The most successful is an app called MyVoice —Tap or Type to Talk, which was launched last May. This program brings what’s called a PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) book into the digital world.
Non-verbal children and adults might carry these books around with them so they can communicate with others, and it works by having an individual point to or pull out pictures to string together phrases or sentences. The pictures are often organized by subject, such as fruits, and can take several minutes for a message to be shared.
But that process is made easier with the help of MyVoice. Not only does the app streamline the information, but with a few swipes and clicks, the app will speak for a person, giving them a real voice.
The application includes a function for mirror talk as well, which uses the selfie side of a camera to help people stretch their mouths like they would with a speech pathologist, either as a child or if recovering from an illness, such as a stroke.
Johnny Ciocca, 17, has created 35 apps, including two that help people with special needs lead more social lives. (Photo: Illustration provided by Ciocca Apps)
“One lady, she’s your typical lady, but she had gone for a surgery for her throat. She told us she used it to communicate with her kids for a couple weeks when she couldn’t really talk,” John Ciocca said.
Since its launch in May, the $3.99 app has been downloaded 150 times. And it seems the broad range of users for this app caught the attention of Apple pretty early, with Johnny receiving an email requesting promotional images of the app within a month of it going public.
The app has generated a lot of interest in education circles, and a school in Australia is considering buying copies for all of its iPads.
His latest creation, a social network called youBelong, is also gaining some traction since its launch two weeks ago. Its goal is to help people with special needs, as well as their families, connect in a safe, online environment.
The idea is similar to Facebook, and encourages its members to share photos, comment on each other’s posts, and spread the word about local events and organizations geared toward helping people with special needs.
The genesis for this platform stems from Johnny’s first attempt at app making, which was centered around the idea of pairing online dating with people who have special needs.
Johnny Ciocca, 17, right, a junior at Estero High School has written over 30 apps in the last several years. He specializes in apps that help families with children who have special needs connect socially and improve thier lives. On the left is his older brother, Christian, who has Down Syndrome. They are seen with their dog, Margo. (Photo: Andrew West/The News-Press)
When the app, called Specially Abled Dating, was bogged down with coding issues and never really took off, Johnny moved on, but never really stopped thinking about it.
“I continued working on apps, but that just helped me build the skills needed to get it to actually work,” he said.
Johnny, whose bedroom is packed with “toys” like a drone, a robot and even a 3D printer, has always had an interest in computers and problem-solving. He found his way into programming during the summer of 2012, and tapped into a website called Code Academy to start learning different coding languages.
His love of coding grew from there, and soon the teen made the leap into app building. For this, he invested in textbooks and videos, and began researching the how-tos of the app world through Apple.
Twice now he has attended Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on scholarship, making him one of a few hundred students to share in the latest technology trends with thousands of developers from around the world. He’s hoping to go again this year, and recently found out he has been picked for a lunch and learn session at Disney this August with one of its imagineers.
Since releasing his latest app, youBelong, to the public on March 4, the free application has been downloaded 35 times, and is quickly becoming a favorite activity for Christian, who is 18 and a senior at Estero High.
“I like everything,” Christian said of the app. “I like to comment with my brother, because I do love my brother a lot.”
As he spoke, the two were snuggled up next to each other on the chaise lounge in the living room. It’s a scene parents John and Maria have seen since they were babies, and a bond that has helped fuel Johnny’s desire to make life more fun for his older brother.
It reminds their father of when the boys were little, and their playtime was filled with Legos and K’nex towers.
“Johnny has always been a kid that loved building stuff,” his dad said. “He actually used to build a lot of stuff actually for his brother, too. Like he would build like a house for the two of them to sit in, and they would bring the dog. It looked like they are right now, except they would be surrounded by a big, giant K’nex building.”
The next thing Johnny will be building is college applications, as he wants to study computer science in the hopes of one day landing one of his dream jobs — becoming a software engineer at SpaceX or working for Disney as an imagineer.
While he plugs away at these ambitions, you can bet his attention will never wander too far away from brother Christian and his desire to better connect exceptional people together.
Thinking about his latest app, youBelong, Johnny said: “We want there to be a one-stop place to go, and there isn’t one. We need to fix that.”
By: @NEWS-PRESS.COM