Social skill builder game

Abstract

A developmental board game and method are provided that include a playing surface with a plurality of spaces, one or more player tokens, and a manner to determine how many spaces to proceed. Corresponding to the spaces where a player "lands" are various cards of distinct types. The type of questions and directions on the cards permit a balanced and somewhat controlled reaction and interaction between the players themselves and the monitoring teacher or psychologist. The board game is particularly, but not exclusively, adapted to develop and improve behavior skills for children and adults with developmental disabilities. These disabilities may include ones such as Mental Retardation, Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Down's Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and Spina Bifida. The Social Skill Builder games are specifically designed as an educational tool to help teach appropriate social skills, problem-solving, turn-taking, commenting, and peer interaction to children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60 / 465,139, filed Apr. 24, 2004 by the present inventor and titled "SOCIAL SKILL BUILDER GAME".[0002] The present educational board game relates to the field of games used to improve behavior skills for children and adults with developmental disabilities. The features described in this board game will permit persons affected by these disabilities to navigate the unpredictable world that one faces with these disabilities. Specifically addressed are methods to address the impaired communications and social skills that this special group faces on a daily basis.FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH[0003] Not ApplicableSEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM[0004] Not ApplicableFIELD OF INVENTION[0005] The new board game described in this specification is an educational board game that is designed to help teach appropriate social skills, problem-solving, turn-taking, commenting, and peer interaction to children and adults...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

0017] Accordingly, there are several objects and advantages of the developmental board game. This new development game satisfies a long felt need to have a way to create opportunities to improve communication and social skills in short periods of time with controlled learning. The total time to set-up the game, create and use the learning session and to complete the game can be accomplished in thirty minutes. The attention span of some participants has prevented behavior skills building from being accomplished by other development games of past years.

0018] This new board game is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Because it is composed of easily adapted core cards, the need to specialize a game for an individual or small group is avoided. The similarities of the two examples shown below provide economies of scale during the manufacturing of the games.

0019] This new board game, by the use of the mirr

Problems solved by technology

However, the average development board game involves many pieces, intricate rules and scoring, and a competitive environment.

This is a difficult, highly complex board game.

However, even though these may be suitable for the specific purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for developmental skill building for persons with disabilities.

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