Autism social skills app is out of this world

The scene of occupations by protestors in recent months became the site of an alien invasion yesterday, as Cork City Hall hosted the launch of an app aimed at helping children develop the skills they need to operate comfortably in social situations.

The Social Skills for Autism app is a game-based app that has been developed from the Personal And Life Skills (PALS) programme pioneered at the Shine Ireland, a Carrigaline-based centre for children with autism.

At the start of the app the user will meet Kloog, an alien from another planet who does not understand social customs or social situations. The user will go on a journey through the social world with Kloog, learning about social rules and customs along the way.

The app is the result of a collaboration between Shine Ireland, the Smarter Senses Project and Cork-based graphic design and website development studio Doodle Creative. Funding for the project came from the Bon Secours Hospital’s Community Initiative Outreach Programme.

Laura Crowley, director of education at Shine Ireland, said the app will extend the PALS programme’s reach beyond the centre’s physical location in Carrigaline and that the game teaches users the social consequences of their actions.

“We’ve built context sensitivity into the app, which means that different behaviour is warranted in different situations.

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“You don’t behave the same way at a funeral as you behave at a party. So we’ve built that into our app, which is missing in the majority of other social skills training apps.”

Get our great New Social Skills App for Autism available now on Google Play http://t.co/gLcGHAmEXb #KloogTheAlien pic.twitter.com/qD6Mc6wf7W

— Shine Ireland (@ShineCentreCork) April 8, 2015

For every euro spent at the not-for-profit Shine centre, 92c goes towards frontline services according to Eoin Motherway, director at the Shine Centre.

He commended the Bon Secours Hospital for funding an app that will meet a growing need.

“We estimate at the Shine centre that a child with autism affects 30 people directly or indirectly throughout their family network. The latest statistics from the US show that one in every 68 births is a child with autism.”

The Social Skills for Autism app was launched by Lord Mayor of Cork Mary Shields and Junior Minister for Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch. It costs €4.99 and is available from iTunes and the Google Play Store.

Ready for the launch of the Social Skills for Autism App @denisjco @jackcasey65 at City Hall Cork today #autism pic.twitter.com/4OUWaB0fVI

— Shine Ireland (@ShineCentreCork) April 8, 2015

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