Teen creates an app to help with socialization for his brother

His inspiration comes from his older brother Christian, who has Down syndrome.

When Johnny Ciocca and his family moved to Southwest Florida from New Jersey, Christian was no longer part of a thriving social community that the whole family could enjoy, due to being in a different place, far from their established network.

This spurred the family to launch a Fantastic Friends chapter, a process that kicked off in November. As word about the monthly social events has spread, so has the app work being done by Johnny.

In particular, the app MyVoice — functions as an app that allows the users to Tap or Type to Talk, in a safe and easy environment. This program brings what's called a PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) book into the digital world, which is essential in conveying their wants and needs as Non-verbal children and adults might carry these books around with them so they can communicate with others. It works by having an individual "point to" or "pull out" pictures to string together phrases or sentences. The pictures are often organized by subject, such as fruits, and can take several minutes to share a message.

This process is made so much easier with the help of MyVoice, this app not only streamlines the information, but with a few swipes and clicks, the app will speak for the individual, giving them a real voice.

The application includes a function for mirror talk as well, which uses the selfie side of a camera to help people stretch their mouths as they would with a speech pathologist, either as a child or if recovering from an illness, such as a stroke.

Adapted from https://eu.news-press.com/story/news/education/2017/03/17/bonita-teen-la...
Learn more about this apps here https://apps.apple.com/us/app/myvoice-tap-or-type-to-talk/id1111359925

DISCLAIMER: This story was written by someone who is not the author of the solution, therefore please be advised that, although it was written with the utmost respect for the innovation and the innovator, there can be some incorrect statements. If you find any errors please contact the patient Innovation team via info@patient-innovation.com or at carolina.piedade@patient-innovation.com directly.