Stendahl's NPF guide becomes interactive with the help of Readioo's reading pen

What started as a home project at the kitchen table has become a viral success – and now Stendahls Bil's NPF guide is taking a new step. With the help of Readioo's reading pen, the guide has become a concrete communication tool for children who otherwise have difficulty communicating verbally.

“Now our son can express himself just by tapping the reading pen,” says the creator of the NPF guide, Dan Stendahl.

What is the NPF guide?

The NPF guide is a visual support material developed by Dan Stendahl, Marketing Manager at Stendahls Bil. The guide is specifically designed to help children with neuropsychiatric disabilities, such as autism, ADHD and language disorders, prepare for a visit to the car showroom or workshop.

The material consists of planning forms, conversation maps and videos that explain step by step what can happen during, for example, a car purchase. The goal is to reduce stress, increase predictability and offer an alternative way of communicating.

The idea was born at the Stendahl family home.

“Our son Xander has autism and is almost completely non-verbal. He loves coming to the car dealership with me, but the environment here can be demanding. I wanted to help him prepare, so I started drawing pictures, creating schedules and making talk maps. It became an evening project that grew,” says Dan.

After showing the material to a speech therapist and an occupational therapist, he realized that the need was far beyond his own family. The material quickly spread on social media and there was great interest from many quarters.

– Yes, it really took off. Before the material was even ready, it started being shared everywhere. SVT, newspapers and blogs got in touch. Since then, I have met everyone from principals, teachers and advertising agencies to politicians, design students and accessibility experts who want to know more, says Dan.

Now the guide becomes interactive with the help of Readioo

For Christmas 2024, Xander received a reading pen from Readioo as a gift from his grandparents.

– He was completely absorbed. Pretty quickly he started using the book and pen to communicate. He tapped on a picture of an escalator to show that he wanted to go to the shopping mall. It became so clear that the technology gave him a voice. Six months have now passed since he got the reading pen and he still uses it every day. That says a lot, says Dan.

The idea to combine the NPF guide with Readioo's technology was born. The result: an interactive version where each image activates a recorded sound that the child can use to understand or express themselves. It becomes an active communication tool.

– Xander can now tap on a picture in the speech map and hear, for example, “get in the car” or “drink water”. This creates a whole new way of expressing what he wants or needs even without speech. It creates security, control and a completely different understanding of the situation, says Dan.

Several companies have already been inspired to create their own guides. In the future, Dan hopes that even more public environments will be inspired to create similar accessible solutions that make everyday life easier for people with neuropsychiatric disabilities.

– There should be guides like this everywhere, in hospitals, schools and government agencies. With the reading pen, it will be even more accessible and useful for more people. I am really impressed with how Readioo's technology can achieve this, says Dan.