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Social Skills With Billy

Social Skills With Billy
Features

Price

$22.99

Age Range

Upper Primary

App Type

Learning App

Version Reviewed

1.1

Android Available?

Is Android Available

Lite Version Available?

Is a Lite Version Available

Help Provided?

Is Help Provided
Bloom's Thinking Process
CreatingBlooms Creating
EvaluatingBlooms Evaluating
AnalysingBlooms Analysing
ApplyingBlooms Applying
UnderstandingBlooms Understanding
RememberingBlooms Remembering
Adaptability
Includes recorded voice
Includes text
Includes images
Review Comments
Social Skills with Billy asks the child to 1)decide if the character Billy is socially appropriate and 2)to identify feeling in picture and stories.
 
Activities
  • Identifying right or wrong responses in dialogues.
  • Identifying correct responses in dialogue
  • Stating correct responses in dialogues
 
An image of Billy in a scene is shown with a written story. The narrator reads the story. Then the narrator asks "Did Billy do the right thing?" The child   either 1) selects the button Yes or No 2) selects the correct response from a choice of three
 
For example: "Ted and Billy had a great time playing together, but it is time for Billy to go home. Ted thanks Billy for coming and asks 'When am I going to see you again?' Billy says 'Why don't we meet again next week'. Did Billy say the right thing?"
 
  • Identifying feelings by following directions
      Four photos are shown. The narrator asks "show my the person who is frustrated".
  • Identifying feelings -  multiple choice formats
 A photo appears and the narrator asks "How does this person feel?" The child chooses the emotion from a written choice of three.
  •  Identifying how one feels based on short case scenarios
The narrator reads a story and the child chooses the emotion that relates to the story.
  • Stating how one feels based on short case scenarios
The narrator reads a story and the child chooses the emotion that relates to the story.
 
Comments
  • The child would need reasonable language comprehension at an upper primary school level.
  • Billy appears to be around 9 or 10 years old. However, sometimes he acts in scenes like a preschooler (playing in a sandpit). Some of the situations are not really appropriate for his age such as paying for the bill at a restaurant, paying for a haircut and making another haircut appointment.
  • Be warned, there is a scene where Billy is getting a filling at the dentist. He cries and is in pain.
  • In one scene, Billy pulls his friends hair. Then his friend cries and Billy says sorry. The narrator asks "Did Billy say the right thing?" The answer is yes. However,  this situation confused my student as Billy said the right thing but Billy definitely did not do the right thing.
 
Use Rank (*)
Social Understanding Ranked 15th of 38
Emotional Vocabulary Ranked 22nd of 64

(*) This app has been ranked according to its' effectiveness to achieve the learning goals and strategies listed. Some apps may rank highly for achieving a specific use and lower for other uses. Some students will learn and engage with one app more than others, because of the individual nature of us all.

Learning App
Learning apps are designed for a specific purpose. The authors claim to teach a goal, skill or concept.
Bloom's Thinking Process
Bloom's Taxonomy is classification system used to explain the behaviours important in learning. Apps range from simple memory tasks such as flashcards apps through to creative apps which ask students to create an original story or video.
Bloom's Creating
The student creates new ideas, products or ways of viewing things. Activities include making, animating, designing, constructing, planning, producing and inventing.
Bloom's Evaluating
The student justifies a decision or course of action. Activities include counting to check, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting and judging.
Bloom's Analysing
The student breaks the information into parts to explore understandings and relationships. Activities include explaining, ordering, inferring, comparing and organising.
Bloom's Applying
The student uses the information in a new situation. Activities include implementing, carrying out, using, illustrating, classifying and categorising.
Bloom's Understanding
The student comprehends the new information. Activities include describing, predicting showing understanding use a multiple choice.
Bloom's Remembering
The student recalls information they know. Activities include matching, 'fill in the blank', making a choice, answering using a multiple choice, naming a group.
Learning Connection
How well does the app teach the targeted skill or concept? This is the area where we refer to current research and pedagogy to evaluate the efficacy of the app.
Authenticity
Authenticity looks at the manner in which skills are learnt. Authentic apps use real life or genuine activities. Students learn in context rather than in a contrived or rote fashion (such as flashcards).
Feedback
Feedback needs to be specific and result in improved performance. Feedback should be supportive and encouraging rather than negative. Data should be available to support decision making.
Differentiation
Differentiation is the ability to customise the app to suit the student. The ability to record you voice, customise text, add pictures and alter settings enables individualisation of the app.
User Friendliness
User friendliness is a measure of how well a student can use the app independently. Some apps are simply intuitive to use. Others include audio or visual prompts which support the student.
Motivation
All apps are engaging the first time they are played. However, students with diverse learning needs may need to return to the app many times. Motivating apps offer rewards,games or incentives.
Social Understanding
Social understanding apps provide opportunities for children to gain an understanding of the social world. These may explain the hidden curriculum of social rules and etiquette. They help increase the awareness of the thoughts, behaviour and feelings of others. They may provide suggestions of ways to interact with peers.
Emotional Vocabulary
Emotional Vocabulary apps help children to label an emotion, to identify emotions in others or to identify their own emotion. Emotions should be related to what can be seen e.g. a smile means happy. It is also useful to link the emotion to an activity e.g. being last makes me cranky.

Domain Score Details
Learning Connection 4
This app follows a cognitive approach in that the child needs to consider the scene and make cognitive decisions about social appropriateness or emotions.
Authenticity 3
The child chooses and answer from a yes/no choice or a multiple choice.
Feedback 3
When correct, the child hears a pleasant sound. When incorrect, they hear a range of sounds from neutral to negative. Unfortunately, the child can't try again.  Scores appear on the screen. A detailed report is available which can be emailed.
Differentiation 3
Choose from three different correct or incorrect sounds. Score sounds can be turned off. Scores, text and audio can turned off. Paging can be automated.
User Friendliness 4
Children with adequate language and reading comprehension could use this app independently.
Motivation 2
This is a difficult app which could use some rewards or incentives.
From the App Store
iTunes logo

Developer

Virtual Speech Center Inc.

App Store Rating

(from 0 reviews)

Current Version Rating

(from 0 reviews)

Current Version

1.2
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Developer's Description
The Social Skills with Billy app was designed by a speech pathologist to allow children with autism to practice their social skills and pragmatic language in real-life situations and to practice identifying various feelings.

To practice social skills and pragmatic language, children are presented with over 100 real-life situational dialogues pertaining to birthday parties, school, home, restaurants, a hairdresser, a department store, a library, a doctor’s office, a dental office, family dinners, baseball games, play dates, airports, a garage sale, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, a New Year’s Eve party, visiting a sick grandmother, a field trip, a new baby, general conversations, making new friends, family vacations, and peer conflicts.

To practice identifying feelings, children are presented with real-life photos and short case scenarios.

The Social Skills with Billy app offers seven main activity categories, targeting the following skills:

- Identifying correct responses in dialogue
- Identifying wrong vs. right responses in dialogue
- Stating correct responses in dialogue
- Identifying feelings by following directions with pictures
- Identifying feelings in a multiple-choice format with pictures
- Identifying feelings based on short case scenarios
- Stating feelings based on short case scenarios

Disclaimer: The evaluations and rankings information provided here are based solely on the opinion of the author and are for informational purposes only. Families should seek professional advice before making decisions regarding interventions for their child.