Many autistic children and teens struggle to notice and communicate when their anxiety is rising—even though anxiety is very common and can seriously affect daily life. The Anxiety Meter is a wearable tool that turns body signals into a simple visual “anxiety gauge” on a tablet, showing levels from calm (green) to anxious (red).

In a small study, autistic kids and teens were taught deep‑breathing, then faced a stressful public‑speaking task. Half saw real‑time Anxiety Meter feedback; half saw a “fake” calm display. Those who saw real feedback were far more likely to start deep‑breathing when they felt anxious (14 of 14) compared with those without feedback (4 of 12), and most said it helped them feel calmer.

These early results suggest that when kids can see their anxiety in real time, they’re more likely to use coping skills they’ve learned—making wearables like the Anxiety Meter a promising way to support anxiety awareness and management in everyday life for autistic youth.