About Autism Tools
Autism Tools was born from a personal journey. Created by Claire and her 11-year-old son Thomas, this project combines real-world experience with practical solutions for autistic children and their families.
We believe that every child deserves tools that help them communicate and express themselves comfortably. Our mission is to create simple, accessible, and effective tools that make a real difference in the lives of autistic children and their families.
Claire, a freelance content editor and parent, brings technical expertise and understanding of the challenges faced by families with autistic children. Thomas, our 11-year-old product designer, provides invaluable insights from his own experiences and helps ensure our tools are truly child-friendly and effective.
Our Core Principles
We are committed to building powerful tools that are easy to access and respect your privacy.
| Principle | What it means for you | |
|---|---|---|
| 💸 | Free to Start | Our core tools are available for free. We may offer optional premium features in the future to support our mission. |
| 🌐 | Web-Based | Nothing to install. Our tools work on any phone, tablet, or computer with a modern web browser. |
| 🛡️ | Privacy Focused | Your personal communication is private. We use anonymized analytics to improve our tools, but we never store the content of what you type or communicate. You can always use our core tools without an account. |
| ❤️ | Designed with Care | Our tools are built with direct input from autistic children and their parents to ensure they are useful, intuitive, and loved. |
Tool Spotlight: The Calm Communicator
A communication aid for children who are partially non-verbal or experience selective mutism, helping them express their needs and feelings in the moment.
How It Works: A Visual Guide
Step 1: Open on Any Device
A child feels overwhelmed or is unable to speak. A caregiver opens the Calm Communicator in a web browser on a phone or tablet.
Step 2: AI Offers Smart Suggestions
The tool's smart AI understands the context and provides simple, relevant phrases for the child to choose from.
"I need a quiet space." "I'm feeling sad." "Can I have my headphones?"
Step 3: Child Taps to Communicate
With a simple tap, the child selects the phrase that best fits what they want to say. The message is displayed clearly on the screen.
Step 4: Review and Share History
The conversation is saved in a clear history log. You can easily copy or print this log to share with teachers, therapists, or other family members. Reloading the browser clears their selections.
Calm Communicator: Key Features at a Glance
| Feature | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| ✨ | AI-Powered Help | Provides helpful, in-the-moment phrases to reduce the stress of finding the right words. |
| 🔒 | Private Communication | Your conversations are private. We do not save or analyze the specific words or phrases you communicate. We only collect anonymous usage data (like which buttons are clicked) to help us improve the tool for everyone. |
| 💻📱 | Works Everywhere | Use it on an iPhone, Android, laptop, or tablet. If it has a browser, it works. |
| 📋 | Printable History | Keep a record of communication to track patterns, share progress, and ensure consistency across all environments (home, school, therapy). |
Ready to Get Started?
We're always looking for feedback and ideas to improve our tools. If you'd like to share your thoughts or suggestions, please let us know. Your input helps us create better tools for the community.