AAC App for the iPad and the iPhone Makes Communicating Affordable for People wi

[Guest guest]

AAC App for the iPad and the iPhone Makes Communicating Affordable for

People with DisabilitiesThe iPhone and the iPad continue to help

children and adults with disabilities to communicate. This time it is

the update of an application called Expressive that raises the bar for

AAC devices.

" The Expressive app provides children with special needs

a voice that can easily be customized.Expressive introduces a

revolutionary method of communication, which will improve and increase

the communication of children who have limited communication. [Quote

end]

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) January 6, 2011

Today Smarty Ears announced the release of Expressive 1.1 for iPhone,

iPod touch and the iPad. The version 1.1 of Expressive is a major update

to the application that has been helping many children and adults to

express their thoughts, wants and needs. Expressive is one of the most

affordable apps of its kind on the app store. Expressive is an

entry-level augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app that

allows children that are unable to use their own voice to communicate.

With Expressive, children who may have never expressed themselves have a

chance to combine pictures that will speak for them. Expressive was

developed by Barbara Fernandes, a trilingual Speech and language

pathologist in the Dallas area who saw that many families of individuals

with a variety of communication disorders -- such as autism, Down

syndrome, apraxia, ALS, cerebral palsy and victims of stroke -- could

not afford the price of a conventional device. At US$34.99 Expressive is

one of the most affordable apps on the market and it costs a fraction of

the devices it rivals, which typically cost anywhere between US$800 and

US$4000.

New Features and Enhancements in version 1.1 include:

* Search button for the easy addition of new vocabulary;

* Ability to add pictures from the iPhone library;

* Ability to recording your own voice;

* Increased vocabulary size;

* Ability to change the background color of folders;

* Ability to lock the screen so that children will not

accidentally delete buttons;

* Overall enhanced stability on iPad and iPhone 4G;

These features significantly enhance the value of this application for

the disability and the professional community. Speech and language

pathologists who work with children with autism know that many times

expensive devices can be hard to program and many times do not allow

much flexibility for children that are just learning to use pictures to

communicate.

Expressive has maintained an overall 4 star rating on iTunes since its

release in 2010. Some reviewers have attested to the great addition this

application brings to the app store. " This is a very user-friendly

app for anyone! Great voices, organization, graphics and

performance! " says one user nicknamed AACGirl. Mr.Brown an exemplary

elementary special education teacher at Meadow Hall Elementary School in

Rockville, land has also reviewed the application:

" Expressive is a must-have app is you have or work with a child with

special needs who struggles with communication. I am using this app in

teaching young children with autism. My students enjoy the simple,

user-friendly interface as well as the preloaded vocabulary and symbols.

I am looking forward to facilitating communication in my elementary

autism classroom using the updated version of Expressive! "

Given its extreme ease of programming, affordability and extensive

features, Expressive allows parents and speech therapists to use as a

starter for many children and adults that would otherwise feel

overwhelmed by the many buttons on more advanced devices and apps.

For more information visit: http://www.smartyearsapps.com

<http://www.smartyearsapps.com/> or contact Smarty Ears at

contact(at)smarty-ears(dot)com.

If you wish to download Expressive visit the App store or click the

following

link:http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/expressive/id398345416?mt=8

<http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/expressive/id398345416?mt=8>

iPhone, iPod, iTunes are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the

U.S. and other countries. Expressive is a trademark of Smarty Ears, LLC.