DURING the recent Stevie Awards, the Mylo Speech Buddy app took home two gold medals. It was named “Tech Startup of the Year – Software” at the 21st International Business Awards, and “New Product of the Year – Educational Technology” at the Technology Excellence Awards.

Many consider the Technology Excellence Awards to be “The Olympics for Technology.” This year, over 600 nominations were sent from organizations across 21 different nations and territories. The judges, on the other hand, were made up of over 100 industry experts and thought leaders from all around the globe.

The International Business Awards is also an event viewed by many as a way to gain global recognition in terms of milestones or achievements within the world of business.

Vincent Rocha created this Filipino-made app alongside company co-founders Enrico Aquino and Mark Meily. 

Launched on World Autism Awareness Day, this app was created to help nonverbal children more easily learn words. 

It first started because Rocha wanted to find ways to help his six-year-old son with his speech therapy, and he and his team started working alongside speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and medical professionals to make the Mylo Speech Buddy App a reality.

About the app

On their website, Mylo describes their app as a speech therapy support app for children who have autism or delayed speech. 

They write that their team is made up of parents who have personal experience in raising children with autism and also have extensive expertise in content development for both preschool and special education.

“Mylo is more than just a tool; it’s an empowering resource that equips parents to actively assist their children from the comfort of their own homes,” they state.

“With Mylo, all you need is a tablet or smartphone to engage in effective speech development activities with your child.”

They do, however, also note that this app is not a replacement for therapy; it’s simply a tool meant to better help children with developing their speech.

In their app, Mylo uses the Video Modeling Method, which helps learners to expand their vocabulary, as well as to better their comprehension and expressive abilities.

In a video posted to their YouTube channel, it is explained that Mylo follows an approach wherein children learn in the early stage the most essential words, phrases, and concepts. 

The app, for example, helps them know what to say when they want or need something and helps them to answer yes or no questions. This learning is done through repetition and imitation, which discretely makes use of the aforementioned Video Modeling Method.

How to use Mylo

If you want to start using Mylo, all you have to do is download the app and then create an account.

Here, ten different levels will be available for viewing. It is recommended to start at Level 1 for learners who know less than 50 words, and Level 2 for those who know more.

The first level focuses on imitation, as Mylo explains this is the first skill non-verbal learners should be familiar with because it’ll make them easier to learn.

In each level, there are nine to 20 video modules, and in each video module, there are one to five words available. Under Social Actions, for example, your child can learn the words “wave,” “shake,” “pet,” and “hug.”

Mylo recommends watching each video module twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon, and twice at night. This totals at least 6 viewings per day, which is 42 times per week. 

After the learner has fully memorized the module, they can then move on to the next, even if they’ve viewed it less than 42 times. After completing all the video modules in the level, they can then move on to the next.

Mylo also recommends, however, that video modules shouldn’t be watched more than 45 times. This is to avoid repetitive behavior or stimming. It’s also recommended that learners be accompanied by a parent or guardian to further help them learn.

If ever the learner finishes all the levels available for language learning, they can then move on to skill learning. 

The app is available for download on the App Store for Apple and the Google Play Store for Android. 

The current subscription rate is PHP 999 per month and can be paid either via GCash or credit card. This subscription gives you access to all the content available on the app as well as any future updates the team has yet to release. 

You can also download the app for a 7-day free trial if you want to test the waters before paying the full PHP 999.