“Who are your heroes in real life?”
This is one of the questions from the famous Proust Questionnaire in Vanity Fair. When I receive my issues, I immediately start with the last page– this is where the Proust Questionnaire is. As I read it, I also think how I would answer the questions. When it comes to heroes in real life, I have few answers as there are many people I consider my heroes—my parents, doctors, teachers, good samaritans, those that have not given up in the face of adversity. And then there’s another answer that is close to my heart—parents of children with special needs.
The Challenges of Parenting
Parenting is not easy! And as a parent of three children– I can convincingly say so. Raising “typical” children comes with countless challenges, but raising a child with special needs compounds those struggles—from the never-ending doctor’s appointments and therapy sessions to the ongoing demand for specialized support.
As a parent of a neurodivergent kid who has been in social therapies since the age of three, I know the hardship. We have been fortunate to have excellent public school and professional support, so we have seen our son grow and thrive. Social stories have been one of the tools often used to help him navigate social situations and behavioral issues. The traditional social stories are static and unchangeable– hard to be revised or reprinted whenever a new context or challenge arises. They cannot be tailored with elements from a child’s life—like a favorite shirt, toy, or object—thus not always ideal for a breakthrough or connection.
Introducing Emona.AI
Recognizing the need for customizable, created-on-the-fly social stories, my co-founder, Iavor Boyanov, and I created Emona—a purpose-built AI tool designed to support emotions and behaviours. With Emona, teachers, parents, and therapists now can instantly create tailored visual social stories to guide and navigate daily situations.
We didn’t take the creation of Emona lightly. We know AI trust and safety are of utter importance. As is data protection and privacy. The Emona AI model is purpose-built and uses carefully tuned parameters, relevance scoring, and content filters to minimize hallucinations and ensure helpful, verified responses. Our goal is to make every interaction safe, predictable, and supportive.
If you are someone who needs to create social stories, we invite you to join our community. Visit Emona.ai and simply type or dictate your prompt. Include detailed personal description, particular details, or reflect a specific situation. In under a minute, Emona will generate a complete social story that you can view and scroll through pane by pane. You can then save, share, or print, and revisit whenever you need. And when a new situation arises—type or dictate again to create the social story that you need right in that very moment.