Tag Archive for: Social Skills

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TWO KEYS TO A GREAT MORNING WITH THE SOCIAL EXPRESS

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TWO KEYS TO A GREAT MORNING WITH THE SOCIAL EXPRESS

You know what I’ve been looking for lately? A recipe for a great morning! School days are just so chaotic with missed alarms, and learning skills like tying shoes and of course disagreements over what counts as breakfast. (What, mom?! Those cupcakes have protein, right?!)

Can we talk about this sweet boy for a second?

He is a social bug! He loves friends and makes them wherever he goes, whether they are 5 or 95! Earlier this year, we found out he has SPD, which is short for Sensory Processing Disorder. The icon for it is a rainbow-colored horse, because no two kids are the same! In Andrew’s case, it basically means that he has a hard time processing motion (excitement= lots of big motion here!) but it also effects his emotional regulation and ability to pick up on social cues (he has a super hard time with both!) Where most 7-year-olds would be fine with negotiating friends wanting to do something different, Andrew can get a little hands-on in trying to change the situation to what he wishes it were. It can get tricky sometimes, because expectations are high, and he doesn’t always meet those. I’m thankful for good friends, but still- it’s not alway easy for him or for us.
It’s something that makes your heart hurt as a parent, seeing your kiddo struggle with something that their peers do just naturally. I’ve been looking for some ideas to help Andrew be the best student and friend he can be, and to help our mornings go a little more smooth! (Sometimes we get a little distracted 🙂 )
Andrew’s therapist first recommended The Social Express to us. I think I was a little skeptical of anything really clicking for Andrew, but I’ve been happily proven wrong! See, they wanted to create a program for kids to make social learning easy for them. Our son is a visual learner. I could tell him to use his words, and not his hands, but it just goes right out the window in the moment. We needed a more visual solution. Enter inThe Social Express!

Interactive games are played with hints to help reinforce appropriate social interaction and reactions, plus videos like the one pictured above with two different choices to see the outcome.

I think the photos speak for themselves for his opinion!

He loves it! He asks to play often. It’s pretty cool to watch the wheels turning in his head to think through the scenarios. I can’t wait to talk to his teacher later this month to see if it’s been helping in the class. No behavior notes sent home yet so here is hoping! We do this in the morning before school so he has some clues to help remind him during sticky situations.

The parent dashboard makes it easy to adjust settings, track progress, and fully customize your child’s experience!

The child dashboard has access to game room and webisodes, both of which are fully interactive!

It’s also award-winning several times over including a Readers Top 100 Product and a Common Sense Media Learning Award!

Some of the best benefits include how to
● Identify feelings in others
● Understand the importance of “eye contact” (thinking with your eyes) in order to figure out what to say or do in social situations
● Read non-verbal social cues
● Identify appropriate coping strategies
● Sequence situations and infer what will come next
● Watch social situations unfold and see how behavior can have negative or positive consequences

Head over here to see how you can get started! They even have an app!

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5 Play Date Tips: Help Your Autistic Child Learn to Play

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If you’re a mom of an autistic child who needs practice to better learn how to play with others, try arranging play dates. Here are five tips to help your autistic child learn to play.

Our tips range from inviting kids to play dates who are Read more

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The Social Express Wins a 2014 ON for Learning Award from Common Sense Media

The Social Express wins 2014 ON Learning Award for Digital LearningScreen Shot 2014-03-20 at 12.29.00 PM

 Award ceremony in San Francisco on March 20th will celebrate the year’s best in kids’ digital media products designed to educate and engage

ENCINITAS, CA —March 20, 2014-– The Social Express has received a 2014 ON for Learning Award from Common Sense Media, the national nonprofit dedicated to helping kids thrive with media and technology. The Social Express is one of just 55 apps, games and websites to be recognized for Read more

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Helping Your Child to Control His Emotions

Characters Zack and Sam demonstrate how to control your emotions.

Characters Zack and Sam demonstrate how to control your emotions.

As a parent, you likely cringe when your child is playing with others and seems to easily lose control of his emotions over a small disagreement. I know I do.

We found some creative ideas to help when you’re talking with your child about how to Read more

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Improving Your Child’s Social Skills: Making Eye Contact

Making eye contact in conversations is a top social skill you can help your child to learn.

Is making eye contact with other kids a problem for your child? You can help! Use simple ways to teach your child to make eye contact like asking him to look into your eyes when he requests a toy or treat, tape visual aids to your forehead and break the instructions into small steps.

We know that an inability to make eye contact during a conversation is a social deficit. It may be a barrier to your child’s success at making friends.

