Teaching Children With Autism to Initiate Social Interactions Using Textual Prompts Delivered via Apple Watches®

Two preschoolers with autism got an Apple Watch. The watch buzzed and showed a short text like “Ask a friend to play.”

The kids were in a daycare playroom with peers. Each buzz was a cue to start a social interaction.

The team counted how often each child started play, shared, or talked without adult help.

Both kids tripled their social starts within a few days. One child kept the gain one month later with no more texts.

The second child still needed the watch buzz to keep the skill going.

Delgado-Lobete et al. (2019) first showed that simple text cards can teach kids with autism to ask for toys. Lopez swapped the card for a watch and aimed the text at peers instead of adults.

Szempruch et al. (1993) used paper scripts that faded from end to beginning. Their four kids also learned to start talks and kept the skill for two months. The watch study copies the fade idea, but the prompt is a silent buzz plus text.

Yamamoto et al. (2024) tried plain text prompts with autistic adults at work. Gains were small and shaky. Preschoolers in Lopez’s study showed faster, clearer growth. The difference is likely age, setting, and the buzz cue that grabs attention.

If a child can read, a smartwatch text is a quick, hidden prompt that lifts peer initiations right away. Try it during free play; fade the buzz first, then the text, and track if the child keeps the skill without the watch.