TruNook

TruNook is a mobile app designed as an interactive toolkit for navigating emotional wellness in relation to children, ages 9-12 with autism and social anxiety. It oEers a safe and welcoming space for kids who face isolation, social anxiety, or self-doubt. TruNook provides tools for children to identify, recognize, and understand challenging emotions through features such as stress management, mood tracking, and an AR gamified experience designed to enhance their ability to navigate social interactions. This app also includes AI journaling with ‘Olli the Octopus,’ an AI companion who helps guide users throughout the app and provides emotional security through journalized conversations. Olli is personalized to each user, adapting to their communication style to create a friendly, relatable environment. Like an octopus, Olli has the capability to ‘camouflage’ by mirroring the user’s emotions through color, allowing opportunities for emotional awareness and reflection.

TruNook oEers a distinctive approach to emotional and mental health tailored specifically for middle school children. Inspired by recent studies that highlight the eEectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in safely enhancing social skills in children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). TruNook combines gamified storytelling with its AR ‘Social Connectivity’ feature, oEering a controlled, secure environment where children can practice and prepare for real- world social situations. This feature also examines the user’s ‘triggers’ during the immersive exercises, along with verbal and non-verbal social cues they encountered, providing insights for improvement and growth.