Using Gaming for Social Skills – 2022

Caroline Maguire, M.Ed., ACCG, PCC, is a graduate of TrinityCollege and earned her M. Ed. with a specialization in social emotional learning (SEL) from Lesley University.

She is the author of the award winning book, Why Will No One Play WithMe? and founder of a SEL training methodology#ConnectionMatters-both designed to teach emotional regulation, social and self-awareness and responsible decision-making skills.

She founded the only Coach Training program accredited by the ICF, ADDA’s The Fundamentals of ADHDCoaching for Families. Ms. Maguire is a seasoned social skills clinician with years of experience at the Hallowell Center Boston and now operates a private practice. She is a sought-after lecturer and workshop facilitator, the social skills columnist in ADDitude Magazine, and a favored contributor to many publications.

Follow her @AuthorCarolineM and download her free video“How to Tell a Tighter Story”

Dan Clark runs the service MindJam – online 121 mentorship and guidance for children struggling with SEN, anxiety, stress and social issues; through gaming and game design.

He set this up in the pandemic and less than 2 years later he has 20 mentors supporting over 400 young people and is still growing. He works with schools, health services and councils to bring greater understanding to the needs of young people and the positive benefits of gaming and game design.

At MindJam, our aim is to support children who suffer anxiety, stress, social issues and other emotional needs. We are experienced in working with children with ASD, ADHD, Trauma, PDA and children who have been adopted. MindJam uses gaming, coding and game creation, digital music and digital art, as a platform to develop positive play, problem solving and social and technical skill development, through friendly, positive and low-demand sessions. These activities are great for relieving stress and anxiety and have been shown to greatly benefit mental health and cognitive development. In private and online one-to-one sessions, we provide a safe environment in which children are encouraged to express themselves, to talk about anything that interests them, their loves and fears, worries, problems and goals. Through positive, non-judgemental social interaction, tuition and play, we aim to provide the right support for their individual needs, whilst also providing an educational benefit through furthering skills in gaming, game design and coding.

In 2021 Dan was a nominated finalist for BAFTA Mentor of the Year and is nominated at this year’s National Diversity Awards.

As a father of two autistic children, which brings great understanding of how SEN impacts the whole family, Dan has created a company that has helped so many young people, and through his dedication and passion he is making sure MindJam grows to support as many who are struggling as possible. MindJam also supports in US, AU, NZ, SA and CA