Our feature this week is written by Martin Brooks, the amazing Dad-in-Charge over at Mias Apps. Martin decided to develop iPhone apps to help his daughter, Mia, who has severe cerebral palsy and requires constant care. Through the iPhone, he invented a way to communicate with Mia and help her express her needs. We are privileged to have this Dad of the Year on board at Moms With Apps. His dedication is taking the iPhone, along with thousands of other children, to a whole new level.
My name is Martin Brooks and I am the person behind miasapps.com. I named the business after my daughter Mia who has been my inspiration. Mia is severely disabled and cannot speak or have any independence for herself. When she was little it became clear that (despite her initial diagnosis) her disabilities hadn’t affected her intelligence as badly as first feared, but now there was a new issue. She had an able mind trapped in a disabled body that she couldn’t get to speak for her.
Necessity is the mother of invention
Traditional alternative speech systems were either very bulky, impersonal or expensive and sometimes all three!! Around this time I got an iPhone for work to help me pick up emails on the go. I remember hearing the “apps for everything” slogan and thought “where is the app for Mia?” When I couldn’t find one I decided I would make the communication aid I wanted for Mia to help Mia and other children like her.
The iPhone as an alternative communication device
I wanted to use the built in iPhone camera and microphone to help caregivers and parents create a personalised communication device for a low cost. The iComm app has a comprehensive free version with the option of upgrading to the full version if you want all of the features. This means more storage and the ability to add your own voice to the pictures to complete your personalisation of the app.
Not just special needs kids
All parents of pre-speech toddlers know how frustrating it is when toddlers have trouble expressing themselves because they just don’t have the vocabulary. This leaves the child crying with frustration and parents equally frazzled. The iComm app can help because it allows toddlers to express their needs simply through pictures of recognizable items. As images are accompanied by the spoken and written word, the foundations of reading and speech development are also being stimulated.
iComm on App Friday
Coming up on App Friday July 23rd, iComm’s basic free version will be accompanied by a special promotion of their full-featured in-app purchase. Stay tuned for more details!
Stay well,
Martin and Mia
Great story, and Mia is certainly fortunate to have a dedicated Dad who is savvy with programming to make the app to help her communicate. I know from living with kids with special needs and pre-speech toddlers that visual cues can be a huge help especially for getting through transitions.