Giving Summit a Voice: How Technology & Innovation Meet in Proloquo

What is Proloquo?

Developed by AssistiveWare, Proloquo is a symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app for iPad and iPhone. It allows people who cannot speak (due to autism, cerebral palsy, neurological injury, or other conditions) to express themselves using symbols, natural-sounding text-to-speech, custom vocabularies, and adaptable interfaces.

Some of its standout features:

• Crescendo vocabulary system that adapts: different core and fringe words, different grid sizes, progression to more complex vocabulary as the user grows.

• Highly customizable visual & motor features: grid size, button spacing, voice choices, and accessibility accommodations.

• Support for partners (teachers, family, therapists) through coaching tools, modeling, and shared vocabulary so that communication can be supported in all environments.

  
  

AssistiveWare’s CEO, David Niemeijer, put it this way in their promotional materials:

“One of the coolest things about the iPad and the iPhone is that they’re not separate devices … they’re cool devices that everyone else uses, too, and that has already made a major difference in its acceptability.” 

So Proloquo isn’t just about the device—it’s about how accessible, familiar technology becomes a bridge.

What Summit Gains: From Silence to Speaking

In the video about Summit’s journey, we see something that goes beyond “using an app.” We witness a person gaining agency, being heard.

Summit’s experience highlights several important impacts:

1. Independence in expression: Instead of relying on others to interpret gestures or sounds, Summit can choose symbols and have the device speak. That changes the dynamics in classrooms, at home, with peers.

2. Participation & inclusion: With speech-generating tools, Summit no longer just listens; they engage. The ability to ask, respond, initiate opens doors socially and educationally.

3. Learning & growth: As Summit uses Proloquo, language skills don’t stay static. The app’s design encourages growth: moving from single symbols to combining words, to phrasing more complex ideas.

   
   

Technology + Innovation: What Makes This Work

Summit’s journey with Proloquo is a case study in how innovation in assistive tech must combine several elements to be effective:

• Usability: The interface must be intuitive. Proloquo’s design supports that: minimal hidden gestures, clear visuals, consistent motor planning.

• Flexibility and scalability: As needs evolve, the tool should scale. Summit likely started with simpler vocabulary and fewer buttons and then grew. That’s core to how Proloquo works.

• Support for everyone around the user: It’s not just Summit who needs to interact with Proloquo; family, educators, peers must model and use it. Tools like Proloquo Coach help build skills among caregivers.

• Personalization: Using familiar voices, favorite symbols, custom fringe vocabulary — these choices make communication meaningful, not generic.