In 2021, CASEN hired an education consulting company, as well as website and app developers to help improve CASEN’s concepts. CASEN realized that the third-party app was not able to sustain the vision that Dr. Myava Clark and her son, Chris Clark Jr. had in mind for CASEN. They knew that they needed to collaborate with consultants to build the educational content for CASEN’s education model. They also knew that they needed help with improving their current website and they found the help that they needed to advance CASEN.

CASEN Connect is a social media site and application that is designed to help children with special, social, and/or emotional needs learn how to behave appropriately while using social media. The CASEN Connect app can be accessed by invitation only which avoids unintended parties from gaining access to children. This app is designed as a precursor for other social media platforms.

In 2018, Dr. Clark helped Chris develop CASEN Connect. The purpose of CASEN is to help students achieve social wellness. Designed as a precursor to traditional social media, CASEN’s goal is to help students become prepared for mainstream social media platforms through the tool, CASEN Connect.

In 2021, CASEN Connect was reconstructed with the help of consultants and web designers. CASEN decided to enhance the educational aspects of CASEN Connect by teaching bullying identification to students. This is accomplished by giving a daily mini-lesson with bullying content to students. The next day, the students are tested on the information that they received on the previous day. There is a daily question posted to see if they have retained the information.

Students using the app are taught how to interact with adults (the course facilitator) and their peers online through daily discussions. This site teaches students to practice what they have learned in CASEN Education, a program designed to bridge the gap between the social skills taught in the classroom and real-world online social interactions. Through the CASEN Connect app, students are also practicing communicating appropriately on social media, such as typing complete sentences and talking respectfully to others. Students walk away understanding if they have been bullied if they have been the bully, and if they have witnessed bullying. Students can also identify whom to report bullying to once it is experienced or witnessed.

CASEN Connect was piloted in the fall of 2022 by parents and educators. The purpose was to get feedback on what both populations wanted for student success. They were also able to help uncover kinks in the system. The pilot went very well, and several bugs were identified. CASEN took the concerns to the web designers and worked on solutions. A second round of testing was done, and the test group loved the added functions.

Kelley Costa said, “CASEN Connect is a website and application which is designed to be a precursor to regular social media sites.”

Hal Batdorf said, “I wish that the kids in my class were able to use CASEN Connect. They are constantly on their phones and I don’t think they know how dangerous different platforms can be. I have to remind them daily to put their phones away.”

Social media is here to stay; it is not going anywhere. Children are being exposed to different social media platforms at a younger and younger age. As much as parents try to protect their children from going on social media, parents are not with their children 24/7 and they are not aware if their children are using their friends’ phones or computers. CASEN Connect will help give parents peace of mind by empowering children with Bullying Identification and how to properly communicate with adults and peers on social media. Instead of teaching children to avoid social media, parents should allow CASEN to equip children with the proper tools to navigate social media appropriately.

For more information and resources, visit https://casenllc.com/resource-library/