Our free app, in beta
Pebble by Rocks Make Pebbles
A calm picture-and-voice board, day planner, feelings toolkit, picture stories and short games for autistic children and young people, made to use together with a grown-up.
In short
Pebble by Rocks Make Pebbles is a free app for autistic children and young people to use with a grown-up. It has a picture-and-voice board, a Now and Next day planner, a feelings check-in with calm tools, picture stories and seven short games. It opens in a web browser, installs to the home screen and works offline. It keeps everything on your device.
What is in Pebble
Six parts, each with big buttons, clear pictures and the same quick bar at the bottom of every screen.
Talk: a picture-and-voice board
Your child taps pictures to build a message, and Pebble says it out loud in a UK English voice. Yes, no, more, help, stop, finished and break sit at the top of every page, so your child can always ask for help or a break.
The board starts with a few words and grows, and every word keeps its place so it is easy to find again. Talk is never locked, counted or used as a reward. Grown-ups can show words on the board as they talk, and those taps are kept apart from your child's own messages.
My day: Now and Next
Now and Next side by side, or a list for older children. When an activity timer is nearly up, Pebble shows a picture of what comes next, whatever screen your child is on.
There is a change card for when plans change, a silent wait timer, and you can print the plan as a picture strip to use away from the screen. How to use a Now and Next board
Feelings: check in and find calm
A simple check-in that always includes “I don't know”, and how your child's body feels: fast, just right or slow. Then calm tools: a one-minute breathing guide, movement cards, a calm jar, a quiet screen, counting slowly and Move my way, which treats stimming as a good way to calm.
Your child can also ask for a hug, a drink of water or headphones.
Stories and play
Eight picture stories about everyday things, such as when plans change and going to the doctor. You can write your own, and Pebble's story writer helps you keep them positive and describing rather than bossy.
Seven short games: Ready steady go, Match it, Find it, Count with me, Feelings faces, What comes next and Take turns. Hints come straight away for new things and fade as your child learns. There is no “wrong” sound and nothing is ever lost.
A daily play limit, set by you, covers the games only. A “last game” notice appears near the end, and a game is never cut off halfway.
Stars, and a space for grown-ups
A star board themed on your child's favourite topic. You choose the reward first, and stars are never taken away. Stickers go into a collection that only grows.
Settings sit behind a grown-up check: press and hold the Grown-ups button, then answer a sum. Each setting has a one-line reason drawn from the research. More than one child can share a device, each with their own board, plan and settings.
In the grown-ups area
- Your child's age, pictures and words
- Hide tiles you don't need (Talk always stays)
- Add family words and your own photos
- A progress diary, only if you switch it on
- An All about me profile for nursery or school
- Tips for playing together, each with its source
- Back up, restore or delete everything
Calm by design
What Pebble always does
- Help, stop, break and finished work on every screen, straight away.
- Words keep their places, so the board stays predictable.
- Gentle sounds at low volume, and less movement if your device asks for it.
- Big buttons, and long presses count as taps for small hands.
What Pebble never does
- No adverts, purchases, accounts or tracking.
- No streaks, lives, leaderboards or surprise rewards.
- No countdowns in games and no music.
- Never takes away stars, stickers or progress.
Who Pebble is for
Pebble is for autistic children and young people of any age, and anyone who finds pictures helpful, using it together with a parent, carer or another grown-up. Set-up asks for your child's age and uses it only for starting settings, which you can change.
The pictures, games and stories were designed with younger children in mind. Content made for teenagers is not there yet.
Pebble alongside other support
Pebble is not a therapy or a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat or monitor autism or anything else. It is a calm tool to use together, alongside speech and language therapy, nursery, school or college.
If your child already has a communication aid or system from a speech and language therapist, keep using it, and ask them how Pebble could fit in.
More about Pebble
Questions about Pebble
Is Pebble free?
Yes. Pebble is free during the beta, with no adverts and nothing to buy inside the app.
Does Pebble need the internet?
Only the first time. After Pebble has opened once while you are online, it works offline. Talk uses the voices built into your phone or tablet, so it can speak without the internet too.
What ages is Pebble for?
Any age. Set-up asks for your child's age and uses it only for starting settings, which you can change. The pictures, games and stories were designed with younger children in mind, so content made for teenagers is not there yet.
Can Pebble replace my child's communication aid?
No. If your child has a communication aid or system from a speech and language therapist, keep using it. Pebble is a calm app to use together, not a replacement for specialist support. Your child's therapist can help you decide how it fits.
Does Pebble collect data about my child?
No. Pebble has no accounts, adverts, analytics or cookies, and everything you enter stays on your device. You can back it up to a file or delete everything at any time.
Is Pebble clinically proven?
No. Pebble has not been tested in a clinical trial, and it does not treat, diagnose or change autism. It is evidence-informed: its design uses practices with good research behind them, which we list on our research page.
Which devices does Pebble work on?
Pebble runs in a modern web browser on iPhones, iPads, Android phones and tablets, and computers. It works best installed to the home screen of a tablet or phone.