Two local teachers are using real life experiences to help teach children better social skills, and it comes in the form of cartoon books, flashcards, and games. Anne Dachel and Jill Doermann from Chippewa Falls teamed up a year and a half ago, to create the Think and Say Tutoring System. They say some kids need help with their social skills, but it's expensive, and they see the need for help increasing.

Ann Dachel and Jill Doermann said, "Many parents can't access special help, speech therapies are extremely expensive. Insurance doesn't cover it many times, and schools are overwhelmed with the number of kids who need help."

The high costs associated with some form of help, and personal experiences had the teachers wanting to make a difference.

Jill Doermann and Ann Dachel said, "It's for kids who might have an official diagnosis of a learning problem maybe, something on the autism spectrum. ADD, ADHD, some children they know there's some difficulty, or for kids who are just quiet or who just struggle to get along."

The Think and Say Tutoring System incorporates cartoon books, games, and flashcards to teach kids how to handle different social situations.

Anne Dachel and Jill Doermann said, "Taking turns, learning to handle change and situations. Controlling anger, understanding adults. There are 17 different areas that we included in the books."

Dachel and Doermann say the books are sold to parents, teachers, and universities. And they hope the system will even make its way into regular education classrooms.

Jill Doermann and Anne Dachel said, "So many children who have learning problems are in regular classrooms, and they need a little extra help. And teachers need to deal with these kids everyday in all these subjects."

The teachers say they've been getting calls from across the country, and are excited the program is taking off.

Anne Dachel and Jill Doermann said, "Most people say we've been searching for something anything that will help us with that."

If you're interested in the Think and Say Learning System, you can get more information by calling Jill Doermann at 715-720-8833.