QuickCues
QuickCues gallery
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that QuickCues is an app for kids who struggle with social interactions. Its goal is to provide social scripts to help your kid communicate in everyday situations. Kids will get the most out of if you guide them through it. There's no text-to-speech option, so if you have a non-reader or a child with reading difficulties, you'll need to assist them. The situations are realistic but hypothetical, which can be difficult for a kid who struggles with abstract thinking.What kids can learn
QuickCues is best used with someone else to practice the built-in social cue cards. Design is bland at best -- no fun graphics or animations.
QuickCues provides lots of content to help kids practice life skills, and the variety of topics covers a lot of ground. That said, the lack of interactivity and dependence on using the app with an adult might limit its benefits.
The app is relatively simple to use, and a user guide is available on the developer's website.
What's it about?
QUICKCUES can help kids learn communication skills using provided scripts. Your initial purchase comes with one category -- Communication. Suggestions are provided to help guide your child through 10 communication situations, which include talking on the phone and asking for help from a teacher. The Communication section also addresses body language and fostering common interests. You can also purchase four other categories -- Coping, Life Skills, Socialization, and On the Job -- which cover everything from having good hygiene to giving compliments. After you tap on a category, you swipe through a series of slides that offer tips and scripts appropriate to that situation. There are no images, just bullet points of information, similar to a PowerPoint presentation.
Is it any good?
If you're looking for a basic tool to help your kid with communication and life skills, QuickCues may be able to help by providing specific information and scripts that kids can access when needed. It's important to know that it's most useful when used with another person, and that in-app purchases are required to get the four other content areas. For kids who are reluctant readers, this app may be difficult because it's text-heavy, and there's no text-to-speech feature.
Families can talk about...
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Families can talk about the kinds of social interactions they have during a typical day. Who do they talk to? What do they talk about?
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Do some role-playing to practice different types of social interactions.
App details
| Devices: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | $4.99 |
| Pricing structure: | Paid |
| Release date: | September 12, 2013 |
| Category: | Education |
| Topics: | Friendship, High school |
| Size: | 2.10 MB |
| Publisher: | Fraser |
| Version: | 1.7 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 6.0 or later |
