Empowering every sense, every mind.

We design and 3D-print sensory kits for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental needs — then give them away free to the families who need them most.

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A young Kavish standing beside his cousin, who sits in a wheelchair, outdoors on a sunny day.
Me and my cousin — where this all started.

Why this exists

It started with someone I love.

Watching my cousin navigate the everyday challenges of cerebral palsy pushed me toward a simple question: could the things I already knew how to build actually make someone's day easier?

That question led to conversations with staff at Ronald McDonald House Charities, who told me how much of a difference sensory tools make in a child's development and emotional regulation — and how often cost puts them out of reach for the families who need them most.

So I started designing. Months of 3D modeling, printing, testing, and re-printing later, those sketches became real kits — built specifically for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental needs.

Every family should be able to reach for a tool that helps their child feel calm, focused, and understood.

What's inside

Explore a sensory kit

Every kit is a curated set of hand-designed, 3D-printed tools — sized for little hands, built for real days.

Every kit ships as this box plus its four guide cards — press anything to look closer.

Guidance

Advised by people who do this work

Sensory tools should be shaped by the therapists and specialists who use them every day — not designed in isolation. These are the people helping make sure every kit actually holds up in practice.

Khang

Occupational Therapist

Play Makes Sensory

Matti Wallin

Accessibility Programs Manager

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Shannon Paige, MA

Education Project Manager · Speech-Language Pathologist

Texas Technology Access Program, UT Austin

Anna Gonzalez, B.S., SLP-A

Program Assistant · Assistive Technology

Texas Technology Access Program, UT Austin

Carson Kohlbrenner

Robotics PhD Researcher

University of Colorado Boulder

Jan Schlueter

Co-Founder & CEO, Neurodiverse Technologies

Entrepreneur in Residence, Frist Center for Autism & Innovation

Molly Weber Berg

Family Activities Coordinator

Ronald McDonald House Houston

Hunter McFeron

AT Acquisition Services Manager, Tools for Life

Georgia Institute of Technology

ZYLtech Engineering

3D Printing Sponsor

Filament & 3D printing hardware

Room for more

Therapists, OTs & specialists

Advisory circle open

Join them

Autism Friendly Certified

This initiative holds Autism Friendly certification — add the certifying body here.

Working together

Partners & organizations

Kits reach children through the organizations that already know their families. These are the partnerships making that happen.

First partner

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Where this began. RMHC staff first pointed to the need for accessible sensory tools — and the first 75 kits are headed to the families they host.

Advisory

Play Makes Sensory

Therapist-led guidance on how each tool is shaped and which needs a kit should cover, through our mentor Khang.

Sponsor

ZYLtech Engineering

Our 3D printing sponsor — backing the filament and hardware that turn designs into finished kits.

12+ organizations in conversation

Autism support networks with requests totaling 300–400 kits. Each name appears here as its partnership is confirmed.

Become a partner

Good questions

Frequently asked

Do families pay anything for a kit?

No. Every kit is donated free of charge. Funding and partnerships exist so that cost never reaches the family.

What ages are the kits designed for?

Tools are sized and shaped for children, with a focus on elementary-age hands. Kits can be adjusted for the age range a partner organization serves.

Are the printed tools safe?

Every piece is printed in child-safe filament, then hand-finished and inspected for sharp edges and loose parts before it goes in a kit.

Can my organization request kits?

Yes. Reach out with the number of children you serve and your timeline, and we'll work out what's possible with current production capacity.

How can I help if I can't donate?

Mentorship, introductions to funders, printing capacity, and connections to organizations that need kits are all just as valuable as money.

Let's talk

Every kit starts with
a conversation.

Fund a kit, request kits for the families you serve, or offer mentorship — all of it starts the same way.

nextstepsensory@gmail.com