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making_art

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Pediatric Psychologist Releases Social Skills App for Aspergers Syndrome
Ann Arbor, MI (PRWEB)
September 20, 2011

The Sōsh app helps individuals improve social skills using effective strategies developed over the course of a decade of work with children, teens, and young adults.

Sōsh™ is the new word in social skills development. It is also a mobile application designed to help ‘tweens, teens and young adults improve social skills. Sōsh is especially developed to be used by individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome. Dr. Mark Bowers, a pediatric psychologist, in conjunction with a counseling psychologist, developed the social skills app – moving social skills training into the high tech, mobile app world.

The Sōsh app contains the critical elements that individuals need to improve their social skills. Whereas other social skills tools and strategies are often used in artificial settings (a therapy group, at home, in a therapist's office), this portable application can be utilized in real life social situations when questions arise.

Sōsh is based on a decade of work with children, adolescents, and young adults who struggle with social difficulties. The Sōsh framework divides social functioning into five areas essential to social skills development and success: Relate (Connect with Others), Relax (Reduce Stress), Regulate (Manage Behaviors), Reason (Think it Through) and Recognize (Understand Feelings).

This approach to social skills has not been available until now. Individuals using the app learn to: practice conversation strategies, relax, pursue social opportunities, recognize feelings, make successful transitions, journal progress, eliminate negative thoughts, monitor behavior, and regulate speech volume, to name some of the many features. In fact, Sōsh contains over 60 well-designed and engaging screens of exercises, strategies, and practical information to improve social interactions.

Autism experts and app reviewers are saying: "This app is the most comprehensive electronic and portable toolbox for social skills development!" "What an amazing app you have developed - it is exactly what any parent of a child with Asperger’s has been trying to find…absolutely brilliant!" "It is a marvelous autism app. I haven't seen anything like it."

Many schools are incorporating Apple technology such as the iPad and iPod Touch into special education curricula and the Sōsh social skills app is ideal for students who need additional support throughout the day. The app also helps parents and teachers develop IEP objectives by providing a checklist of executive functioning definitions and accommodations (e.g., organization, emotional control, processing speed).

Schools must adhere to scientifically supported accommodations with children who have special needs. To this end, Sōsh is currently involved in a one year study investigating assistive technology among children with autism spectrum disorders (AT4ASD).

The Sōsh approach to social skills improvement is especially powerful and consistent with research findings about the importance of real world practice and intervention. The Sōsh application is comprehensive, customizable, user friendly, and intuitive. It is a portable teacher, therapist, parent, and social skills coach.

The Sōsh™ app to improve social skills is available in the iTunes App Store. Also available is Sōsh™ Lite, a free version which allows anyone to try the full version of the Sōsh app for 7 days from the date of download before the app converts to a Lite version with limited features.

About The Developer: Dr. Mark Bowers is a Pediatric Psychologist in private practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He specializes in neurodevelopmental diagnoses (i.e., Autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, and Learning Difficulties), and he is an expert in social skills. Dr. Bowers has contributed to articles in WebMD magazine, Scholastic, and Parenting: The Early Years. In addition to developing the Sōsh mobile app, he is the author of the book Sōsh: Improving Social Skills with Children and Adolescents.
 
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