Introduction

This short video guides you through creating your first Button Book.

Why we made Pick-a-Pic

Communication is one of the core skill deficits that defines autism spectrum disorder. Functional communication is a cornerstone of intervention for children with autism. An effective means of communicating is essential to meeting one’s needs, establishing meaningful relationships, expressing feelings and ideas, and achieving personal goals. Functional communication is the foundation upon which practitioners and caregivers can help autistic individuals build skills to reach their potential and improve their quality of life.

Of the many tools available to help individuals develop communication skills, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is the only one that is manualized and evidence-based. It focuses on developing the motivation to communicate by using exchangeable pictures to represent items and activities. However, many families express frustration with making and maintaining the required physical materials. Not having the right picture at a given moment may derail the motivation to communicate.

Throughout my 20-year career, I've witnessed many families express frustration with the learning curve required to navigate existing AAC apps and devices. For early learners or individuals that have repeatedly failed to develop functional communication, complex apps and devices can feel overwhelming. They may be challenging to individuals with limited visual discrimination or difficulty associating line drawings with real items.

I approached James with these concerns and with questions about how to design an app for establishing early communication skills. Why isn’t it easier to add a picture? Why can’t I make a new page? How could we make this easier and more accessible to families who desperately want to establish functional communication for their loved ones?

I am a long time proponent of PECS and a strong believer in the power of motivation. I wanted to create a simple app to help with the earliest stages of functional communication as a springboard to more complex communication with existing AAC devices. I want to make communication motivating and meaningful for our learners while empowering caregivers with a tool that doesn't require a steep learning curve or substantial financial investment.

Selina Field, MEd., BCBA

Supporting research

Part of our planning for Pick-a-Pic was to ensure that the app aligned with recent peer-reviewed research. Here is a selection of studies that informed our design decisions.

A Systematic Review of Research Comparing Mobile Technology Speech-Generating Devices to Other AAC Modes with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Lorah, E.R., Holyfield, C., Miller, J. et al. J Dev Phys Disabil 34, 187-210 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-021-09803-y

Clinical Effectiveness of AAC Intervention in Minimally Verbal Children With ASD: A Systematic Review

Atiya Aftab, Chhavi Arora Sehgal, Majumi M. Noohu, & Ghufran Jaleel. (2023). NeuroRegulation, 10(4), 239.
https://doi.org/10.15540/nr.10.4.239

These first two articles validate our rationale for developing an app. High-tech devices — especially ones that generate speech — are both more motivating and more successful with children for fostering functional social interactions.

Design Specifications of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Apps for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Polat, H., & Delialioglu, O. (2023). International Journal of Technology in Education (IJTE), 6(1), 19-36.
https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.396

Pick-a-Pic's essential feature is what this article refers to as a just-in-time programming strategy: when a learner has a new request, we need to be able to capture it in the app as quickly as possible.

This article also emphasizes the importance of individualization, ease of use, and the need for flexibility across contexts.

Parents' Perceptions and Experiences with Their Children's Use of Augmentative/Alternative Communication: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Berenguer, C.; Martínez, E.R.; De Stasio, S.; Baixauli, I. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 8091.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138091

This article confirms our own experiences with individuals that stopped using their AAC apps. It lists these common barriers to AAC app adoption: high cost, time investment, training needed, lack of individualization, and inconsistent use across settings.

Our goal is for Pick-a-Pic to address all of these barriers. Our app needed to be inexpensive and intuitive, with files that can be shared between professionals and caregivers.

A Systematic Review of Evidence-based Instruction for Individuals with Autism Using Mobile Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology

Lorah, E.R., Holyfield, C., Griffen, B. et al. Rev J Autism Dev Disord 11, 210-224 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-022-00334-6

This article emphasizes the importance of effective instruction using evidence-based practices for individuals with autism, including differential reinforcement, prompting, and modeling. It also highlights the importance of parent-mediated instruction and use of mobile devices.

Product roadmap

Known bugs and fixes

Bugs will be listed here as they are reported and confirmed. Fixing bugs is our highest priority and fixes will be released as soon as possible. Please contact us if you've found a bug that isn't listed here.

Internationalization

We've worked with many families that are not native English speakers and we want to make Pick-a-Pic accessible to them as soon as we can. Additional language support will be added as time and budget allow.

Upcoming releases

v1.1 Performance and stability improvements

  • Concurrent picture creation: Improve the speed of bulk picture creation by splitting it into concurrent background tasks.
  • Handle downloading document: When a document is opened via iCloud before it is fully downloaded, display a progress meter that indicates download progress.
  • Handle empty document state: Investigate whether the app can be put into a state where no document is opened. If so, handle it gracefully.
  • Handle conflict document state: If two users have saved conflicting versions of a Pick-a-Pic document, display an interface for conflict resolution.
  • Improve state restoration: Define more NSUserActivity objects so that app state can be restored in greater detail.
  • Reduce cache memory footprint: Move cached data from RAM to disk by using URLCache instead of NSCache when possible.

v1.2 Features for power users

Our goal is to add features that increase the utility of Pick-a-Pic for professionals. We want Pick-a-Pic to be an app that BCBAs and therapists can design treatment programs around.

  • Bulk actions: Enable multiple pictures to be tagged or deleted at one time.
  • Bulk import: Allow multiple photos or files to be imported.
  • Tag on import: Allow tags to be selected that will be applied to all pictures as they are imported.
  • Duplicate book: Allow books to be copied, including to other Pick-a-Pic files.
  • Duplicate page or book: Allow pages to be copied, including to other books.
  • Import export book: Allow books to be exported and then imported into other Pick-a-Pic documents.
  • Import / export photo library: Allow the photo library to be exported and then imported into other Pick-a-Pic documents.

v1.3 iPadOS integrations and conventions

We want to continue adding the small details that make an app feel truly iPad-like.

  • Live document thumbnail: Implement QLThumbnailProvider to make Pick-a-Pic document file thumbnails display the cover of one of their books.
  • Keyboard shortcuts: Create keyboard shortcuts for common app actions, such as importing, renaming, deleting, or even scrolling through pages.
  • Add app to share sheets: Implement SLComposeServiceViewController to allow images to be imported as pictures through the system share sheet.
  • Rename document while in app: Allow the currently opened document to be renamed without exiting to the file picker.