NeurEmotion

NeurEmotion is an app that helps children with autism spectrum disorder manage and control their emotions through interactive games and activities.  

NeurEmotion is a mobile app that has the goal of helping children on the autism spectrum take control of their emotions, specifically by prompting the transition from anger to calmness through motor tasks. It facilitates emotional control through a fun and engaging interface that prompts the user to release the built up energy or stress from their body through physically swiping or interacting with the screen, and with those interactions come therapeutic sounds and images. The app’s main aim is to transition the user from an angry to calm state through a series of motor tasks that also have various sensory elements, such as calming music and sounds, and a visual color transition from red to green in every game of the app. The physical release of energy from the motor tasks can be quite therapeutic to the user, and internally calms their mind. As a result, their anger is channeled into the app and they become calm. 

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that is characterized by problems in social interaction and communication and by limited or repetitive patterns of thought or behavior. ASD has a wide spectrum, meaning that every child on the autism spectrum has different developmental needs, and there is no one “solution” that works for every child’s problems. There are many applications in the world that help children on the spectrum learn about emotions, such as a flashcards-based app with facial expressions and their respective emotions. However, there is a significant lack of resources that help children on the autism spectrum manage and control their emotions. Without this guidance, children on the spectrum resort to less socially acceptable ways of handling their emotions, such as screaming or throwing a tantrum. This leads to the societal misconception that children with autism are “less than” the neurotypical child. I aim to create an app that solves this problem, and help children on the autism spectrum take control of their emotions using a mobile application. 

The app would positively impact children on thee spectrum, as well as their families, by helping the take control of their emotions. This idea of prompting the child to release negative energy through motor tasks has not been explored in the realm of autism spectrum disorder, and we believe it could have a far-reaching impact, not only in the household, but in the field of special education.

I have spent a large amount of time with people on the spectrum. I have volunteered at a local tennis club for multiple years, teaching tennis to kids with autism. In addition, I have started a nonprofit organization called Spectrum Robotics (spectrumrobotics.org) that teaches STEAM skills to children on the spectrum, where I have both taught and designed curriculum for kids on the spectrum. Finally, I have been involved with professional research through an internship at the University Of The Sciences, Philidelphia where I helped transcribe interviews of families with an autistic child where they detailed their experience with the pandemic.

I am targetting the need of low-cost emotional management resources for kids on the autism spectrum. There are countless apps that aim to teach kids with autism about emotions, but none yet that help them control their emotions through activities. 

I have coded the app, and have showed it to a few parents of children on the spectrum. Therefore, I selected pilot. 

I want to release the app, so that it is free for everyone who needs it to use.