Pete and Jennifer Minnelli’s 10 year old daughter has high-functioning autism, and they have had difficulties placing her in a supportive academic setting and helping her build friendships.
“Children with high-functioning autism and ADHD want to make social connections,” says Jennifer, a speech language pathologist who has worked with children with special needs for the past 15 years, ”They simply don’t know how to go about it. They may not register others’ emotions. They may not read facial expressions or body language well. As a result, they may be excluded and teased by their neurotypical peers.”
She and her husband Pete, a trained designer with over twenty years of experience in graphic design and brand development, founded rubycube, a software development company that focuses on creating apps for children who display characteristics associated with high-functioning autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other disabilities that could cause a range of social, communication and behavioral challenges.
On March 26, rubycube launched the first two apps from its storysmart series. The series includes six different characters in six interactive animated stories that seek to teach children ages 6 to 12 how to navigate and react appropriately to a range of social situations.
The apps, “Trudy Goes to the Beach,” which teaches users how to handle what’s expected while on vacation, and “Casey’s Big Day,” which helps users navigate the first day of school in a new grade, are available on iTunes for iPad users and will be available for Android users in the coming months.
To learn more about the app, CLICK HERE.
(Source: blog.sfgate.com)
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