“For nearly a decade, academics and others
have said that technology could revolutionize the communication
abilities of people on the autism spectrum. That hasn’t happened yet.
Part of the reason is that the field is pretty niche. A number of well
regarded app producers are small operations started by people who
developed something to help their own loved ones. These ground breakers
inadvertently stunt innovation because their goal is to develop ways of
automating pre-existing, tried and true (but cumbersome) tasks, not
create novel approaches. Another factor is that academics can’t keep up
with tech. Hundreds of apps flood the market faster than you can
assemble a long-range study to evaluate efficacy. So no app has been
deemed a gold standard.
But at least one piece of tech is threatening to break the mold. On
the horizon, an app called :prose and its associated gear may be able to
link a user’s thoughts to a speaking aid. This may make it possible for
someone with even the most severe physical limitations to develop an
amount of autonomy over their own language.” (Soni Sangha)
