Smart Steps: A New Phone App Helps Young Adults with Special Needs Navigate the World

Cindy Fisher never set out to be a technology innovator. A special education teacher with both master’s and doctoral degrees, she retired after 40 years with the Shawnee Mission School District in Overland Park, Kansas. As she worked with older teens with autism, she saw how stressful it was for them to make the transition to life beyond high school. Many, she figured, could benefit from a simple tool to help them navigate the adult world, whether on a college campus, at a job or job training, or simply while out with friends.

“In school, somebody is always nearby,” Fisher said. “[But] when kids with autism go to college, they may or may not qualify for support — they may be on their own. I noticed the amount of stress that came along with unexpected challenges. Some needed a minimum level of support, but when they did need it, it was urgent.”

Those observations motivated Fisher to start working on a user-friendly, tech-based solution. With funding from the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) and the National Institute on Community, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), she developed Smart Steps, a mobile phone app that walks users through commonlyencountered situations in a step-by-step process.

Though Smart Steps functions like a flow chart, each step is presented one layer at a time, Fisher noted. That’s to keep the user, who may already be anxious, from becoming further overwhelmed.

Say, for example, that “Ethan”, a college freshman, is waiting for a bus to take him across campus for his next class. When he checks the time, he realizes that the bus is already gone. He starts to get a little anxious, because he has a test in his next class. It’s Friday afternoon, so there aren’t many people around who might be able to help. Ethan remembers his Smart Steps app, and selects the “I missed my ride” option. Several solutions pop up, and he chooses “call Uber,” because waiting for the next bus will take too long. The Uber driver arrives, and on the trip across campus, a Smart Steps prompting feature reminds Ethan to let his professor, “Dr. Shaw,” know he will be late. Ethan let all of his professors know at the beginning of the semester that he is on the autism spectrum, and exchanged contact information with them for situations just like today. Dr. Shaw even downloaded Smart Steps onto his own phone, so that Ethan can reach him directly through the app. Ethan is only 10 minutes late to class. He feels good because he has solved a problem on his own. He hits the “Success!” option on the screen.

Smart Steps continues to walk users through options until a solution is reached, or until all feasible solutions are exhausted. At that point, the user is prompted to call their emergency contacts, or in dangerous situations, to dial 911 or simply hit the panic button. Each user’s profile screen also has important information that can be shown to an emergency responder, which is critical for users with speech impairments, or who are unable to vocalize in highly stressful situations.

Now President and CEO of Smart Steps, LLC, Fisher is embarking on a second career to introduce Smart Steps to anyone who can benefit from it. “I work with autism support groups, life coaches and young adults both in and out of the classroom setting to help them learn how to use it,” she said. “I plan to enhance the app with more features. My goal is for Smart Steps to be used by a bigger audience, including counselors, instructors, classrooms, parents and caregivers, law enforcement, and [social service] agencies.”

Smart Steps is available through the Apple App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/smart-steps-mobile/ id887603628?ls=1) or Google Playstore (https://play. google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smartsteps4me. mobile&hl=en). Register for the free basic plan at https://app.smartsteps4me.com/register. The upgraded plan, which allows the creation of new flow charts is available for $59.99/year. Custom plans can be created for groups; pricing varies. connect@Smartsteps4me.com(913) 522-6660

Cindy Fisher