Take heart if this is a problem for your child. You’re not alone. Making eye contact is a basic social skill that leads to positive social interaction with others. Many children just need help grasping the skill of eye contact when speaking with others.

Reinforce Making Eye Contact

With our 12-year-old twins, my wife and I are very consistent about reinforcing eye contact. Since the boys were small, we’ve always insisted that they look us in our eyes when they ask for a toy or treat. We don’t hand it to them until they make eye contact. Then we PRAISE them every time. Try this with your child. I even make a game out of it!

Research finds that children with social skill learning challenges often require ‘direct instruction’. That means that each part of the skill is broken into smaller pieces. Making eye contact during conversations is no different.

Parenting Science website writes that for kids to get better at making friends certain skills are required that you can easily practice with your child. They also remind us that these life skills (or social skills) are not taught in one day, but over time. So we’ll all need a bit more patience…

Teaching your child the kinds of interpersonal skills that make it easier for him to make friends.

Identify the skills that you can practice with your child. Life skills such as participating in conversations and making eye contact are at the top of the list for me!

Practice How to Make Eye Contact with Your Child

“Look in my eyes.” Make sure your child establishes eye contact when he asks for something. By doing this, you’re teaching him the critical link between communication and focus. If he wants a toy say, “Look in my eyes” so that he better understands the relationship between his request and your ability to fulfill it.

Here are more ideas for practicing eye contact with your child.

Use visual aids. Tape cutouts of eyeballs on your forehead when practicing with your child. This will remind him to look at yours and other peoples’ eyes. It reinforces what eye contact is. Experiment with other aids to gently guide your child to look at your eyes. Try colored stickers placed between your eyebrows.

Apply direct instruction. Break down the rules for making eye contact into simple, age-appropriate steps for your child. For example, explaining how to use eye contact during a conversation might go something like this:

1. We always look into the eyes of the person who is talking.

2. Keep looking into the other kid’s eyes until he is finished talking.

3. If you don’t want to look into someone’s eyes, try looking at their forehead.

4. This is polite and a good thing!

5. When it’s your turn to talk, the other kids will look at you!

More small steps to help your child:

• Don’t look down at the ground when one of the kids is talking.

• Look at the eyes of the kid who is talking.

• Looking at his eyes lets him know that you’re listening.

• The other kids will feel good because you’re looking at them while they talk.

• Looking in the other kids eyes means you are interested in what he’s saying.

Praise big! PBS Therapy recommends that you reinforce your child’s positive behavior up to 25 times per day. Tell your child “I like how you look in my eyes when I’m talking to you!” Find more ways to give your child positive feedback!

Great Story About Teaching Eye Contact

Over on Baby Center Blog there’s a great story about a mom helping her daughter make eye contact. The mom realized her 9-year-old daughter, Violet, never looked other kids in the eye while playing or talking with them. It was one of the reasons her daughter was being ignored at school.

The mom reminded Violet every day about eye contact while they were walking to school and other kids said hello. Her daughter really didn’t like the reminders and complained (loudly) about being reminded.

Then Violet finally got it. Now she always makes eye contact and is forming friendships! The mom was so happy she cried! It’s a great short story about a mom’s persistence and her child’s success at making friends. You can read the full article here.

I wish you all the best with teaching your child about making eye contact! Your time will be well spent!

—Marc
Dad, Developer

If you’re looking to help your child learn social skills, our online engaging animated program may benefit your child. Parents tell us that kids love the Hollywood style animation and characters and actually ask to use The Social Express!
To see how it works, click here.   Click here to try our 10-day, no risk trial.

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The Social Express Social Skills Program Selected for a New iPad Apps for Kids Book

The Social Express Selected for new iPad Apps for Kids for Dummies book

 

We were so excited when Jinny Gudmundsen selected our social skills program, The Social Express, for her new book! This is how Jinny explained it to us,

After consulting with numerous experts and then playing hundreds of apps for special needs kids, I wrote about only the very top.
Congratulations on your inclusion — it means your app is one of the best.

–Jinny Gudmundsen, Author of iPad Apps For Kids for Dummies

Jinny is also Editor-in-Chief, Computing With Kids Ezine and writes for USA Today. Thank you Jinny Gudmundsen! 

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) May 29, 2013 

Brighten Learning®, makers of The Social Express®, is honored to announce that the company’s social skills learning program is included in a new book, iPad Apps For Kids For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. recently published the new book, authored by Jinny Gudmundsen. Ms. Gudmundsen is also a columnist at USA Today the Kid-Tech column and Editor-in-Chief for Computing With Kids E-zine.

