DaySteps is a calm, clinically-grounded routine app for children with ADHD, autism, and executive function challenges — and the parents, educators, and clinicians who support them.
No spam. One message when DaySteps is ready.
One step at a time, visible timers, zero shame mechanics. Calm structure that fades as they grow.
Built on Zelazo et al. (2017). Aligned with ABA prompting hierarchies and visual activity scheduling.
Consistent structure from classroom to home — IEP-aligned, parent-permissioned, Chromebook-ready soon.
Every design decision traces to peer-reviewed research, not engagement metrics.
We're inviting early families, clinicians, and school partners to join the beta. You'll get updates as the product takes shape — and a chance to influence what we build next.
DaySteps has two sides: a calm, distraction-free experience for your child, and a powerful configuration layer for you. You set the pace. Your child feels the calm.
No spam. One message when DaySteps is ready.
DaySteps gives you five independent dials to tune the app to exactly where your child is today — and to unlock more as they grow. Nothing advances automatically. Every change is yours to make, when you decide it's time.
And if your child works with a therapist, OT, or school psychologist? They can send you structured suggestions directly through the app. You approve, decline, or modify every one.
Controls how much of a routine your child can see at once. Start fully guided; unlock more independence as they're ready.
Controls whether your child can see and eventually propose edits to their own routines.
Controls how far ahead your child can see. Too much future visibility can increase anticipatory anxiety.
Controls how much of their own progress data your child can see. Framed as growth, never as grades.
Controls your child's overall agency in the app — from receiving routines to helping shape them.
You don't need to get this right on day one. DaySteps is designed to start at the most supported settings by default — everything begins fully structured, and you only unlock more when you feel ready. If you're not sure where your child is, their therapist or OT can suggest a starting point and send recommendations through the app as they observe progress. You're not doing this alone.
We're inviting early families, clinicians, and school partners to join the beta. You'll get updates as the product takes shape — and a chance to influence what we build next.
Built on Zelazo et al. (2017) and aligned with the EBPs your practice already uses: visual activity scheduling, systematic prompting, and immediate reinforcement. DaySteps is a therapeutic support tool you can recommend with confidence.
"When stimulation is in a moderate range and controllable, such as well-structured experiences in the classroom, neural activity in this brain network is balanced and EF is readily engaged."
— Zelazo, Blair & Willoughby (2017), IES / U.S. Dept. of EducationNo spam. One message when DaySteps is ready.
DaySteps is a therapeutic support tool, not a standalone clinical intervention. It operationalises the EBPs you already recommend — visual schedules, systematic prompting, immediate reinforcement — and makes them available every day at home, not just in session.
The five-axis progression model means scaffolding fades in lockstep with your clinical judgment. You decide when a client is ready to advance. The app just makes the prompting hierarchy visible, configurable, and measurable.
The IES-commissioned EF framework — working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility. The research base most school psychologists and OTs already cite.
Initiation latency, step-level drop-off, and daily affect ratings — behavioral signal across every day, not just your 50 minutes a week.
The long-term goal is a child who needs less external support. Every axis advances only when you and the parent decide. The app grows with the clinical plan.
Send a structured before-and-after suggestion for a specific routine — not a free-text message. Parent approves, declines, or modifies. You extend your clinical reach without becoming a project manager.
DaySteps is available to OTs, school psychologists (NCSP), BCBAs, and clinical psychologists. If you work with families navigating ADHD, autism, or executive function challenges, this was built for your clients. Join the waitlist for early clinical access and to shape the product before launch.
We're inviting early families, clinicians, and school partners to join the beta. You'll get updates as the product takes shape — and a chance to influence what we build next.
Children with EF challenges thrive on predictability across every environment. DaySteps lets you extend the structure you already provide — without adding overhead to your day or requiring a new framework.
"EF skills themselves can be a target of practice-based instruction… leading not only to improved EF but also to improved academic achievement."
— Zelazo, Blair & Willoughby (2017), IES / U.S. Dept. of EducationNo spam. One message when DaySteps is ready.
Broadcast a routine to all your linked students at once. Start the morning transition for everyone with one tap — no one waits, no one gets lost in the gap between instruction and action.
