Lived-experience design

Tomorrow, calmer.In about three minutes.

A personalised visual story starring your child.

For the dentist. The new classroom. The bedtime that keeps unravelling.

You describe the routine, add a photo (or just describe your child), and download a printable PDF.

No subscriptions · ~3 minutes to your first story

Liam the Lionmain mascot holding up a tablet showing a personalised social story for a child
Two ways to read it

Reading day. Watching day. Both work.

Every story you make is delivered as both a printable PDF and a play-anywhere video — so the same story can land on the day your child wants to read, and the day they'd rather watch.

Printable PDF

For the fridge, the school bag, the therapist's folder. Read it together on a phone, or print it out and turn the pages by hand.

Sample PDF page: Liam walking to the dentist with Mum↓ Download the sample PDF

Best for: reading together, sharing with school, building a re-usable library.

Play-anywhere video

The same story as a gentle, auto-advancing slideshow — for the days your child would rather watch than read. No app needed; plays on any phone, tablet, or TV.

Sample · Liam at the dentist
Real sample
Real sample export. Tap play to watch.Or download the PDF version →

Best for: screen-leaning days, long car trips, the wind-down before bedtime.

Voice narration is coming soon — every story already exports as a playable video today.

From one parent: my son went through a long stretch where he'd only engage with screens. The video export meant the same story still landed — just on his terms that week.

A gentler tomorrow in three steps

We know the mental load is heavy. We made one part lighter.

You're already doing enough — planning, advocating, caregiving. Lionmain was built by a parent who lived it, so prepping for tomorrow doesn't eat the only quiet hour of your day.

01

Share the routine

Describe the event in your own words. The dentist visit, the first day of camp, a new sibling coming home. No clinical jargon required.

02

Add a familiar face

Safely upload a photo of your child — or, if you'd rather not share one, just describe them in a sentence or two. We'll create a warm, hand-drawn likeness instead. Either way, your child is the main character.

03

Read it together

Open the finished visual story on any device. A calm, predictable map of what happens next — ready before bedtime tonight.

Why visual stories work

Grounded in research. Shaped by real bedtimes.

Predictability reduces uncertainty

When children know what happens next, the nervous system softens. Visual previews give them a rehearsal before the real moment arrives.

Representation makes it real

Generic clip-art rarely lands. Seeing themselves as the main character helps your child connect the story to their own day.

Built by lived experience

Designed by a parent of an autistic child — not by a corporation. Every choice respects how little evening energy you actually have.

Lionmain Stories is an everyday parenting tool — not a diagnostic or clinical replacement. We honour and defer to the work of allied health professionals.

A friendly lion mascot in a navy cape standing next to a smiling child
Your photos are safe here

Your child's world staysyour child's world.

Uploading a photo of your child takes trust. I know — I'm a parent too. Here's exactly what happens (and what never does):

  • Only you can see them

    Locked to your account. No team, no other parent, ever.

  • Never used to train AI

    A private developer pipeline that bans training on your data.

  • Never sold or shared

    No ads, no data brokers, no third-party mining. Full stop.

  • Delete anytime

    Remove a story and its photos leave with it. Instantly.

"I built Lionmain for my own son first. I protect your family's photos the same way I protect ours."
— Maysa, Founder

Not ready to upload a photo?

You don't have to. Skip the photo and describe your child in a sentence — hair, skin tone, favourite outfit — and Lionmain will create a warm 2D cartoon-style likeness instead. Same story, same starring role, zero photos.

Pay only when you need help

No subscriptions. Just help, when you need it.

We know how many monthly bills you have. Buy a story for the week you actually need one.

Getting Started
Free

your first story

Best for: trying Lionmain before you commit to anything.

  • 1 custom visual story
  • Photo personalisation
  • Printable PDF download
  • Playable video export (auto-running, like a PowerPoint)
Create my first story — free
Pay as you need
Ready for More
$2.99

one full story

Best for: a single upcoming event — a dentist visit, a new sitter, a first haircut.

