Show and Tell is an interactive visual story designed to help children with autism.
The app helps prepare children for the circus. Show And Tell was created for Circus Starr, which is a touring circus aimed at disabled and disadvantaged children. It was funded by Nesta.
Circus Starr is a touring circus boasting world-class, professional artists from across the globe. It was first founded in 1987 and provides free seats for thousands of disadvantaged, disabled or vulnerable children, whilst helping to raise much needed funds for local charities.
Going to the circus can be a daunting experience for children with Autism, as it's a loud and unfamiliar environment. Circus Starr asked us to create an app to help prepare children with autism for a trip to the circus, with features to assist in social storytelling after the trip. It needed to be visually engaging and include a mixture of audio, video and images.
The app is has been a great success in helping children familiarise themselves with the circus experience before they go. It was awarded the 'Best New Technological Innovation' Award at the 2015 Autism Professional Awards.
The Show And Tell app contains 3 fully customisable social stories to help discuss a circus trip before the event. The stories are pre-built, with space to add or edit the default content and can be used by parents to help prepare their child for the experience.
During the circus trip, children are encouraged to take photos and videos, which they can add to the After story. This can be used by the child as a prompt to help describe the show to people who weren’t there