When I saw that Lisa had posted on Many Hats Mommy's blog about offering her App for kids with Autism FREE for World Autism Day on April 2nd, I knew I'd have to contact her and see if she'd let me post the same information on my blog for all of you!
This free app is actually what is going to push me over the edge to letting hubby get himself a new Ipod touch since his Classic died a strange and completely un-violent death (wouldn't turn on one day)...
If it is something you think that you could use, this is an excellent opportunity to try it out and get lifetime upgrades included FREE!
The Grace App For Autism – Communication System on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch – Goes FREE for World Autism Awareness Day on 2nd April 2011
Many kids with autism or speech delay use pictures attached to a board to ask for what they need or say how they feel. These boards are stored in a book which they have to carry around with them.
Even if and when they begin to say a few words, they may be difficult to understand and so they rely on a growing picture vocabulary which can become very unwieldy.As the mother of a severely autistic little girl who had begun to say a few words, but had many many pictures, I wanted to keep supporting her speech development by prompting her to use her own voice - with the support of “her” pictures anywhere.
And that is where the Grace App for Autism came in.Grace App replicates the picture exchange system by storing a basic picture vocabulary of Foods, Things I like, Places, Colors, Sizes and Shapes in Folders with a function for creating a sentence.
Photo Credit: Aengus McMahon Photography / The Ireland Funds
On the smaller devices you tilt and the cards are enlarged for you to point and read together.On iPad it works on Landscape or Portrait view with the pictures big enough to be read easily without enlargement.
There is also a facility for finding, taking and sharing photographs of all the other things that you may need or want. You can teach the child or user to add their own pictures independently using the camera or searching via the internet, on the device – giving them power over their communication choices.
It is simply a portable means of prompting communication and mutual understanding – which leads to trust.
Grace App was created by me and Gracie, with the support of O2 Telefonica and developed by Steven Troughton-Smith.
Thanks to the support and feedback of the wider Autism community, Grace App has been improved and we are delighted to be launching a major update in the next few weeks. And to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day on 2nd April, we’re setting the App to free.
Anyone who uploads Grace App on that day will own it forever and will get all updates free.
For more information and to download the Grace App System Manual, please see our website www.graceapp.com
Photo Credit: Aengus McMahon Photography / The Ireland Funds
About Me: I am the mother of 2 kids with Autism. Liam who is now 13 and Gracie who is 11. They were born in Brisbane, Australia where we lived until Gracie was 2.
We “returned” to Ireland in 2001 so my husband could enjoy the Celtic Tiger in the land of his birth. (He’s from Tallaght) Thanks to the existence of the ABA network in Ireland, I was able to implement a home program using tutors who had worked in schools like Saplings. In 2008 we were accepted into Saplings ABA School in Rathfarnham, County Dublin and our home life improved hugely as they now had all their educational needs met in school.
With time on my hands for the first time in 7 years, I worked for Irish Autism Action and through their association with O2, developed the Grace App for iPhone.
My background pre-children was in Sales and that stood me well when it came to knocking down doors to get services for my kids. I’m also a communicator and have blogged for a number of years about my personal experiences in Autism on hammie-hammiesays.blogspot.com – I was asked to create a blog for Irish Autism and then set up their social media networks on Twitter and Facebook, the proudest achievement of which is the virtual support group that operates there.
Having realised my vision of Grace App in early 2010, I decide to focus on it full time and left Irish Autism to set up my own business last year. My goal is to engage and inform as many educators, therapists, parents, carers and service providers about Grace App and hopefully as a result, get the gift of independent expression to as many people with Autism and other disabilities as possible. Everyone should have the right to say what they want. My aim is for them to get it!
Lisa Domican 2011
