The day was so beautiful! Thanks to the warm Los Angeles weather.

The number of attendees was very impressive. And the fact that so many different teams came together as one community was truly heartwarming. According to the local KABC7 news station, this Walk is the largest in the country.

We loved introducing our new social learning software to new friends all day! Parents and teachers tell us that The Social Express is one of the best learning activities for kids with autism.

We displayed The Social Express on our iPads to new friends that came to our booth. It was so inspiring to watch kids and parents interact with the characters.

Jon Cornick, our President, who brought along his daughter, Sammy, said,

“Watching new friends, the kids and parents that visited our booth, using our social learning software was one of the proudest moments in my life!”

 

You can see lots of photos of the Walk on the Facebook page of Autism Speaks, Los Angeles. Click here: http://www.facebook.com/AutismSpeaks.LosAngeles

Also according to KABC7, the Walk Now for Autism Speaks event in Pasadena is the largest of its kind in the country. Saturday’s walk raised more than $1.5 million.

Also reported, the funds raised by the Walk are going to be used to fund research at UCLA, USC, Children’s Hospital and other Los Angeles based research organizations.  You can find the complete news report by clicking here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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How to Choose an App for Kids With Autism

You’re so excited! You just discovered the app store on your computer or your mobile device, however, your head is spinning with the amount of apps available for kids with autism. From social skills to math and everything in between, no worries, I know how you feel. I remember my first time checking out apps and thinking ‘how in the world I am going to know what is a gimmick versus what will actually hold my twins attention?’

There are tons of free apps out there and just as many for less than $5.00. My first advice for you is to download an app based on a target area which you are currently working on. I found the non educational apps such as Angry Birds, Bubble Popper, Can Knockdown and Ant Smasher (just to name a few) to be good for my twins to play just for fun. Some of these actually seem to have helped with hand and eye coordination as well.

Be careful though not to let them play some of these apps for too long. Angry Birds in particular seems to make one of my boys extremely anxious. I understand as I have clocked several hours playing this addicting game myself.  Here are just a few apps which I have found to be very useful for my kids with autism.

TT Clock- A great app for learning how to tell time

Kids Math Fun- Another great one for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They have it broken out for different grades which is nice

Vocabulary Builder- Learn a new word every day

Sentence Builder– One of my favorites!

Question Builder- A great way to learn who, where, what and why questions

Story Builder- Helps to teach what will happen next.

Shell Lagoon- Works on Homonyms, Synonyms and Antonyms

Piano Plus– A fun way to learn how to play the piano

A Checklist for Choosing an App for Kids with Autism

Making a checklist before jumping into the app store makes a lot of sense to help you decide which app to buy.

1. Write down your target areas.
2. Read reviews before downloading.
3. Ask you therapist or teacher which apps they are using and you can download the same to supplement at home.
4. Make sure to open up the preferences or setting in each new app (if part of the app) and customize to your child’s ability.
5. Pick up a few fun non-educational apps which can be used for downtime fun.

Can you tell us which apps you like to use for your kid(s) with autism?

Image:iStockphoto.com

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