The Social Express, winner of the SIIA Innovation Incubator Award in Ed Tech, is an interactive social skills learning program. The Social Express targets core deficit social skill areas that stand in the way of school and life success for children and young adults with social learning challenges.

For children who have trouble understanding social situations, The Social Express learning program lets them learn by role-playing through 16 interactive lessons. Presented as video vignettes starring four animated kids, the lessons clearly reveal the characters’ facial expressions and body language.

According to author Jinny Gudmundsen, “Kids experiment to see what the right behavior is in typical social situations. By interacting with friendly characters that kids can easily relate to, players learn how to start conversations, be a part of a group, look for hidden rules in social situations, make inferences from sequenced situations and more. “

The author also featured The Social Express in a Kid-Tech column in USA Today. Click here to read the USA Today Kid-Tech review.

Since launching in November 2011, The Social Express has received worldwide support and heartwarming testimonials. Stories of progress and success have poured in from Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), behaviorists, educators and parents. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), ADHD, learning disabilities, and normally developing children have found help using the program.

The Social Express is an interactive video-modeling intervention for parents, professionals, educators and the children they work with. Those that have worked with The Social Express have come to appreciate the high-quality, Hollywood-style animation and socially relevant content. It not only holds the user’s attention without over stimulating the senses, but also provides learning scenarios that reinforce best social choices. Learn more about The Social Express by visiting: thesocialexpress.com Twitter: @TheSocialExpres

About Brighten Learning, Inc.:

Brighten Learning®, founded by parents of autistic twins in 2010, is a privately held company based in Encinitas, California. The company develops The Social Express® and other interactive social skills software and learning management systems. The company’s mission is to help special needs children with social-emotional deficits to improve their lives. The company’s video modeling social skills learning programs help children with ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s, and related disorders to improve their interactions with others. Visit the company at http://thesocialexpress.com/

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Social Skills Learning Software Aims to Reach Children with Autism

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This article about our social skills learning software was published in the Greater Wilmington Business Journal

Unhappy with the quality of software games available for children with autism, a team that includes a Leland resident set out to make its own.

The software developed by The Social Express uses animation to help children on the spectrum learn to interact with others in a more typical manner.

Identifying feelings in others, being part of a group and figuring out the hidden rules of social interaction are some of the social skills the software teaches, said Jon Cornick, president and COO of The Social Express.

“One of the big deficits of kids that are on the spectrum is identifying non-verbal social skills. All of the areas are targeted with our program,” said Cornick, who is based in Leland. “We are combining the best practices to create our lesson plans.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines autism spectrum disorders as a “group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges,” and according to a CDC study last year, an estimated 1 in 88 children in the United States has been identified with an autism spectrum disorder.

While scientists do not have a clear understanding of what causes the disorders, parents have found that software can help children learn valuable social skills, Cornick said.

Cornick said that he came to the company after a career of producing movies, joining the founders Marc and Tina Zimmerman when the software launched in 2011.

“One of my dearest friends is Marc Zimmerman, who had this idea to create The Social Express. He needed animators and engineers. I was in between films in 2011, and I came on at the launch,” Cornick said.

The Zimmermans have autistic twin boys and found that they responded well to software used by after-school therapists.

“The children were mainstreamed in their local public school, and the behavioral issues were in check, but their social and emotional skills were a real deficit,” Cornick said.

Marc Zimmerman, a software entrepreneur and professional musician, sought to design a better alternative to the software available for children with autism.

Today, the software is used by more than 200 school districts, Cornick said, and is available on Macintosh, PC and iOS (iPhone and iPad).

The 2.0 version of the software is due out soon and will shift to a web-based, subscription version with new features. Cornick said the web-based model would allow for more frequent updates and more lessons and would include a special protected social network for children who use the program, called the Club House.

“One of the real problems is that most of these kids have few or no friends,” Cornick said. “We have created the Club House to have a way for kids to connect.”

Websites used by children under 13 are required to follow special guidelines outlined in the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the software requires parents to approve their children’s access.

“Because the parent’s email is attached to the child, we have a parent portal, and they can see every conversation their child is having. Children have the option to flag inappropriate conversations, and both parents are notified,” Cornick said.

The Social Express has offices in Leland (with Cornick) and California (with the Zimmermans) and employs between 12 and 17 people depending on workload.

“We have 16 lessons with 30 interactive scenes, and we are animating 10 more now,” Cornick said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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The Social Express Readies New Web-Based Social Skills Program

The Social Express Web-based Version Coming SoonThe new Internet-based version of the popular social skills learning program, The Social Express, will be offered soon for Families, Professionals and School Districts.

