Let's say you aren't sure how to start a conversation. Or give a compliment. Or get through a first date.
For kids with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, these can be big challenges.
But now there's an app for that.
Fraser, a child development center in Minneapolis, has created QuickCues to help guide autistic teens and young adults through tricky social situations. Essentially, they're a series of tip sheets that are designed to be used on iPods or iPhones for handy reference.
When they need a little help, students can pull out their mobile devices and read a script about how to act in a way that's socially acceptable. There's one guide, for example, for "apologizing for unintentional mistakes." Another is called "Bullies -- How to handle."
Several years ago, Fraser got a grant to help teenagers in its after-school program design their own tip sheets -- also called "social stories" -- and put them on iPods.
Young people with autism have a tough time picking up social cues. "A social story gives them some rules and information how to do that," said Drew Benson, a counselor at Fraser.
In the past, students would write them on paper, but many were reluctant to use them. "It makes you look really different to have to pull [out] this big laminated piece of paper," Benson explained. But with an iPod? They look like any other teenagers, flipping through a screen.
The project proved so popular that Fraser decided to create a standard set and sell them through Apple's app store, said Benson, one of the project leaders.
Fraser, a nonprofit, offers QuickCues for four different skill sets: Communication, Life Skills, Socialization and Coping, each priced at $4.99.
So far, only about 1,200 have been sold since they were introduced last year, said Benson. But he hopes interest will build.
"As a nonprofit, we're always probably looking for additional ways of generating some revenue," he said.