This is neat! Technology for social skills

Every once in a while we'll share information about a new piece of technology that is being made available to support kids with specific learning needs.  We came across this article recently and thought it was worth sharing.  (NOTE: We haven't tried this app and are not endorsing it, but we love that there are so many smart people in the world developing new ways to learn!)

Sosh focuses on what its creators call "the five R's."

By Mark Bowers

From : http://www.michiganradio.org/post/smart-phone-app-helps-kids-autism

Two Michigan psychologists have created a smart phone app to help kids with autism develop better social skills. Kelly Bowers and her husband Mark are both psychologists who work with kids. They watched their patients learn social skills in workshop settings, but noticed the kids had a harder time applying those skills to real-life situations.

So the Bowers created a phone app. It helps kids monitor the volume of their speech and it has an option that translates common expressions into literal terms. Kelly Bowers says the app can help kids while they’re interacting with friends, family, and at places like school.

“I think kids who want to make connections, who are unable to do so, should be given tools that can help them.”

The app is called “Sosh” and is available for Mac-devices. It’s intended for children aged 9 and above who have Asperger’s Syndrome and other forms of high-functioning autism.

The app costs $40, but a trial version is available for seven days, free of charge.