A meltdown should never be the first sign.

01 · The problem

Today a parent finds out by watching it happen.

The child often cannot say what is wrong. The parent looks for a trigger after the fact, and the next one comes without warning.

• 47%of 409 parent posts are about hunting for triggersOur tagging, mostly r/Autism_Parenting
• 68%of autistic children have been aggressive toward a caregiverKanne & Mazurek, 2011
• 49%tried to run away after age 4Anderson et al., 2012

02 · The idea

A soft band. A little friend on top. Serious sensing inside.

• Reads the bodyHeart rate and HRV, skin conductance (EDA), skin temperature, motion.
• Tells the parent quietlyA message on the phone. No screen on the child, no alarm in the room.
• A friend, not a sensorMany children pull a medical sensor off. A friend snaps on top and holds the battery, so the band stays on.
• Learns what helpsThe app shows the day and ranks what calms this child, by the body, not by guesswork.

03 · The evidence

The signal is real. Nobody has tested it at home.

Goodwin 2019 (20 children, 1 min), Imbiriba 2023 (70 children, 4 hospitals, 3 min), Kartha 2026 preprint (9, classroom, 10 min). All four studies

04 · Why now

The models arrived. The devices left the market.

1. 2013Q-Sensor stopped
2. 2019First model, 20 children
3. 202370 children, 4 hospitals
4. 2025Empatica E4 retired
5. NowNo family device gives raw signal and home data. That is the gap.

05 · The plan

6 to 9 months to a study and a paper.

1. Now · closed pilot, one childAt home, an off-the-shelf device, worn all day. About 15 episodes. Can we warn ahead?
2. Step 2 · closed beta, six familiesReady, from a parent community of 135 families.
3. Step 3 · protocol and regulatorEthics, consent, data rights. FDA Pre-Sub before any claim.
4. Step 4 · our own prototypesA small batch of bands that give raw signal and that children keep on.
5. Goal · study and paperWith clinical psychiatrists, on 30 to 50 children, by protocol.

This is a plan, not traction. Open questions: who pays, medical device or wellness, the alert threshold.