Real-time progress across your class — without walking the room or interrupting students who are focused. Know which students need a nudge before the moment passes.
Same routine, different scaffolding levels. One student sees one step at a time, fully prompted. Another works from a checklist independently. You configure it. They both stay on track.
A progressive web app for school-issued Chromebooks is on the roadmap — so students access DaySteps on the device they already use. No iOS device, no app install, no IT ticket.
For students with ADHD, autism, or EF challenges, the gap between the school environment and home is where routines fall apart. DaySteps closes that gap — same structure, same prompting language, same one-step-at-a-time rhythm your students already know.
You don't have to train parents on a new system. Share your routines directly, let parents connect, and let the app carry the structure forward. The work you did in your classroom keeps working at 7am the next day.
Visual activity schedules and systematic prompting are already embedded in how DaySteps works. No translation required between your IEP goals and the app's structure.
Students don't have to context-switch between how school works and how home works. The same calm structure, the same language, the same one-step-at-a-time rhythm.
A QR code and 2 minutes. No IT department, no parent training session, no new curriculum. If a family wants to use it, they can start the same day.
DaySteps is designed for general education teachers, special education teachers, and resource room educators who work with students with ADHD, autism, or EF challenges. Chromebook support is on the roadmap — join the waitlist and tell us what your school uses. It directly shapes what we build next.
We're inviting early families, clinicians, and school partners to join the beta. You'll get updates as the product takes shape — and a chance to influence what we build next.
No engagement mechanics. No dark patterns. Each design choice traces to peer-reviewed research or established clinical consensus — not retention metrics.
The child-facing view shows exactly one step — never the full sequence. Displaying the full list exceeds working memory capacity and increases anticipatory anxiety before a single task is attempted.
EvidenceTime blindness is a core ADHD feature, not a behavior choice. Concrete visual timers are a documented intervention. Every step has one. (Barkley 1997; Zheng et al. 2022 meta-analysis, Hedges' g > 0.66.)
EvidenceStress elevates catecholamines, which suppress the prefrontal cortex — the region responsible for EF. No alarm-register red in child UI. Zero punitive states. Zero failure mechanics. (Arnsten 2009; Arnsten et al. 2011.)
EvidenceStreaks, points, badges, and leaderboards spike cortisol and undermine intrinsic motivation. Completion feedback — immediate, competence-framed acknowledgment at task completion — is clinically distinct and appropriate. The mechanics of achievement games are not.
Clinical consensusDaySteps starts fully structured and reduces external support as the child demonstrates consistency — mapped to ABA prompting hierarchies and Greer/CABAS. The goal is reduced reliance on external scaffolding, not permanent dependency on an app.
Evidence · Zelazo et al.; Greer (2002)Zelazo et al. (2017) identify autonomy support as a driver of EF development above and beyond general positive parenting. Children should experience the routine as their own tool — not a surveillance system imposed on them.
Evidence · Zelazo et al. (2017)| Source | Finding | Role in DaySteps |
|---|---|---|
| Zelazo, Blair & Willoughby (2017) IES / U.S. Dept. of Education |
EF = working memory + inhibitory control + cognitive flexibility. Autonomy support drives EF development. | Primary anchor |
| Barkley (1997a/b) | Time blindness and temporal myopia as core ADHD features — not behavioral choices. | Basis for visible countdown timers on every step |
| Zheng et al. (2022) | Time perception deficits confirmed via meta-analysis: Hedges' g > 0.66 for precision. | Quantitative support for timer design |
| Arnsten (2009, 2011) | Stress → elevated catecholamines → PFC suppression → EF failure. | Basis for zero failure states; no alarm-red in child UI |
| Zentall & Zentall (1983) | ADHD = cortical under-arousal; task-relevant color improves on-task performance. | Basis for High Visual Salience option |
| Robertson & Baron-Cohen (2017) | Up to 90% of autistic individuals have sensory differences. | Basis for Low Visual Salience option |
| Greer, R.D. (2002) — CABAS | Systematic application of behavioral principles to structured learning environments. | Underpins Runner axis progression design |
We're inviting early families, clinicians, and school partners to join the beta. You'll get updates as the product takes shape — and a chance to influence what we build next.