Leeloo AAC - Autism Speech App

This app is one of the only ones I found that could cater to my needs! I am an autistic teen and go through periods of being nonverbal due to stress, anxiety, or I’m purely incapable. This app is a bit more child oriented and would be a lot better if it had adult options. Another thing is the fact it has other available packs, but they cost money. Not all of us have the support system or the ability to pay and it sort of hinders me from communicating fully what I need. I use this for school, around friends and my boyfriend, and sometimes struggle to find the correct phrase. Other then that this is a wonderful app!

I noticed upon immediately opening the app to set it up, that this AAC app is VERY child-centric. I’m an Autistic Adult looking for AAC for the days I go nonverbal. I personally find that to be the flaw with a vast majority of these apps. They are all CHILD centered. Those autistic children do grow up. They turn into autistic adults and teens. They still need these apps for those accommodations, and making them only have the option of child-like avatars, parental settings for the account, and “cutesy” really really deters us from using the things that we need. I’m not trying to be rude at all, I’m just asking, like so many others, that the creators of this app stray away from the infantilism of autism and the stereotypes of who needs these apps. We aren’t all 8- year old boys. I kindly and hopefully suggest making another app, or even adding another mode option to this app in particular so that is adults and teens can use it without feeling like we are being looked at like children. I really have not found a single AAC app marketed toward Autistic Adults. It would be SO AMAZING if we could find or make one.

My son is speech and developmentally delayed. That being said, we work with a few different ways to communicate and an app like this was suggested. I downloaded over my cellular network, and I had no audio. I went home and deleted the app and re-downloaded on WiFi and the issue resolved. I did contact support between problem and resolve and they were SO kind. Never, ever had support like this and I work for one of the biggest tech companies in the world! While this app is a little advanced for my three year old, we’re only on day two and he’s starting to catch on! It’s wonderful to see his eyes light up as the board says what he is thinking/wanting and it helps clear some of the frustration. Thank you LeeLou!! Amy