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Michael Daniel has developed an app aimed at bridging the communication gap for people with . or signup to continue reading It's called the NeuroTranslator, and it quickly achieved viral status when it was launched online in November. The 34-year-old father of three from Newcastle only recently discovered that he was autistic. The diagnosis was life-changing. "My journey toward understanding that I was autistic started with my eldest daughter. As she grew into toddlerhood, I noticed certain unique traits and behaviours that felt extremely familiar - things I distinctly remembered doing myself as a child," he explains. "About a year ago, a family friend gently suggested that my daughter might be autistic. I didn't think too much about it at the time, but one day, while visiting the local library, I came across by Jenara Nerenberg. I picked it up, thinking it might offer some helpful parenting insights for my wife and I. "That night, after everyone was asleep, I stayed up reading. As I turned the pages, I felt a wave of emotion wash over me. Every story, every experience described, resonated so deeply. "I got goosebumps all over my body as it felt like the pieces of my life all fell into place. In that quiet moment by myself, I realised - I'm autistic. It was a life-changing realisation that helped me better understand myself." Looking back at his life through a different lens explained so much. "Being autistic means having a brain that's wired differently, so it has shaped literally every decision I've made throughout my life, often in ways I didn't fully understand," Daniel says. "Growing up, I always sensed that I thought differently, but society isn't always accepting of those who don't fit the norm. In response, I subconsciously developed what's known as a 'mask' - adopting behaviours that felt more socially acceptable to blend in and gain acceptance. "This experience is common among autistic individuals, especially those who don't fit the narrow, stereotypical portrayals often seen in media (think Sheldon Cooper from ). But autism is highly individual." He quotes a saying - "If you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person" - which he says explains how autistic traits vary, sometimes dramatically, from person to person. "After discovering that I was autistic, it felt like the process of unmasking kicked in automatically. I was eager to find the 'real me'," Daniel says. "What I didn't expect was that my brain would seemingly shut off in some areas, and I'd lose skills that had always felt second nature. It was as if the mask I had worn for years to navigate life had come off - but what lay beneath felt unfamiliar, even to me." It was a tumultuous time for the Daniel family. "I didn't recognise myself, and neither did my wife. We found ourselves speaking completely different languages, trapped in a cycle of constant misunderstandings," he says. "I'd say something with a completely different intention to how it was interpreted. Every misunderstanding seemed to trigger more emotional pain, creating a rift in our marriage that at times felt impossible to bridge. "It was that pain that drove me to create my own AI assistant. I needed something that could get me out of my own head and help me process interactions I didn't fully understand, especially in emotionally charged situations. "The AI became a lifeline, helping me break down and work through what would've taken me days to process on my own." An incident at his workplace was the final straw. In a Zoom meeting, his employer told him that the company no longer needed a full-time data analyst and that he was being "let go". "I completely misread the situation," Daniel says. "I didn't pick up on the seriousness in his facial expressions and, thinking he was joking, I burst out laughing. A moment later, HR joined the call, and that's when it hit me. It wasn't a joke. It was one of the most awkward moments of my life. "After the meeting, still reeling, I decided to release the AI tool I'd built for myself publicly for free. I thought, 'I can't be the only one going through this and if it helps even two or three people like me, that would be something good to come out of it'. "I spent the rest of the day building a simple website and posted about it on Reddit before going to bed. The next morning, I woke up to my phone blowing up with notifications. It had gone viral on Reddit and TikTok overnight, racking up hundreds of thousands of views." The app's web version had been viewed more than 400,000 times on TikTok and Reddit in the first 24 hours. There was a market for the app, but the cost was prohibitive. It was going to set Daniel back $300 a day to keep the app up and running, so he introduced "a small paywall to help cover the costs, and created a $2 per month financial hardship option for anyone struggling", while offering a slightly higher tier for people who wanted to support him as "a now-unemployed solopreneur". What started as a personal project had evolved into something much bigger. People started asking him if NeuroTranslator could be developed into a mobile app, and if it could be expanded to cover other neurotypes, such as ADHD. "I wanted NeuroTranslator to be more than just a translator for autistic communication - I wanted it to bridge communication gaps for a range of neurotypes," Daniel says. "The feedback I received from thousands of users inspired me to create something truly inclusive and scalable. "At first, I explored hiring developers to build a mobile app, but the quotes I received were far beyond what I could afford - especially given that I'd just lost my job. So, I decided to take a leap and teach myself how to build the app from scratch, with a little help from AI-powered tools along the way. "It's estimated that one in five people are neurodivergent, yet the world often isn't built for us. NeuroTranslator is my attempt to change that - to offer a way for neurodivergent and neurotypical people to connect in ways they may never have thought possible." The app works, he says, by acting as a bridge between different communication styles. Users type in a scenario and the app translates it in a way that's easy for the user to understand, based on their particular neurotype. "Anyone who isn't neurotypical will tell you that communicating can sometimes feel like speaking an entirely different language," he says. "Take something as seemingly simple as 'How are you?'. For a neurotypical person, it's often just a polite greeting, not meant to be answered in detail. For an autistic person, however, it can be interpreted as a literal question requiring an honest and thorough response. "The NeuroTranslator breaks down hidden meanings, implied context and common social cues that might not be obvious to everyone. "By making subtle adjustments in how we communicate, we can reduce misunderstandings and create more meaningful connections. That's what bridging the gap really means to me - fostering understanding by translating intent, not just words, and embracing our differences." Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . AdvertisementSanta Clara councilmember who implicated Anthony Becker in 49ers leak says he was ‘confused’NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge won't be bothered if free agent Juan Soto gets a bigger deal from the New York Yankees than the captain's $360 million , nine-year contract. “It ain’t my money. I really don’t care as long as we get the best players, we get the most that we can, I’m happy with whatever,” Judge said Friday, a day after he was a unanimous winner of his second AL MVP award. “That's never been something on my mind about who gets paid the most.” Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322 as New York reached the World Series for the first time since 2009, only to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks in his first season with the Yankees and finished third in MVP voting, also trailing Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt. Jr. A free agent at 26, Soto has met with the Yankees, Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, and he plans to meet with the Philadelphia Phillies, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the meetings have not been publicly announced. Negotiations are not likely to intensify until after Thanksgiving. The Yankees sent a delegation to meet with Soto on Monday including owner Hal Steinbrenner, team president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone and senior adviser for baseball operations Omar Minaya. “We had a good meeting. It was a very honest back-and-forth dialogue, a couple hours long,” Steinbrenner said Wednesday. Asked how confident he was about keeping Soto, Steinbrenner said: “No idea. We’ll be in the mix. I’ll leave it at that.” Soto and Judge filled the Nos. 2 and 3 slots in the Yankees batting order in a franchise-record 153 games, topping the 145 of Joe Dugan and Babe Ruth in 1923, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. “I get to see a lot of pitches," Judge said. "He's going to be a tough at-bat in front of me. He’s going to wear down the pitcher right there in the first inning, within the first 15 pitches or so. Yeah, I think that was a big impact just having having a guy like that in front of you. "If I could have eight Juan Sotos in the lineup with me, I would love that.” AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