  • 1 premium visual story
  • Print-ready PDF download
  • Playable video export (auto-running, like a PowerPoint)
  • Save to your library
Create a story
Prepared for Anything
$4.99

three-story bundle

Best for: a busy season — back-to-school, a move, a new routine you're rehearsing.

  • 3 premium stories
  • Print-ready PDF download
  • Playable video export (auto-running, like a PowerPoint)
  • Save to your library
Get the bundle
From the founder
"Lionmain Stories began at home, making personalised social stories for my autistic son. He finally saw himself in them. I built this so other families don't have to spend their evenings drawing one from scratch."

Maysa — Founder & Mum to a small, brave lion

Honest answers

The things parents quietly want to know

How is my child's photo handled?+

Photos are used only to generate your story. They are stored securely, never sold, and never used to train public AI models. You can delete your library anytime. For the full story, see our Your Photos page.

What if I'd rather not upload a photo at all?+

Totally fine — and a lot of parents choose this. Instead of uploading a photo, you describe your child in a sentence or two (hair, skin tone, glasses, favourite outfit, anything that helps them feel seen). Lionmain creates a warm 2D cartoon-style likeness and uses that as the main character on every page. The story still stars your child, still follows the same evidence-based structure, and still arrives as both a printable PDF and an auto-playing video. Some families prefer the cartoon version even when they could upload — it can feel softer for sensory-sensitive kids who don't love seeing photos of themselves.

Can my child watch the story instead of reading it?+

Yes. Every story is delivered as both a printable PDF and a gentle auto-advancing video — so on the days your child would rather watch than read, the same story still lands. The video plays on any phone, tablet, or TV; no extra app needed.

How does the playable video export actually work?+

When your story is ready, you'll get a download button for an MP4 video alongside the PDF. It's a calm, auto-advancing slideshow of the same story pages — think of it like a quiet, self-running PowerPoint — with on-screen captions for every page. The file saves to your device's normal downloads folder, so you can play it from your camera roll, AirPlay or cast it to the TV, send it via Messages or email, or drop it into a tablet for the car. It's especially helpful for kids who lean on screens during dysregulation, are pre-readers, find sitting still with a book hard, or are having a low-energy day where watching feels possible but reading doesn't. Voice narration is coming soon; today's videos play silently with captions so you can add your own voice, or let your child watch in a quiet moment.

Is this a medical or therapy tool?+

No. Lionmain is a parenting tool that creates everyday visual stories. We don't diagnose or treat anything, and we always defer to your child's therapy team and medical professionals.

Why not just use ChatGPT?+

You absolutely can ask ChatGPT to write a social story — but there are three reasons parents come to Lionmain instead. First, privacy: pasting your child's photo into ChatGPT or Gemini means it may be stored and used to train the next public model. Lionmain runs on a private developer pipeline that explicitly bans training on your child's data, so their face never enters a public model. Second, the output: ChatGPT gives you a wall of text you then have to format, illustrate, and turn into something a dysregulated child will actually engage with. Lionmain gives you a finished printable PDF and an auto-playing video, built using evidence-based social story structure, with your child as the main character on every page. Third, the cognitive load: there's no prompt engineering, no copy-pasting, no fiddling with image generators at 9pm. You answer a few gentle questions and the story is ready in about three minutes — designed by a neurodivergent parent for the way our brains actually work on hard days.

Do I have to subscribe?+

Never. Your first story is free, and after that you pay per story or per small bundle. Use it when you need it, skip it when you don't.

How long does a story take to make?+

About three minutes from start to finish. Most parents make their first one after the kids are asleep — just in time for tomorrow morning.

What ages is this for?+

Most families use Lionmain for children roughly 3–10, but anyone who benefits from visual previews of new routines can use it.

Make tomorrow a little gentler.

Your first personalised visual story is on us. Three minutes now for a calmer day ahead.

Create my first story — free
Create my first story — free