An added feature, ‘The Clubhouse’, provides a safe environment for kids who are members to connect with each other and engage while practicing social skills.

Quote startThe upcoming Web-based, subscription version of The Social Express makes it easier to reach many more children and young adults who need help learning and practicing social skills. We want to help as many kids as possible to better interact with others.Quote end

 
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) January 25, 2013

Brighten Learning, makers of The Social Express®, is pleased to announce that a new Web-based version of its social skills learning program is coming soon.

The Social Express, winner of the SIIA Innovation Incubator Award in Ed Tech, is an interactive program that targets core deficit areas that stand in the way of school, social, and life success for children and young adults with social learning challenges.

Marc Zimmerman, CEO, said, “We’re so humbled by the community of parents, professionals and teachers that have gathered around The Social Express. We’re thrilled to be able to convert our social skills learning software into an Internet-based program. The upcoming Web-based, subscription version makes it easier for us to reach many more children and young adults who need help learning and practicing social skills. We want to help as many kids as possible to better interact with others.”

Families, Professionals and School Districts will be able to access the new Web-based version of The Social Express from all desktop computers, laptops and selected mobile devices. The new program retains the wonderful characters that users love and offers the same interactive learning environment for children to use along with their parents, teachers and speech language professionals.

Parents, school districts and professionals who become members of the new Internet-based program from The Social Express will be able to create custom learning plans around their children’s needs for social skill improvement. They’ll also have access to new content each month and the popular built-in teaching tips.

Jon Cornick, President and COO, said, “We developed the Web-based version to make it easier for children who need help with social skills to learn, connect and engage. One example, ‘The Clubhouse’, is a new private social network exclusively for children registered in The Social Express program. Inside The Clubhouse they can engage with each other while practicing the very skills they have learned in The Social Express. The goal is for them to generalize these new skills and ultimately make friends. The Clubhouse provides a safe and fun environment for this, and there is even a Parent Login for observing the child’s progress.”

Cornick added, “We’re developing exciting new tools and ways for kids to get involved with both learning and practicing social skills in our upcoming version of The Social Express. We invite our community of parents, educators and professionals to stay tuned to our exciting announcements. “

Since beginning in November of 2011, The Social Express has received wide support and heartwarming testimonials. Stories of progress and success have poured in from Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), parents and teachers of children diagnosed with Asperger’s, ADHD, autism and related disorders who have found help using the program.

The Social Express is an interactive video-modeling, social skills learning and education for autism program. Parents, professionals, and educators of special needs children like the high-quality, Hollywood-style animation that holds their attention without over stimulation. They also like the scenes that reinforce the best choices for kids to make in social situations. Learn more about The Social Express by visiting: thesocialexpress.com Twitter: @TheSocialExpres
Or follow the company on Facebook

Join our mailing list to hear exciting about new announcements and special offers from The Social Express! Click here to join our mailing list.

About Brighten Learning, Inc.:

Brighten Learning®, founded by parents of autistic twins in 2010, is a privately held company based in Encinitas, California. The company develops The Social Express® and other interactive social skills software and learning management systems. The company’s mission is to help special needs children with social-emotional deficits to improve their lives. The company’s video modeling social skills learning programs help children with ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s, and related disorders to improve their interactions with others. Visit the company at http://thesocialexpress.com/

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Help for Asperger’s: Social Skills Program for Kids Celebrates First Anniversary

Jon Cornick ,President, Brighten LearningOur president, Jon Cornick and I and our entire team were so excited  to celebrate the first anniversary of our company! The Social Express was one-year old on November 11, 2012. We actually celebrated at ASHA12!

We’re all so humbled by the wonderful reception our social learning program has received from parents, school administrators, and teachers in our first year. Also from the dedicated speech-language pathologist (SLP) community that provides help for Asperger’s and autism everyday. So many  children who need special assistance with communication skills rely heavily on SLPs and their teachers.

Thanks to everyone we’ve met at ASHA and other conferences.

– Marc and Jon

 

Help for Asperger’s

 

PRWeb–November 29, 2012–The Social Express, a peer-reviewed program that recently won the coveted Software Information and Industry Association (SIIA) Innovation Incubator Award in Tech Ed, celebrates its first anniversary with a growing community of people helping kids to learn social skills.

The Social Express provides social skills help for Asperger’s and other children diagnosed on the autism spectrum. In its first year, The Social Express has received wide support and heartwarming testimonials from the autism and Asperger’s community of Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), educators, parents and teachers of children who need help for Asperger’s, ADHD, autism and related disorders.

