Revolutionizing Therapy with AI: A Journey from Challenge to Innovation

Hey there! I'm excited to share a project that's been keeping me up at night (in a good way!) for the Hashnode 'AI for Tomorrow' Hackathon. It's a story of friendship, problem-solving, and how AI might just revolutionize therapy for kids having ADHD and Autism. Buckle up!

Useful Links

Sneak-Peak: Therapy Genius is Live here 🚀

Github Link:https://github.com/atchyutn/Therapy-Genius

Introduction: When Coffee Talks Lead to Tech Breakthroughs

You know how some of the best ideas come from casual conversations? Well, grab a virtual coffee and let me tell you about one that's changing the game for kids with ADHD and autism. As a developer, I'm always on the lookout for real-world problems to solve. Little did I know that my next big project would come from a chat with a friend who runs a therapy center.

One day, I was sitting in a cafe with my friend Rita (changed name for privacy), who runs a therapy center for kids. As we sipped our coffee, Rita started talking about her work. She looked tired and a bit stressed and she said

"You wouldn't believe how much time I spend writing reports, I became a therapist to help kids, not to be stuck doing paperwork all day!"

I curiously asked to explain me in detail, Listening to my friend's experiences in her center, I learned about the significant challenges they're facing. I'll try my best to explain what I understood.

The Challenge: Neurodiversity in a Nutshell

Before we dive into the problem & solution, let's talk about the elephant in the room. ADHD and autism aren't just buzzwords – they're part of the daily reality for many families worldwide. ADHD(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) involves difficulties with focus, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, making daily tasks and interactions challenging for affected children. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects how a person communicates and interacts with others, often leading to repetitive behaviors and a strong preference for routines.

The Problems: Too Much Paperwork, Not Enough Time

From my conversation with my friend, I learned how these conditions require tailored, individualized therapy to truly make a difference. However, designing personalized activities presents following problems for therapy centers.

1. Therapists spend too much time writing and not enough time with kids

2. Potential for errors (nobody's perfect, especially at 2 AM right?)

3. Different therapists might write reports in different ways, which will be confusing for parents.

4. Textbook based activities without creativity, which miss the core concept of personalised therapy.

Our Solution: Using AI to Help

Considering Rita's problems, I'm excited to use technology to make a difference by creating a digital solution. As part of Hashnode's 'AI for Tomorrow' Hackathon, we developed an AI-powered web app that helps therapists to generate personalised reports on the fly.

Our system is like a smart assistant for therapists. It takes information about each child (like their age, gender, type of therapy and goals to achieve) and quickly creates personalized therapy activities, which can be edit or printed post generation. This means:

1. Giving therapists their time back (maybe now they can finally finish that Netflix series)

2. Ensuring consistency across therapists (no more "grape progress" typos)

3. Making therapy more engaging for kids (who said learning can't be fun?)

4. Helping parents understand the therapy activities and help their kids reach their full potential (world, watch out for these future superstars)

How We Built It: Our Tech Tools, the Secret Sauce

As per my understanding the therapits are not tech savy and don't have time to explore the app pages, We decided to keep it as simple and viable. For that, I used following tech stack.

• Next.js: Because it helps building single-page applications, so therapists don’t have to play hide-and-seek with their screens. Plus, its server-side rendering (SSR) helps in making API calls to therapy assistant.

• TailwindCSS & DaisyUI: Because even AI assistants need to look good and responsiveness with less efforts

• Lottie Animations: Giving our UI more style to get that "Wow!" feeling on first impression.

• OpenAI Assistant API: The brains of the operation, generating activities so personalized, as if it already knew them. All this is possible, thanks to her previous reports that were feeded helping the assistant understand the pattern and give reliable suggestions.

Impact and Future Scope: To Infinity and Beyond!

We're not just saving trees here (though the forests thank us). But wait, there's more! Future plans for this app are so exciting, they'll make your neurons dance:

1. Machine Learning Magic: Our AI will get smarter over time, like a fine wine but without the hangover

2. Telehealth Integration: Because therapy should be accessible, even if you're in your seven seas away.

3. Activities & Mood Tracker: It's like having a therapy detective on the case -helping therapists and parents figure out which activities are making a difference and which ones are just making kids' moods do the cha-cha.

