Sidekicks

Revolutionary #autism app & service from Life, Animated author Ron Suskind. Give your child a new friend who loves what they love! #affinities #ASD

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

It's #AutismAwarenessMonth! Hear from Owen Suskind and dad, Sidekicks founder @RonSuskind!

#DifferentNotLess #LifeAnimated

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

@SLP_NMS @SlpSummer We're working on group chats, so keep an eye out for that! In the mean time, students can circle up around an iPad.

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat @SLP_NMS Thanks for inviting us to take part & don't forget to download "Sidekicks for Autism" from the App Store -- it's free!

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A7 (3/3) ...product development. I can tell you there will be more "content curation" -- like the ability to save video clips.

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A7 (2/3) ...and have another coming up with autistic individuals. We're using all the feedback from those sessions to inform...

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A7 (1/3) This is a really interesting question, particularly now. We just ran focus groups with parents and professionals...

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A6 (2/2) As far as support goes, we've got training materials for teachers and there's also tech support to help as needed.

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A6 (1/2) Anyone who wants to try Sidekicks can download it for free from the App Store. All you need is an iPad or iPhone!

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

@SLP_NMS #SlpSpedChat A3 -- Yes! We're publishing a white paper in the next month or so.

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A5 (2/2) … and regulate emotions and form independent questions. The Lurie Center & MIT studies should bring us even more data!

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A5 (1/2) In early testing, kids who used Sidekicks for 10 or more sessions saw improvement in their ability to identify...

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

@SLP_NMS @masscue Couldn't agree more!

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A4 (3/4) practicing and building their skills in a more comfortable environment.

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A4 (3/4) And for kids that are less comfortable talking in person, interacting through technology can be a really helpful in…

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A4 (2/4) with one teacher leading a session with lots of students. The latter is a great way to practice turn taking.

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A4 (1/4) Sidekicks can be used lots of different ways - for one on one chat between a student and their teacher or SLP, or...

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A3 (6/6) Look out for a White Paper on it that we’ll be publishing in a few weeks!

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A3 (5/6) We found special interests to be prevalent and often positive forces in the lives of autistic individuals.

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A3 (4/6) We also just finished analyzing a survey we did on special interests in partnership with @autismspeaks

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A3 (3/6) John Gabrieli at MIT is also doing a study on the neural pathways activated by special interests, which is very neat!

[Sidekicks @sidekickstheapp]

#SlpSpedChat A3 (2/6) Most research is still in development. The Lurie Center is doing a randomized control study involving Sidekicks!