As a special education teacher, I’ve seen various apps to help build students’ social skills and increase outcomes. However, there are three in particular that I’ve seen make a positive impact on my students. Available for any iOS device including the iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone, these 3 apps are great for building social skills in both the special education and general education classroom alike. 

Sōsh™; $39.99 or Sōsh™ Lite –  FREE

This app opens with 5 simple options to build social skills. Students can choose to regulate, relate, reason, recognize, and relax. Each section helps students build skills relative to that category. It is recommended for middle to high school students who already have a simple communication skill set. This app is great to help students develop their skills and work through problems independently. There is also similar limited version called Sōsh™ Lite, and it is free! It gives you a free trial of the paid version and, after 7 days, it converts to the limited version.

Model Me Going Places™ –  FREE

This is a great free app where slideshows present children modeling appropriate behavior for places in the community, such as the park or supermarket.  The social situation is narrated and a text description accompanies each slide.  However, Model Me Kids® uses this app as an outlet for marketing their other social-skills-building products so there are advertisements.

Social Adventures from all4mychild – $7.99

This app has so many great tools that are presented in a game-like fashion to help students build appropriate social skills.  It’s super versatile as it can be used for social skills group or one-to-one interaction depending on class size and student needs.  There are a variety of games and visuals to help students practice appropriate social behavior.  There are also teacher tools and step-by-step directions for each activity.

If you want to learn about these apps and other types of instructional technology for your classroom, try signing up for a free 7-day trial of Online Professional Development below!