Be a Guinea Pig (But Way Cooler): Try Our Preview!

Okay, we promise no lab coats or maze-running required! Want to see our AI in action and feel like a tech superhero at the same time? We've got just the thing for you!

🚀 Click here to test drive our preview version! 🚀

Conclusion: The Future is Bright (and Paperwork-Free)

As we gear up to release this platform to the public, we're buzzing with excitement. We're not just creating software; we're crafting a future where every child, regardless of how their amazing brain is wired, has the chance to shine brighter than a supernova.

So here's to a future where therapists can focus on changing lives instead of fighting with spell-check, where kids enjoy therapy more than ice cream (okay, maybe that's a stretch), and where AI and human creativity join forces to make the world a better place.

Thank you for joining us on this wild ride. Together, we're not just thinking outside the box; we're building a whole new box – one that's filled with hope, innovation, and maybe a few robots (the friendly kind, of course).

Stay tuned, keep innovating, and remember: in the world of therapy, the only paperwork we want to see is the kind kids use for origami!

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How You Can Jump In and Tinker (or Save the Day)

Yes, you can totally contribute! We promise it's easier than convincing a cat to take a bath. Just follow these steps, and you’ll be helping to make therapy tech more awesome in no time.Creating and Customizing the OpenAI Assistant

Before diving into the technical setup, let's explore how to create and customize an OpenAI Assistant, which is the core of our solution. This assistant will generate personalized therapy activities for children with ADHD and autism.

Steps to Create and Customize the OpenAI Assistant:

1. Create an OpenAI Account: If you haven't already, sign up at OpenAI.

2. Access the API: Navigate to the API section and create a new API key.

3. Create a New Assistant:

   • Go to the OpenAI Playground.

   • Click on "Create new assistant" and give it a name (e.g., "Therapy Activity Generator").

4. Customize the Assistant:

   • Set the model to GPT-4 or the latest available.

   • In the system message, provide context about generating therapy activities. For example:

       You are an AI assistant specialized in creating personalized therapy activities for children with ADHD and autism. Generate activities based on the child's age, specific condition, and therapy goals.
     

5. Feed Data to the Assistant:

   • Upload sample therapy reports or activity descriptions to help the AI understand the format and content.

   • You can do this by using the files parameter when creating the assistant via the API.

6. Customize for Report Format:

   • In the system message, specify the desired report format. For example:

       Generate activities in the following format:
       Activity Name:
       Objective:
       Materials Needed:
       Task:
     

7. Save and Get Assistant ID:

   • After creating and customizing your assistant, save it and note down the Assistant ID.

8. Use in Your App:

   • Create a .env.local file in your project root.

   • Add your OpenAI API key and Assistant ID:

       OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
       OPENAI_ASSISTANT_ID=your_assistant_id_here
     

This setup ensures that your assistant is ready to generate personalized therapy activities based on the unique needs of each child.

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Setting Up the Next.js Project Locally

To get started with the Therapy Genius project, follow these steps to set up the project locally on your machine.

Steps to Set Up the Project:

1. Clone the Repository:

    git clone https://github.com/atchyutn/Therapy-Genius.git
    cd Therapy-Genius
   

2. Install Dependencies:

    npm install
    # or
    yarn install
   

3. Set Up Environment Variables:

   • Create a .env.local file in the project root.

   • Add your OpenAI API key and Assistant ID:

       OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
       OPENAI_ASSISTANT_ID=your_assistant_id_here
     

4. Run the Development Server:

    npm run dev
    # or
    yarn dev
    # or
    pnpm dev
    # or
    bun dev
   

5. Open in Browser:

   • Open http://localhost:3000 with your browser to see the result.

6. Start Editing:

   • You can start editing the page by modifying app/page.tsx. The page auto-updates as you edit the file.

This setup allows you to run and develop the Therapy Genius project locally, making it easy to contribute and customize the app.

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Screenshot 👇🏻

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