Talking About - Secondary School app for iPhone and iPad

The move from Junior to Secondary School can bring with it extra social demands and more complicated routines.

It can be a worrying time for many children, particularly those with Autistic Spectrum Disorder or a learning difficulty.

Talking About Secondary School gives children the opportunity to discuss common situations and difficulties that they may face in Secondary School with a relevant adult - teacher/speech therapist/parent.

14 scenarios show situations a student may be experiencing for the first time.

Response pictures show ways of behaving which will encourage discussion about the ‘right’ thing to do. Encourage children to make their own suggestions.

The App can record the child’s responses and discussions.

The App can be used for role play and ‘rehearsal’ of social conversations. These are useful for small group work, and when working with children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. There is a role play icon that shows these.

For children with dyslexia or reading difficulties, there is a Text to Speech facility, the background to the text can also be changed to yellow which may also help if the teacher expects them to read the text.

The teacher/therapist/parent using the App can make notes on the App and email these together with the recordings.

The iPad can be linked to a projector for whole class work.

Thanks to Nick Scurfield (nscurfield.com) for the illustrations & the Studio at Marl Hill Farm (legalrecords.co.uk) for the voiceovers.