Tenerife student with autism creates emotional support app to help others
A young man from Tenerife has transformed his personal journey with autism into a powerful tool to support others. At just 22 years old, Daniel Comín, who was diagnosed with moderate autism at the age of two and did not speak until he was 11, has developed AutiStok, a free mobile application designed to help people on the autism spectrum manage anxiety, regulate their emotions, and organise their daily routines.
The app offers practical features, including mood and energy tracking, daily activity planning, and personalised profiles that make communication easier during moments of stress. Users can also set up emergency contacts to call or message automatically in critical situations.
Daniel explains that the main goal of AutiStok is to encourage emotional self-management, promote self-awareness, and help prevent burnout by adapting to each individual’s needs.
“Honestly, I would have given anything to have something like this years ago,” he says. “It would have helped me understand myself better, regulate my emotions, and organise my life, especially now that my studies are more demanding and everything moves so fast.”
Daniel is currently studying 3D animation and video games at a vocational training centre in Tenerife. He developed the app after realising that all the tools he once used were scattered across therapy notes, folders and videos, none of which offered instant, accessible support.
AutiStok is structured around clarity and positive reinforcement, with Daniel focusing on keeping it functional rather than overwhelming, which is a common issue with many existing apps. It’s already available to download for Android devices through Uptodown and Google Play, and Daniel plans to create explanatory videos on his YouTube channel, elmeneos, to help users get the most out of it.
His journey to this point hasn’t been easy. Language didn’t come naturally to him, and he only began to speak after years of therapy and using early learning software. Until the age of 11, he communicated exclusively through images.
Daniel attended special education centres in Valencia before moving with his family to the Canary Islands, where he continued his studies in public schools with additional support. His mother, Delfina Pérez, recalls a particularly difficult period when Daniel experienced bullying at school, which led to a mental health crisis. A support teacher played a key role in intervening and ensuring he got the help he needed.
Today, Daniel faces daily challenges with more tools at his disposal, and he says he can finally “experience the word calm”, a feeling he once thought was out of reach.
“Communication and emotional regulation are still my biggest challenges,” he explains. “Having tools that help me track how I’m feeling, plan my activities around my energy levels, and do relaxation exercises has been life-changing.”
Looking ahead, Daniel and his mother hope to expand the app’s features. One idea is to connect it to a smartwatch to detect spikes in cortisol levels or stress responses, triggering gentle vibrations to alert the user, similar to how other devices detect hypoglycaemia or seizures.
Daniel says his greatest dream is simple but powerful:
“I want my work to help people like me. I want to make their daily lives easier, just as I’ve managed to make mine a little better.”
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