Early one morning, Brandee is awakened by the sound of two alarms: the scheduled chime from her phone and the cries of her autistic five-year-old daughter Quinlee, who needs to get ready for school. Quinlee’s condition requires additional time to be soothed, groomed, and adequately prepared for the school day. As they go from task to task, Brandee gives Quinlee time markers of when to change tasks, a strategy called priming that is used to assist autistic children in staying productive and timely throughout the day.
“Children with autism tend to hyperfixate on certain things,” explains Ryan Andersen (EXSC ’27). “When you tell them it's time to switch tasks, either that transition will take extra time to understand, or they don't want to switch tasks, since they're so hyperfixated on their present activity. They want to stay in that comfort zone.”
Brandee wants to help both her and her daughter feel less frustrated, but the priming process can be taxing. Brandee is not unique in her struggles. “By interviewing parents and caregivers of children with autism, we found out that transitioning is one of their biggest problems,” says Ben McBride (ENT ’26).
In an effort to better assist autistic children in shifting between tasks, a team of six students created Sensory Solutions, a company that produces smart stuffed animals with built-in visual timers to assist autistic children by giving them timed cues for their next task. The stuffed animals, called Merfies, are synced with an app that allows parents to align the timer with their child’s schedule. By integrating structured visual cues into a child-friendly design, Sensory Solutions bridges the gap between clinical tools and everyday usability, making routines less stressful for both children and their caregivers.
Brandee volunteered to test the stuffed animal during its trial phase. She and Quinlee found the innovation so effective that they requested to keep the prototype until the final product is released to the market.
The alleviated stress this product can bring is potentially life-changing. “We interviewed parents whose marriages had fallen apart because of how difficult it is to parent autistic children,” Spencer says. “They turn to online support groups and therapy, but therapy can be really expensive. Being able to support them through this device has been very special.”
Andersen’s background in exercise sciences, combined with his entrepreneurial interests, made him uniquely suited for the research needed to create this innovation. His classes taught him how to examine an environment, take note of disparities, and seek specific outcomes while preparing for variable outcomes. He drew on his understanding of the scientific method, along with concepts like technology push and market pull, to contribute a science-informed perspective to the team, further helping them analyze participants’ challenges with a more analytical approach.
At first, Andersen struggled with imposter syndrome since he didn't understand the entrepreneurial or business terms. Over time, he came to see these feelings as normal and shifted his perspective, learning to embrace the unique value he brought to the team. Andersen’s contribution, alongside the team’s commitment to service and hard work, allowed them to reach success. “This innovation, or any innovation for that matter, can’t be great unless the team is great,” Taylor says. “Equally as important as the product and mission is the people driving it forward. BYU offers a great environment to do this.” The team is grateful to BYU’s Crocker Innovation Fellowship which funded their project and brought their team together.
Sensory Solutions has demonstrated promising results during its testing phase, with several clinics in Utah indicating a willingness to adopt the product. The team aims to bring their innovation to market and achieve their main objective: improving the lives of neurodivergent individuals and their parents.