“Undress Alert” Helps These Parents Monitor Their Autistic Child

Autism is a spectrum, and many people with the spectrum spend their lives without ever even being diagnosed. That was especially true in the past, which is part of the reason for the apparent rise of autism in recent years. Others, however, have more severe symptoms that can have a significant impact on their lives, and who require more hands-on care. That is the case with Alain Mauer’s son Scott, who often removes his clothes in his bedroom before going over to the bathroom. To help the family monitor Scott and avoid awkward situations, Mauer made a device called UD-Alert.

UD-Alert is a wearable device designed to sound a notification when Scott takes off his shirt or pants. With this device, Scott’s parents will get an alert when he takes off his clothes when he’s alone in his room. UD-Alert was specifically designed to be as small and comfortable to wear as possible — so much so that Scott can wear it while he’s sleeping. It’s also designed to be safe for children with special needs, and particular attention has been put into ensuring that the device and its components can’t be swallowed.

UD-Alert is composed of two separate devices: the transmitter and the receiver. The transmitter is worn on Scott’s pants and the receiver with the alarm is situated in the family’s common area. The two devices communicate over a 433MHz radio signal. The transmitter device, which is built into Scott’s waistband and powered by a CR2032 battery, has a switch that is toggled when a Velcro strip attached to Scott’s shirt is pulled out. A Microchip ATtiny85 microcontroller registers that, and sends a signal to the receiver so that Scott’s parents know that he has taken off either his shirt or pants. UD-Alert was created for a very specific purpose, but it’s an important one for parents who are raising a child with special needs.