16 year old Alice Carew stunned fellow students, teachers and VIP guests with her project LULLS at the Student Enterprise National Finals held at Croke Park.
LULLS is a device to lessen the negative impact of sound sensitivity for people with autism and sensory processing difficulties.
Among the many fans of Alice’s creation was AsIAm founder and CEO Adam Harris.
“I am totally blown away,” he told Alice. “What a fantastic product, backed up with superb research and a genuine desire to help the autism community,” he continued.
A bright future ahead
Talks are now at an advanced stage with a Dublin based company to distribute LULLS into Europe and the US.
Minister of State with special responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen dropped by, as did Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council, Padraig Fleming.
Mr Fleming expressed his belief that the product, “is certain to go very far”.
Supporting Alice on the day was Mountrath Community School Business teacher Rita Moore, Honor Deevy from Laois Enterprise Office and SEA schools co-ordinator for Midlands region Sean Ryan.
According to Alice, before LULLS came onto the market the only “solution” available for sound sensitivity was the sound defender/isolator – which can lead to increased social isolation for the user.
LULLS contains a wireless headphone set, which comes with a customisable sd card, and can record calming tracks to provide comfort and relief whenever and wherever needed.
Alternatively the headphones can be connected to any device through Bluetooth, or through an audio cable.
For some it may be classical music or calming soundtracks, for others it may be the latest pop songs. It might even be a story read by a familiar voice or an audio version of a favourite book.
While the project was originally created for utism and sensory processing disorders, parents and teachers are now also using it for children who dislike noisy or new situations.
Parents and teachers who are using LULLS report a decrease in challenging behaviours as well as an increase in levels of participation in everyday activities.
Visit here for more information on LULLS.
SEE ALSO – 76 tonnes of rubbish dumped in Laois since January
