Terms of Service

Star Steps · Last updated 2 August 2026

The short version. Star Steps is free. It is a learning tool, not therapy and not a medical device. You keep ownership of your family's data and can export or delete it at any time. We will not sell it, advertise to your child, or use it to train AI models. If we ever change something that matters, we will tell you before it takes effect.

1. Who these terms are between

These terms are between you and Nathaniel Wray, operating Star Steps (mystarsteps.com). By creating an account you agree to them. If you are using Star Steps on behalf of a school, clinic or district, see section 9.

2. What Star Steps is — and what it is not

Star Steps is an adaptive learning application for autistic children aged 3–12. It presents learning activities, estimates which skills a child has mastered, and reports that progress to the adults responsible for them.

It is not a medical device, a diagnostic instrument, or a therapy. It does not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition. Its "mastery" figures are the software's best inference from a child's answers — useful for planning, and explicitly not a clinical assessment. Nothing in Star Steps replaces the judgement of a teacher, therapist, physician or parent. Independent research into how well those estimates hold up is under way, and we will publish the results either way.

3. Accounts and who may create one

You must be 18 or older and the parent, legal guardian, or an authorised educator or clinician for any child whose profile you create.
You are responsible for keeping your password and parent PIN confidential.
Children do not hold accounts. A child profile exists inside an adult's account.
Tell us promptly at n8wray@gmail.com if you believe your account has been accessed without your permission.

4. Cost

Star Steps is currently free to download and use in full. There are no in-app purchases, no subscriptions and no advertising. If paid features are introduced later, anything you use today remains available on your existing terms for that release, and we will give clear notice before any charge applies to you.

5. Your data stays yours

You retain ownership of the information you and your child put into Star Steps. You grant us only the permission needed to operate the service for you — to store it, display it back to you, and compute progress from it.

Export: request a copy of your family's data at any time.
Delete: delete a child profile or your entire account; we remove the associated data.
We will not sell your data, share it with advertisers or data brokers, use it to train AI models, or profile your child for marketing.

See the Privacy Policy for exactly what is collected and why.

6. Acceptable use

Please do not: attempt to access another family's data; probe, scan or attack the service; reverse-engineer it to extract other users' information; upload unlawful content; or resell access without written agreement. Security research conducted in good faith is welcome — email us first and we will work with you.

7. Availability

We aim to keep Star Steps running and to protect your data, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted service on the free plan. We may change or discontinue features. If we ever discontinue the service entirely, we will give at least 30 days' notice and a way to export your data first.

8. Liability, in plain terms

Star Steps is provided "as is". To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, and our total liability is limited to the amount you have paid us in the preceding twelve months — which, on the free plan, is zero. Nothing here limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be limited.

Because Star Steps is not a medical device, decisions about a child's education, therapy or care remain yours and their professionals'.

9. Schools, clinics and organisations

If an organisation uses Star Steps with children, the organisation is responsible for having the appropriate legal basis and consent under applicable law (for example FERPA in US schools, or HIPAA where a covered entity is involved). We act as a service provider processing data on your instructions. A Data Processing Agreement and, where applicable, a Business Associate Agreement are available on request — see Security & HIPAA Readiness.

10. Research participation

Star Steps is being studied independently. Your data is included only if you explicitly opt in, separately from ordinary use, and you may withdraw at any time. Research datasets are de-identified before analysis: no names, no free text, and identifiers replaced with random research codes.

11. Changes to these terms

If we make a material change we will update the date above and notify account holders by email before it takes effect. Continuing to use Star Steps after that constitutes acceptance.

12. Governing law and contact

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, United States, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Questions, complaints or requests: n8wray@gmail.com · 518-410-4919.