iPhone/iPad App Helps Autistic Children Communicate

Some apps are practical, others are downright silly, and a select few, well, can enhance life beyond your wildest dreams. The Grace app, which is giving children with autism a chance to “speak” for the first time, is nothing short of a wonder. Available for $38 on iTunes, Grace is a digital version of the Picture Exchange Communications System, a book that helps those unable to speak to build sentences from relevant images.

The app starts with 400 images that were chosen by non-verbal people as communication starters. For example, categories include colors, food and drink, my body, and places.   Grace allows the users to build their “photo vocabulary” by snapping their own photos to use within the app.

The app is currently being tested in Ireland at schools designed for autistic children and has yet to receive any mainstream medical endorsements. The app’s creator, Lisa Domican, who named Grace after her autistic daughter, believes the digital software has reduced her daughter’s communication frustrations. Ream more here.

The Grace app works on the iPhone and the iPad. A portion of the proceeds go to charity.

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