I know he can be taught, it is just a matter of approaching the material in a way that is fun, doesn't make him lose self-esteem (for being too self-analytical) and in a way that makes sense to him.

The Parent Bloggers Network asked me to review social skills software for kids on the autistic spectrum entitled "My Community" from Social Skills Builder.

This program contains over 350 videos modeling behavior in public situations like a restaurant, doctor's office, grocery store, or movie theater. Things like telephone etiquette, street safety, and car safety are covered as well.

Initially, my son wasn't too interested. I put on Level 1, thinking it would be a good place to start. Alas, Level 1 is only modeling, and without any sort of quiz, my son's attention wasn't held. I moved to the multiple-choice questions of Level 2 for the same subject - "car ride" in this case. He reluctantly selected the correct answers (I believe I saw an eye-roll) and then when the game returned to the main menu, he switched to another computer activity.

Later when I played "My Community" on my own, both boys came over to see what I was doing. I tried different levels (there are five) and different scenarios. The boys got excited when they saw that after a string of correct answers, the user is rewarded with a little game. The game premise is identical each time: move the mouse to catch objects specific to the scene. In the movie theater scene, the item is popcorn while in the grocery store, the user caches food items. This is a simple motor activity that most users are probably capable of doing.

My guess is that interest in this software is likely to be dictated by parental or therapist involvement. Just as a movie during history class is considered a treat, whereas a history movie at home is probably not a treat (unless you are my history-buff husband) context means a lot. Doing the quizzes together kept my son's attention (particularly since he could "show off" that he knew the answers) whereas sitting at his desk alone with the software just wasn't exciting, especially since he wasn't sure what to do when a particular level/activity was complete (since the software goes back to the main menu.)

Since the software doesn't progress from level to level on its own, it is useful to have an adult present to dictate which level or activity comes next. There are some preset "lesson plans" which enables some questions/scenarios to be deactivated to focus on specific areas. This could be useful to work on "trouble" areas without repeating sections that might bore the student. I wish there were automated progressions through the levels/activities though, so that my son could do the program independently if he was motivated to do so. He has successfully navigated through other computer games, so perhaps now that he's seen me select the scene and level, he'll do so on his own.

The game is geared towards the cognitive ages 5-15, although I'd guess the older kids would find the scenarios pretty easy since the Cat at 8 years old was able to get the majority of the correct answers for the games, even in Level 5. Interestingly, I had difficulty doing the Level 3 and 4 games, since they are all visual cues, but I expect that had I watched the videos in Level 1 for these subjects, I would have memorized what those scenarios were representing. (Indeed, do students memorize what they believe are the correct answers based on this particular program, or will they be able to generalize to real life?)

Level 5 includes "fill in the blank" answers; I am impressed that the software has this capability. I imagine it searches for particular keywords, although I was surprised when what I thought was a common keyword came up as an incorrect answer. The question had been "Why is it important to stay quiet during a movie?" My son's answer was, "So not to disturb others." Apparently they were looking for "so others can hear the movie." Still, I think my son's answer was correct. It is therefore useful that there is an "override" key that can be used to accept the answer as correct.

There are enough subjects and accompanying quizzes on the different "levels" to provide plenty of instruction for the user. (Levels 1-5 correspond to: modeling, multiple choice, identifying relevant cues, matching thoughts/feelings to the scene, and predicting novel responses.)

The program maintains separate scores for each user, which is definitely useful for families or therapy groups with more than one student. The score chart shows "attempts" versus the number of questions answered correctly. This can be viewed as a summary of all levels, or by specific level, but not by topic.The scores are arranged by date, so progress can be tracked over time (which can be useful for IEP meetings if this program is part of an assigned therapy.) The "highest score" is essentially meaningless, since if a student completed 10 questions correctly, the score is 10, regardless of how many questions the student attempted. The score sheet does show the percentage of correct answers, and can be printed out.

My son would probably like to have a jazzier score sheet, one which is student-friendly rather than parent/therapist-friendly. Some of the other games he enjoys playing include certificates for completing levels or other "rewards."

I mention that the Cat got lots of answers correct. He surprised me with correctly identifying feelings in the parent: "The mother feels embarrassed when the boy yells in public." (If you know this, then why do you do it?) And yet, many of the scenarios modeled and tested were those that both he and his brother have trouble with: being loud in the car, arguing when I tell them they cannot purchase something at the grocery store, darting around helter-skelter in a public place, and so forth. What to do was something they knew when removed from the situation, just not how to do in the heat of the moment. My guess is that if we play the "game" a bit more I can then remind them of it later on. For example, "We're going in the car now. Remember how important it is to stay quiet and follow instructions?"

One critique I have about the videos is that I found it difficult to understand the dialog at times. In the store, for example, the cashier was making "beeping" noises as she scanned the food, so the "beep" competed with the exchange between mother and daughter in the checkout lane. For kids with sensory integration problems, it may be difficult to pick out the conversation against the background noise. While this situation is true-to-life, it makes identifying what is actually said, then analyzing in a social context, more challenging.

This software certainly has a great deal of information on it, and many different opportunities to reinforce the material through the different levels. It is a product that I haven't seen before: most social skills help is via modeling only (on a DVD) with only rhetorical questions thrown in, rather than an actual knowledge verification opportunity.

I don't know yet how helpful this system will be for actually teaching my son application of social skills, but it is reassuring to see that he can easily answer the questions and interpret the artificial scenarios in "My Community." Perhaps with more exposure, he'll remember "Oh yeah, the mom in that video was really embarrassed when her son shrieked and ran away, maybe I'll be calm next time." Of course I need to do my part by reinforcing the positive behaviors, "Great! You remembered to answer my question calmly!"

Still, I hope that he'll see how out-of-place and silly the kids look when they are performing the "incorrect" version of the scenes and think about that next time he has an urge to do that same thing. But, I recognize that knowing what to do is much different than having the impulse control to actually do the right thing. Unfortunately, the only thing that can be done in that case is to just keep practicing the real-world scenarios.

"My Community" certainly provides a lot of instruction and practice in a calm setting - I can see how it can be very useful in introducing concepts to kids who need assistance in these areas. In the heat of the moment isn't the time for instruction, so this social skills software can provide practice in a non-stressful environment.
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- Social Skills Builder has a variety of social skills programs for different age groups and needs.

- "My Community" is designed to enhance social skills. Children will learn about situations ranging from joining a group and working cooperatively to negotiating and managing frustration.