Families
Hard moments happen. Ama helps you and your child with autism through them.
Ama delivers personalized, on-demand support for children with autism, built around the strategies that already work at school and in therapy, so they can grow more independent at home and everywhere in between.
Select a moment to start practicing
Free for 14 days, then $20/month.
Is Ama right for my child?
Start where your family is today.
Before services
On a waitlist or newly diagnosed
Get support now while waiting for services to start.
Prepare for hard moments like haircuts before they happen
Bring what’s working to your first appointment
During services
In therapy or school supports
Keep the strategies from therapy and school going between sessions.
Works alongside ABA, speech, and special education teams
Helps new skills show up at home, not just in sessions
After services
Aged out or between providers
Hold on to hard-won skills after formal support ends.
Practice for new places, people, and routines
Grows into your child’s own Ama as they reach adulthood
For ages 5–22
Talk or type to interact
Access from any browser
How Ama works
From everyday moments through independence.
Here’s what Ama actually does, from setting up to seeing your child grow.
See Ama In Action
Try a sample activity.
Tap through a short activity the way your child would. Real activities are built around your child’s interests and the moments you choose.
What to notice
Read aloud
Stories can be read out loud, so early and non-readers can follow along.
Gentle feedback
Ama encourages and redirects, and never scolds.
Pictures for every step
Each step has its own picture, so your child can see what comes next.
Then practice it
After the story, your child tries the skill in a short conversation with Ama.
Activity formats
Social narratives
Illustrated stories that walk through a routine or situation before it happens.
Conversations
Role-play with a character, like a coach or a parent, and practice what to say.
Guessing games
Playful games like 20 Questions that build turn-taking and thinking skills.
Scavenger hunts
Your child finds things in the world around them and talks about them with Ama.
More on the way
New formats are in the works and will show up in your library as they’re ready.
Have an idea for a new activity?
Tell us what your child would love to practice next. We’ll let you know when it’s ready.
Safe and private by design
You stay in charge of your child’s Ama.
AI raises real questions for parents. Here’s how Ama is built to answer them.
Encrypted in transit and at rest
On-device processing (in development)
Built on industry best practices for data security
Designed to support COPPA, FERPA, and HIPAA compliance
Adults set the plan
You and your child’s educators and clinicians choose the goals and strategies. When Ama suggests targets, you check them before they’re saved.
Conversations stay on track
If your child drifts off topic, Ama gently brings them back to the practice. It encourages and redirects, and never scolds.
Private from day one
Use a nickname or alias for your child until you’re ready. Your child’s data is never used to train models for other users.
You choose who sees what
Invite the educators and clinicians you trust. Role-based access means each person sees only what they need.
Outcomes
What families and care teams are seeing.
Early results from Ama’s pilots, and what people using it every day have to say.
Early pilot findings
In early pilots with learners ages 3–17, we saw encouraging gains in:
Verbal communication
Reading fluency and comprehension
Knowledge in select learning areas
Enthusiasm for practicing with Ama
Preliminary findings that will be evaluated through additional research. Ama is built with researchers, parents, educators, and behavioral health professionals.
Research supported by
Through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program
“The built-in breaks are amazing. As a parent who’s tried it all, this is so motivating!”
J
Jeanette
Mom of Olive, 8
“I love that it is so communicative and supportive for the team working to help a student learn!”
L
Laura
3rd Grade Teacher
“Our kiddo keeps asking if he gets to talk to Ama today, he’s excited to engage!”
G
Grace
Behavior Analyst
The R&D described here was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education, through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program award 2025-33610-45055 and contract 91990026C0028 to NarrateAR, Inc. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the USDA NIFA, IES, or the U.S. Department of Education.
Pricing
Try Ama free for 14 days.
One plan with everything included. Cancel anytime.
FAQ
Questions parents ask
Can’t find what you’re looking for? We’re happy to help.
About Ama
Guide every child toward a lifetime of independence.
That’s our mission. Here’s why we’re building Ama, the people behind it, and the professionals helping shape it.
Ama was created in Ames, Iowa, by Drs. Karri Haen Whitmer and Christopher Whitmer — parents who have seen firsthand how meaningful, consistent support can help their son, Ethan, thrive. Their family’s experience revealed a common challenge: skills practiced in therapy or school do not always carry naturally into everyday life, and important insights can become disconnected across families, educators, and providers.
Drawing on Karri’s work in neurobiology, accessibility, assistive technology, and inclusive education, and Christopher’s background as an aerospace engineer and EdTech entrepreneur, they built Ama to help close that gap. Their shared belief is simple: every child has extraordinary potential when families and care teams have the right tools to understand, support, and grow with them.
Built with everyone who supports your child
Ama is being created with input from Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), special educators, researchers, advocates, and parents, so the strategies your child practices with Ama line up with the ones their care team already uses.
Meet the team
The people building Ama, from our home base in Iowa.
Our funders and supporters
Ama’s research and development is backed by federal grants, the State of Iowa, and education and autism accelerators.
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Iowa Economic Development Authority
NewSchools Venture Fund
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