Fraser has an app to help with Asperger's

Let's say you aren't sure how to start a conversation. Or give a compliment. Or get through a first date.

For kids with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, these can be big challenges.

But now there's an app for that.

Fraser, a child development center in Minneapolis, has created QuickCues to help guide autistic teens and young adults through tricky social situations. Essentially, they're a series of tip sheets that are designed to be used on iPods or iPhones for handy reference.

When they need a little help, students can pull out their mobile devices and read a script about how to act in a way that's socially acceptable. There's one guide, for example, for "apologizing for unintentional mistakes." Another is called "Bullies -- How to handle."

Several years ago, Fraser got a grant to help teenagers in its after-school program design their own tip sheets -- also called "social stories" -- and put them on iPods.

Young people with autism have a tough time picking up social cues. "A social story gives them some rules and information how to do that," said Drew Benson, a counselor at Fraser.

The project proved so popular that Fraser decided to create a standard set and sell them through Apple's app store, said Benson, one of the project leaders.

Fraser, a nonprofit, offers QuickCues for four different skill sets: Communication, Life Skills, Socialization and Coping, each priced at $4.99.

So far, only about 1,200 have been sold since they were introduced last year, said Benson. But he hopes interest will build.

"As a nonprofit, we're always probably looking for additional ways of generating some revenue," he said.