Kid in Story: The App Inspired by a Mom in Need

My son has a sensory processing disorder, which means that his body interprets stimuli differently than neuro-typical individuals. Because of his SPD, my son sometimes has an extreme reaction to things that scare him, such as getting water in his eyes or encountering dogs off leash. We have tried every trick in the book to help with these two fears in particular. I have researched the subject and consulted doctors, therapists, parents, and teachers. Repeatedly, I came across references to the value of story telling.
I read my son books about his fears, did role playing with him, and showed him videos of other kids working through their fears. None of those strategies had the same impact as showing him photos of himself moving through one of his fears. It is powerful to see a picture of yourself underwater smiling if you are afraid of getting water in your eyes or to see a picture of yourself hugging a cute puppy if you are scared of dogs. It takes power away from the fear and allows the child to sit with the idea that things could be different. They can move safely through their fears.
Kid in Story was created by Locomotive Labs–a group of talented parents, educators and speech and language pathologists—in response to a request by the parent of an autistic child.
Kid in Story’s features include:

• 8 templates (and more on the way) that include both “fanciful” and ”practical” narratives, and are designed so that stories can be created in 10 minutes or less.
• One-of-a-kind image detection technology to superimpose the child into the story. This feature is especially key for children who do not respond to other types of social stories that rely on a cartoon character or a generic child in the narrative to model the expected behavior and scenario. ‘

I should add this app is also just plain FUN. Ultimately that is why is works. Don’t be put off by the $6.99 price tag. It is worth every penny, especially for special needs children.