Product Review of Model Me Going Places 2

learners with Asperger syndrome, autism, and developmental delays, but the tutorials could be useful for any student who needs help building social skills. Six sets of photos with narration demonstrate appropriate and expected behaviors at a hairdresser, mall, doctor’s office, playground, grocery store, and restaurant. The app is a supplement to the Model Me Kids line of DVD videos for modeling social skills, which is advertised in the app.

On the menu screen, kids can choose from six locations: hairdresser, mall, doctor’s office, playground, grocery store, and restaurant. Each includes a set of 12 photographs with a child modeling the expected and appropriate behaviors for each setting. With each photograph, kids see the text and hear a child narrator. For example, at the doctor’s office, kids see a photo of a child in the waiting room and see and hear “I sit and wait my turn.” Or at the mall, “I stay close to my dad” and “I keep my hands to myself.”

Teachers working with learners on the autism spectrum or with social-communication disorders can use Model Me Going Places 2 to prepare kids for social interactions or visits to places that may be anxiety-inducing. Having the six stories on a mobile device is handy for traveling therapists or educators who want to travel lightly, but richer content is available in the DVD series. Therapists or educators wanting to personalize social stories should check out Kid in Story Book Maker.

Model Me Going Places 2 is a valuable tool for  educators and therapists working with learners who need support developing social skills. Each photo demonstrates a behavior or experience and provides clear and simple language kids can understand. It’s wonderful that the app is free, but it’s clearly a teaser for the Model Me Kids line of DVDs. The demonstrations are fantastic but are limited to six locations and don’t offer options for personalizing with kids’ images and names.

Website: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id375669988?uo=4&at=10laCG&ct=website

Overall User Consensus About the App

Student Engagement

Brief stories include real photographs of kids navigating social situations. Kids will be able to relate to the scenarios and stay engaged.

Curriculum and Instruction

Though no customization is available, the step-by-step explanations of social scenarios prepare kids for new situations in which they can transfer what they learn from the stories to their own actions.

Customer Report

Interface is easy enough for kids to navigate on their own. No options allow for customization with kids’ names and pictures, and the total of six scenarios limit use to a few situations.