Do children tell their dilemmas to a cuddly toy?

Children with multiple intellectual disabilities used the Storytelling Cuddly Toy as an intermediary because it gave them more peace to choose their own words at their own time;

A number of children learned how to discuss a dilemma with an adult by first speaking. After which they are more likely to dare to tell their story directly;

Did a 'trauma' emerge in the middle of the night, which the child also sensed that she had to talk about;

Mother's voice had a reassuring effect as soon as a girl with Down syndrome woke up at night and could listen to a recorded story from mother. She even made her own bed from a shoebox for the cuddly toy;

Calmed down a child by briefly 'ranting' at the Storytelling Cuddly Toy after he was angry because the teacher had not responded to his story in class;

Children gave the Storytelling Cuddly Toy its own name;

One child thought the Storytelling cuddly toy looked like a strong man without a head. For another child it was an anchor;

A child liked to hear over and over again that the parents love her and that she can tell anything; 

Spoke a child short things during a night when she couldn't sleep.

What does privacy actually mean, related to SAMbuddy?

These are children's stories. You don't want to hear that somewhere online years later. You want absolute control over that!

What is the Storytelling Cuddly Toy?

The Storytelling Cuddly Toy is used for care-intensive children. It can be difficult for them to express themselves well. They also sometimes want to talk when it is not convenient. 'Later' doesn't work then. The emotions are there now. A care-intensive child who cannot express his emotions properly can become frustrated.

How does it work?

The Storytelling Cuddly Toy can play audio that has been recorded in advance. These could, for example, be questions that are asked to the child. The story the child tells can also be recorded. This way, a parent or caregiver can listen to this later

The child can record his own story on the Storytelling Cuddly Toy. As long and whenever you want. The giver of the hug can listen to the stories by connecting to the app. This app is only on the SAMbuddy and can be accessed via a secure, offline WiFi connection with a unique access code.

But... These are children's stories. You don't want to hear that somewhere online years later. You want absolute control over that.

No connection to the internet

That is why the Storytelling Cuddly Toy is not connected to the internet and only the person with access to the SAMbuddy can listen to the stories up to a maximum of about 20 meters from the cuddly toy. That is also the reason that the cuddly toy does not talk back automatically. You need heavy-duty speech software for this that only works via an internet connection. We don't want that now.

Recordings remain in the hug

The recordings are stored in the 'heart' of the Storytelling Cuddly Toy and cannot be physically removed. Not everything needs to be recorded. If a child does not hold the record button, nothing will be recorded. A child can therefore also choose to tell an entire story without it being recorded.

The buttons are located deeper in the housing, which ensures that nothing is accidentally recorded if the SAMbuddy with the buttons is on a hard surface... Thanks to the raised housing, you can feel the buttons clearly through the fabric.

Why a download button?

You can easily delete the recorded stories via the app. But you can also download them to your computer… Oops! I hear you thinking... and rightly so, because as soon as you download you take over responsibility for the recordings of the SAMbuddy.

So why a download button?

Recordings can be relevant in the treatment of trauma, for example. For example, we once spoke with Philadelphia Zorg about the fact that children often have to tell their trauma to multiple agencies. A difficult process for the child. Such a recording can limit this, as well as the remaining client conversations to determine the trauma... In this example we assume that professional care providers know what they are doing. Recordings of stories can also be an addition to an EPD (Electronic Patient File).

See the SAMbuddy as a tool and make clear agreements

We do not rule out possible privacy abuse of the Storytelling Cuddly Toy. That would be unrealistic. This storytelling cuddly toy is not a toy. The trust between the child and the hug giver is key. And children are intuitively strong: if the child does not trust the giver, he will not let go of much.

Therefore, make clear agreements about the recordings. Make sure that the child understands why he or she can make recordings and who listens to them. It is important that not everyone can just open the app. Do not leave the access code lying around or adjust it via the app if desired.

Multiple children on one SAMbuddy

The Storytelling Cuddly Toy is also equipped with a card reader (RIFD). This allows multiple children to have their own story and question environment on one SAMbuddy. Using the child's card, you can only listen to his or her recordings.

We had the Storytelling Cuddly Toy checked by a security expert and, where necessary, the security was strengthened. Naturally, we want to answer as many questions as possible about this. So please let us know if you have any concerns about Privacy. And perhaps your question leads to improvements in the Storytelling Cuddly Toy?