Grace iPhone app ‘makes a difference’

GRACE DOMICAN is 10 years old, has a severe form of autism, and struggles to communicate with other people.

Yet despite her difficulties, the pupil of Wicklow-based Saplings School is quickly becoming the poster girl for one of the most important breakthroughs in practical autism support services in decades.

Since last summer, Grace and her mother Lisa have been using the popular iPhone technology to store pictures of everyday objects. The images, which are carried with the family at all times, are then used by Grace to communicate her needs – something she is otherwise unable to do because her condition means she has a significantly reduced vocabulary.

In the months that have followed, Grace’s ability to communicate with her family and those around her has drastically improved due to the unprecedented list of images on offer, helping her overcome the more frustrating aspects of her condition.

And as a result of the success, Telefonica O2 Ireland and a team of software developers have come together to launch a new iPhone application based on the Domicans’ idea – helping to ensure thousands of other children like Grace will benefit from the project.

“She has a little bit of speech but her vocabulary is very small, so having this type of support so easily to hand is very important for us,” explained Grace’s mother, Lisa.

“The iPhone was very new technology last year, it still is, but this has the potential to take off. At the moment families of children with autism are carrying around the Picture Exchange Communication System. That’s basically a big book with plastic envelopes to put in pictures and their names.

“It’s a good system but it’s not very practical to bring around and it means the child stands out. But with this application you can carry as many images as you want and have them at your fingertips all the time.

“It’s made such a difference to Grace because she can tell me exactly what she wants, which is so important for children with autism.

“She doesn’t always get what she wants, but there’s a big difference between a frustration tantrum and a ‘I didn’t get my way’ tantrum,” the mother-of-two added.

The “Grace” iPhone application – which Lisa named after her daughter – is available worldwide at a cost of €29.99 for five users.

The device’s developers, Telefonica O2 Ireland, the Irish Autism Action group and software expert Steve Troughton-Smith, believe it will prove vital to those affected by allowing each child to store their picture vocabulary before sharing them with their parents, carers and teachers.