In celebration of World Autism Awareness Day, a pioneering speech development system was launched to assist children with speech delays and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
The Mylo (My Little One) Speech Buddy app was created in July 2023 by filmmaker Mark Meily, together with Vincent Rocha and Enrico Aquino, who have children who are in the spectrum. The team collaborated with speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and experts to come up with the app that employs video modeling to aid nonverbal children develop their speech.
How new app Mylo Speech Buddy assists children with autism
Vincent Rocha, President and CEO of Mylo Speech Buddy, emphasized the app's pivotal role within the autism community, "Mylo Speech Buddy is a powerful platform that enables parents to actively support their child's speech development right at home. It enhances and works alongside the valuable contributions of speech therapists and medical professionals, adding to a holistic approach to speech development rather than substituting professional care."
Rocha added, "As a parent of a child with autism, I draw inspiration from the challenges my son, Noah, faced when diagnosed at the age of two," he explained. "Our mission is to bolster individuals with autism in developing verbal abilities and to foster genuine support within the autism community."
"Autism with speech delay is a challenge that we can solve together. The earlier the intervention, the better." —Vince Rocha, president and CEO, Mylo Speech Buddy
Mylo Speech Buddy is a subscription-based, on-demand video learning app that parents can use as a follow-through for their children's therapy sessions at home. He clarifies, "Mylo is not a magic bullet. The gold standard is still to get diagnosed, undergo speech therapy, and follow through at home."
Autism and assistive technologies
As of March 2023, 1 in 36 children has autism, as estimated by Centers for Disease Control. The causes of ASD are complex and not fully understood, and diagnosing can be difficult because there is no medical test for it.
Dr. Francis Xavier Dimalanta, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician, highlighted that diagnosing children with ASD as early as possible (18 months) is important to make sure they receive the services and support they need to reach their full potential.
Therapy, special education, and complementary treatments are some of the ways to help persons with autism to thrive.
"We cannot stress more that the family has to be involved. You can't just bring the child to therapy and expect results on the child," Dr. Dimalanta said.
Assistive technologies can help children with autism in bridging communication gaps and boost their confidence, he stressed.
"It [Mylo] will not replace the work of therapists. It offers a solution to augment what speech therapists do for the child." —Dr. Francis Xavier Dimalanta
Teacher Worthy Habla, a speech language pathologist with over 15 years of experience said, "We can see the importance of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) as a support tool for children who have difficulty in expressing themselves fully."
Nevertheless, Habla pointed out, "Mas malaki yung benefit ng human connection. An app is a really good way to inform the parents what to teach their kids, but it should be used by both the child and the parent to really get all of the benefits. Wala rin pong kapalit yung therapy talaga."
"There's a need for parents to find the right mix of management and intervention for a particular child," he added.
Katherine Tiuseco or Teacher Kaye, a registered speech-language pathologist and content creator, meanwhile emphasized how video modeling has been proven to help children with autism improve in their speech and language.
Dr. Dimalanta added, "Different things for different children. Any parent will hold on to anything that will give them hope." He assured, that through Mylo Speech Buddy, "It will not replace the work of therapists. It offers a solution to augment what speech therapists do for the child. We will work together in helping parents find their child's place under the sun."
Subscription to Mylo Speech Buddy is currently priced at Php 1,000 per month. The app is available for download in 10 countries, and a free trial is available for the whole month of April for Filipino parents, "Autism with speech delay is a challenge that we can solve together. The earlier the intervention, the better." Rocha said.
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'Ausome Stories' campaign launched to raise awareness on autism
During the media launch held at SEDA Hotel in Quezon City, the Ausome Stories campaign was also unveiled, a series of short videos telling the stories of 11 families who are living with persons with Autism.
Among the stories shared was that of actress Candy Pangilinan, 50, and her son Quentin, 20, and the hurtful words thrown at them like "hibang," "mana sa nanay," and "salot," among others.
"If I still think about them, hindi magugrow yung bata. What they say doesn't matter. What's important is what you feel, and what your child feels. That your child is accepted," Candy said.
Pangilinan hopes government will shoulder therapy fees and provide education access to children with autism.
"You can get tired, you can rest, but you can never give up," she tells parents. Watch the full video here.
Another ausome story is about a single mom of three kids, two of which were diagnosed with Autism. Watch the video here.
L-R - Teacher Worthy Habla, Vincent Rocha, Dr. Francis Dimalanta, and Katherine Tiuseco at the Mylo Speech Buddy media launch
Dr. Dimalanta emphasized the role of social media in raising awareness about ASD, "It's a space for sharing journeys, advocating for acceptance, and building a brighter future for those in the spectrum."
Teacher Kaye meanwhile shared, "I think our job as people who have direct interactions with people on the spectrum is to keep learning, changing, adapting, and accommodating, and to just keep trying and growing together so that we can become a community that embraces all kinds of strengths and can support all kinds of challenges."
Follow Mylo Speech Buddy on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Download the Mylo Speech Buddy app for a FREE trial this April 2024 on Google Play Store here and on App Store here.
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