The OliTool®️ System:

OliTool aims to help children develop social and emotional learning skills necessary to thrive at school and in their daily lives.  Research has shown that self-awareness, self-regulation and problem solving are foundational skills for mental wellbeing, academic attainment and life success. Positive progress in developing these skills improves social behaviours and academic performance and lowers levels of emotional distress and conduct issues (Feraco, 2023; Robson, 2020; Mahoney, 2018). 

The OliTool system includes a tablet-based app (iOS or Android), a web portal and a toy-like handheld ‘smart’ device, Oli.   The current version of the OliTool system was designed for children ages 7 – 11 and can be used with or without Oli.

OliTool’s structured learning content supports teachers and other adult users while the games and activities, with child-friendly graphics and narratives, engage the child.  Oli, with its real-time tracking capabilities and self-soothing features, offers the child a fun and sensory-rich tool to monitor their feelings and behaviours for insight development and self-regulation.  The system was developed through consultation with SENCos, teachers, TAs, education experts, parents, children and mental health professionals to ensure the aims were met. 

How does OliTool work?

App:

The app takes the child on a journey towards developing emotional literacy with games and activities to help them:

  • Develop a ‘feelings’ vocabulary;

  • Understand how emotions feel in the body and impact actions;

  • Learn about triggers for feelings and behaviours;

  • Reflect on their mood;

  • Develop a positive view of themselves;

  • Set emotional and behavioural goals;

  • Practice strategies to help manage unhelpful feelings and behaviours;

  • Develop gratitude and an appreciation of others.

The app is intended primarily for individual child use under the supervision of the child’s SENCo, teacher and/or TA for in-school use or the child’s parent/guardian for in-home use.   The app’s games and activities can be used for classroom discussions and to complement whole-school SEL programmes.

The web portal provides reporting, analytics, administration and communications functions across the child’s care network that:

  • Help to create tailored interventions and follow a child’s progress;

  • Support joined up care;

  • Facilitate triaging children for specialist support;

  • Assist with meeting SEN obligations;

  • Provide insights for educational and wellbeing planning and policy.

The child works with the supervising adult to explore the app’s games and activities, which are designed to increase self-awareness, self-regulation and problem solving and develop an appreciation of oneself and others. 

A starting point for all children is their assessment of mood, undertaken daily if possible.  The adult and child select and sequence the games and activities they will undertake to address the child’s individual needs.   This may start with activities to help the child develop a ‘feelings’ vocabulary and a better understanding of their feelings and behaviours. 

Once a child is able to recognise and communicate their feelings, they are invited to set behaviour goals and stepping stones that help the child along the way.   The goal setting activity draws on the concept of helpful and unhelpful feelings and actions, and how strategies can be employed to help a child move towards helpful feelings and actions.  It provides an opportunity for the child to practice strategies to help them manage their feelings and behaviours and track their progress in doing so. 

Oli: 

Oli is a toy-like handheld ‘smart’ device that is introduced once the child has a good grasp of the basic social and emotional skills as taught in the OliTool app.  Oli enables the child to communicate their feelings and behaviours in real time and practice self-regulation strategies learned in the app.  Insights about a child’s behaviour are facilitated through Oli’s real-time child-initiated tracking of feelings and actions, behaviour planning and data review.  Oli, currently available on a limited basis, is expected to be available in 2025.

Web Portal:

The web portal is used for administrative purposes (i.e. account set up, logins), to facilitate adult progress monitoring and for teacher and/or SENCo report writing.  It also serves as an information sharing platform for parents/guardians and authorised professionals to view the child’s responses to the app activities and offer context, comments and insights, deepening the understanding of the child’s day, worries and successes.  This web-based communication hub facilitates joined up care, which improves outcomes.