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App Users
Get Smart Steps Mobile from the App Store or Google Play.
Sign up for a free account.
When you find yourself in a sticky situation, Smart Steps Mobile helps you decide what to do. There are no right or wrong answers. You decide what works for you in the moment. If it doesn’t work out, you can always call for help, and the app will even help you decide if it’s time to call. A help button is on every screen in case you decide that you need to call, even if the app doesn’t say to do so.
Not a good reader? Smart Steps Mobile has Read Aloud buttons which are easily turned on and off. You can listen to one button or all of them. This allows flexibility when walking into a quiet area and do not want the voice on.
If you’re not sure where you are, there’s a link to the phone’s map. It will do all of the things that maps do, include searching and routing.
As you use the app, log into your account on the website and check the My Dashboard tab in your online account for personal stats. This will help you to know what problems you run into, and what you might do to be proactive. Be sure to watch the video tutorials about Smart Steps on the tutorials tab.
Parents and Family
Have peace of mind, knowing that a loved one has support for everyday life. Imagine the confidence gained when the app user can use his or her phone for help and function more independently. And it makes your job easier because they have your support right in their phone!
Solving a problem or making a decision is a step by step process that is often contextual. Is someone close by to ask? Do I have time to deal with this problem right now? What resources are nearby? Smart Steps Mobile leads the app user through the process by offering choices, one step at a time. Safety tips and social skills can be stored on the bottom half of the screen for use at the moment needed, such as “wait by the door” or “say thank you”. The app user ends on a success screen or a call-for-help screen. With the free version, the user is cued to use their phone to call for help. Subscription users have quick access to emergency contacts stored in the app, which is important in a panicky moment. The Profile Screen is handy for showing emergency responders or other helpful people. Learn more in this video:
Smart Steps was designed to encourage independence, self-confidence, and resilience. Let us know what you think! There’s a feedback button in the app or you can email connect@smartsteps4me.com.
Staff
Encourage independent thinking and resilience with decision trees for issues such as “I’m Hungry” or “I Lost Something”. At the same time, it makes better use of staff time with less repetition of the same instructions. Students get help on their terms, when they need it. They don’t have to wait for help.
Do you have students asking for help after you’ve given instructions for a project? Are you differentiating instruction by offering choices in how to complete the project? With the new Decision Tree Maker, you’ll be able to create decision trees per your procedures and tell parents that you are personalizing instruction and building independence.
When you create a decision tree, you can share it just within your group or class or share it with the Smart Steps community. An individual can personalize a decision tree you’ve created by saving it with a different name and keeping it private in his or her own account.
Learn about setting up a Group Plan in this video:
A read-aloud button can be turned on and off within the app for maximum flexibility and easy use.
To get started, the individual downloads the Smart Steps Mobile app and sets up an account in just a couple of minutes. Option: With the Decision Tree Maker Plan, Emergency Contact information can be quickly accessed through the Help Screen. One or several contacts can be inserted into the individual’s app, such as family members, a trusted neighbor, a caregiver, the bus company, and the school office.
Speech Language Clinicians: What better way to motivate and teach social communication than by using real-life scenarios? Social skills and other tips are displayed on the screen at the moment needed. Great for role-playing.
Paras: Do you find that it’s complicated to remember the detailed steps of a behavior plan? What if you had step by step reminders in your phone? Write a decision tree that you can use on the spot. Be more consistent.
Review data on the Dashboard for growth in problem solving, perfect for documenting progress toward goals. Educators really like this feature. It’s a great way to assign an in-class activity or homework assignment and verify completion.
What other features would you like to see? Let Smart Steps know by using the contact form. Send us a note today at connect@smartsteps4me.com.
Campuses and Agencies
Do you find that your young adults are needing help for everyday issues? Do you find yourself answering the same question repeatedly? Would you like to offer a self-help type of support to offer students or clients? Then you’re in the right place.
Smart Steps offers options and leads the app user through a situation, one step at a time, ending on either a Success screen or a Help screen. There are no right or wrong choices, just what fits in the moment.
As app users work through a decision tree, they have access to suggestions and options for issues such as “I lost my backpack” or “My Ride is Late”. You will be able to write custom decision trees with language specific to your community.
If the app user is unable to solve his or her problem, the app will prompt him or her to call for help. He or she can then call or text Emergency Contacts from the Help screen in the app. When the app user has your helpline listed as an Emergency Contact on the help screen, your staff can act as remote coaches. Imagine the panic that can be quickly alleviated by having resources available just at the moment needed.
If you are an agency that provides in-person support, maybe you have individuals who prefer more privacy and independence but who need occasional support. You could provide remote coaching with Smart Steps Mobile, providing a flexible level of support as they get ready for work, travel in the community, hang out with friends, or shop at the grocery store. Staff could support several individuals at the same time, allowing you to manage resources and support more people. It makes your job easier but you also feel better because you can support individuals when they really need it. You’re there for them on their terms.
Employment First is a national initiative, focused on employment as a key outcome for persons with disabilities. Smart Steps is designed to help on the job. Decision trees can assist with issues such as how to handle questions from a customer, co-worker, or boss. Other relevant scenarios include late rides and being hungry. The Decision Tree Maker allows you to customize or create decision trees for your locale.
Offering an extra layer of support through Smart Steps will set you apart with parents and clients who are concerned about security. Hear yourself saying, “We care enough about our students or clients that we are offering this extra layer of support.”
We’d love to hear what else you would like to see. Just use the contact form or email connect@smartsteps4me.com.
Learn about setting up a Group Plan in this video: