18-year-old with autism wins fans across the world with his app Aumi

Ethan Shallcross, an 18-year-old boy from the United Kingdom has developed a new mobile app. Called Aumi, the app aims to help people with autism and others with mental issues to monitor their moods and energy levels.

This 18-year-old combines tech skills with a big heart. United Kingdom-based teenager Ethan Shallcross has autism and his experience coping with his own mood swings has led him to develop an app called Aumi. The aim of the app is to help people with autism handle swings in moods and energy levels better. Little did he realise how useful people with mental health challenges find it too.

Aumi uses graphs to help monitor moods and energy levels, something that parents with kids on the autism spectrum believe is much needed. Sangeetha John, who has a 17-year-old daughter with autism, says it will help the child understand what is happening at any given point.

The individual must be able to appreciate and understand how far they are going while doing things, even if it is day to day activities. I believe an app like Aumi will help them to realise it. The fact that the app was developed by a youngster with autism makes it even more special. Every child is unique and hence their needs and demands also vary. The app must be able to cater to all this. I hope it is introduced in India soon.-Sangeetha John, Parent

The app has four aspects. In the first stage, users can track their moods using widgets and periodic notifications. They can record their mood, and see how it has been over the past few days. The Energy Accounting Tool will help them to avoid burning out too soon in the day. The Planner will ensure that the user is able to plan out the day and see how well they can get through it without any hassles. The Sensory Section will allow users to set their sensitivity.

Aumi works on Android and iPhones. Ethan has kept it simple as he wants users to feel relaxed while using this technology. This youngster hopes to create a newer and enhanced version of the app in a few months.

“This looks like an awesome app”, said one person on social media. “It has been developed to help manage autism anxiety but seems a great tool for managing mood and energy levels”.

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