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.
“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. 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, Maryland 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: 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
iPhone, iPod, iTunes are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Expressive is a trademark of Smarty Ears, LLC.