Jon Cornick, President, said, “We are incredibly grateful for the amazing growth our company has achieved in our first year. We’ve found an enthusiastic community of supporters by participating in conferences, being featured in news stories, receiving wonderful reviews and publicity. The testimonials from educators, administrators, professionals and parents have been so encouraging.”

Marc Zimmerman, CEO, said, “My wife Tina and I were inspired to found our company in order to help other parents, like us, who have children with autism. We continue to be inspired, motivated and energized because of the deep commitment to help kids with autism and Asperger’s that we experience from the autism community.” Zimmerman continued, “We’d like to express our deep gratitude for all of the hard work the SLPs do everyday to help my twins and other children on the autism spectrum with communication skills.”

The Social Express is an interactive video modeling, social skills learning, and education for autism program. Parents, professionals, and educators of special needs children like the high-quality, Hollywood-style animation that holds their attention without over stimulation and the scenes that reinforce the best choices for kids to make in social situations. Learn more about The Social Express by visiting: thesocialexpress.com Twitter: @TheSocialExpres

About Brighten Learning, Inc.:

Brighten Learning™, founded by parents of autistic twins in 2010, is a privately held company based in Encinitas, California. The company develops The Social Express™ and other interactive social skills software and learning management systems. The company’s mission is to help special needs children with social-emotional deficits to improve their lives. The company’s video modeling social skills learning programs help children with ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s, and related disorders to improve their interactions with others.

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Help with Asperger’s: A Fun, Interactive Social Skills Learning Program

If you have a child or a student who needs social skills help with Asperger’s, ADHD, autism or other related disorder, welcome! You’re in the right place. This is our blog for The Social Express.

What is The Social Express?

The Social Express is a new, unique software program designed to teach children social skills using fun, interactive play.  Our social skills learning program is comprehensive with 16 lessons and 30 scenes. It uses original, engaging, animated characters and video modeling to hold your child’s attention. Our social skills learning program is evidence-based and designed to be used by you with your child or student.

Parents tell us that our program provides help with Asperger’s because kids who need help learning social skills get really engaged with our beautifully animated, original characters like Emma and Zack. We hear the same feedback from, school administrators, teachers, and Speech Language Professionals (SLPs). You can see what others say about their children’s and students’ experiences with The Social Express by clicking here.

How Does The Social Express Help with Asperger’s?

If your child is diagnosed on the autism spectrum or with Asperger’s, he may not have developed the basic skills that will help him to make friends. He may need extra help to learn the social skills that can help him to interact successfully with his peers.  As a parent, The Social Express gives you a learning tool you can use at home with your child to reinforce the social skills he’s learning in therapy or at school.

If you’re a SLP or teacher, you can join many SLPs and educators who use our social skills learning program in sessions with their students.

The software targets core social deficit areas that stand in the way of school and life success for children and young adults with social learning challenges. That’s why it’s so helpful for kids diagnosed with ADHD and other related disorders. It provides help for Asperger’s by teaching your child how to think about and manage social situations.

The Social Express Provides Help with Asperger'sThe Social Express uses original characters and socially valid dialog to provide a fun and evidence-based teaching approach for children with Asperger’s and other social learning challenges. Many children enjoy the program so much, they ask to use it daily! The Social Express also helps children with nonverbal learning disabilities or pragmatic language deficits.

Our community of SLPs, educators, and parents also tell us that the social skills lessons are quite realistic. Each of the 30 scenes reinforces the best choices for kids to make in social situations. Parents, SLPs and teachers like that The Social Express holds children’s attention without over stimulation.

How does The Social Express help with social learning challenges?

The Social Express provides help with Asperger’s because it targets core deficit social skill areas that are often challenging for children. The interactive software learning program uses video modeling to help children to see how to improve their social skills in areas such as:

–       How to be with a group

–       Using your eyes to figure out what to say or do

–       Identifying feelings and coping strategies

–       Developing conversational skills

–       Using figurative language in conversation

And much more!

Award Winner

The Social Express is a peer-reviewed program that recently won the coveted Software Information and Industry Association (SIIA) innovation Incubator Award in Tech Ed. And what we’re really the most proud about are the positive comments we receive from parents and professionals who use it everyday to help children get better at making good decisions in social situations with their peers at school and at play.

Enjoy your visit to The Social Express! Let us know if you have questions by contacting us here: contact (at) thesocialexpress.com

You might enjoy checking out some of our most popular posts:

5 Tips to Help Your Child Make Friends

Seven Tips for Using iPads with Kids with Autism (and My Favorite Learning Programs)

Autism Help for Parents: Websites for Buying a Used iPad

 

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