Parla gives kids a voice.
Parents get proof.
Parla is a free AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) app designed for non-speaking and minimally verbal children. It runs in any phone browser, uses a fixed motor-planned word board, animated mouth modeling, and games — then turns every tap, note and therapy session into a shared progress dashboard for parents, SLPs, OTs, teachers and pediatricians.
- 6×5
- fixed core grid
- 1
- shared record
- 90-day
- reports in a tap
Fixed grid, color-coded by word type. Tiles never move.
Tap a tab — these are the real screens.
Parla is a free AAC and progress platform for children who are non-speaking or minimally verbal.
Children tap picture-backed words on a fixed, color-coded board to communicate. Parents, speech therapists, occupational therapists, teachers and pediatricians can then view the same shared progress record, write session notes, set goals, and export IEP-ready reports — all from one account.
The child sees a board. The grown-ups see everything else.
Nothing clinical ever interrupts a child mid-sentence. The adult side lives behind a 4-digit PIN on the same device.
- Core board
Fixed 6-column grid, color-coded by word type, big tap targets.
- Alphabet wall
All 26 letters on one screen — tap the word to speak it.
- Visual board
Real photos of the pool, the dog, the bath — their world.
- Four games
Puzzle words, Find it, Match, Peekaboo — using this week's words.
- Mouth modeling
The lips take over the screen and shape the sound.
- Talk, don't type
Say what happened. Parla files it as tagged, dated evidence.
- Progress ladders
Plain-language stages, moved only when we've seen it enough.
- Working on
This week's words and goals — shared with everyone on the team.
- Reports & exports
Pediatrician, SLP re-eval, insurance, IEP present-levels.
- Private notes
Tick a box and a note stays yours alone.
Everything the expensive apps charge for. Plus the part they skip.
A progress engine, not a diary
Every note, tap and game is scored against communication ladders — how they get the message across, why they're saying it, how much prompting it took, and where it generalizes. Nothing moves up on a single good day.
Apraxia-aware targets
Next words are chosen by motor similarity to sounds they already own — with a silent mouth model to practise the shape.
Focus words that follow them
One target word rotates through the board, the games and the spelling wall, then Parla asks how it went.
Clinician-grade notes
Domain templates, a 120-goal bank, measurable criteria and session data that pre-fills from the board.
A voice off the device
Printed QR passes on a pillow, backpack tag or card let trusted people open their board instantly — no app, no account.
Never a black box
Every suggestion carries a “Why this?” panel. If it comes from published research we cite the paper; if it's our own rule, we say so plainly.
Built for real families
Works offline-friendly in the browser, installs to the home screen, safe-area aware, one-handed on a phone, and free with no locked tiles or per-voice purchases.
Five steps that run themselves.
You never do data entry. The record builds itself out of the things you were already doing.
- 01They tap
Every message, folder trip and correction is logged silently in the background.
- 02You talk
Thirty seconds of plain speech at bedtime. No forms, no clinical vocabulary.
- 03Parla asks
One short question at a time, only where the picture is thin.
- 04The team writes back
Therapists add session notes and goals into the same record you're reading.
- 05You export
A dated, sourced summary shaped for whoever is in the room.
You always know the one next step.
No percentile charts nobody can read. Parla shows where your child is on each ladder, what the very next rung looks like, how many more sightings it needs before it counts — and exactly what to try this week to get there.
- Steps written the way you'd say them out loud
- A confidence meter for how complete the picture is
- Backwards moves recorded honestly, never hidden
- One shared goal list — parents and clinicians edit the same record
Model “more + snack” twice a day at the table. Two more sightings and this rung is his.
“Mason initiates requests using a fixed 6×5 symbol grid across home and clinic settings, selecting independently in 72% of recorded opportunities (n=118, 12 weeks)…”
Walk into the meeting with the paperwork already done.
Pick who it's for. Parla tells you if anything is missing, asks for it, then writes the summary from the real record — dated, sourced and shareable straight off your phone.
Sleep, gut and regulation alongside communication — correlation, never causation.
Modality, function, prompting level and generalization with dated evidence.
PLAAFP-style narrative written from device-logged numbers.
Medical-necessity framing with session counts and measurable criteria.
Everyone who works with your child, finally looking at the same page.
Non-speaking kids lose the most in the gaps — between home and school, between the SLP and the OT, between the last appointment and the next one. Parla is the one place all of it lands. Invite a co-parent, a speech therapist, an OT, a classroom teacher or a behavior tech, each with permissions that match their role, and every tile tap, session note and journal entry builds the same timeline.
- Role-based invites: co-parent, SLP, OT, teacher, aide — revoke anytime.
- Providers write session notes; parents see them in plain language.
- A progression ledger shows what moved forward, what slid back, and when.
- One tap produces the report for an IEP meeting, an SLP re-eval, or a pediatric visit.
Talk to Pip about the day. Snap photo tiles. See what's actually moving.
Push board layouts home, set goals, and write session notes against real usage.
Same board, same button positions in class — plus classroom notes the family can read.
A dated 30/60/90-day summary at the visit instead of “he seems to be doing better.”
Home logs + classroom notes + therapy sessions come out as a single dated summary — IEP present-levels for school, goal evidence for the SLP, and a developmental snapshot for the pediatrician.
Hand someone a code, not a tutorial.
Generate a scannable pass — single use for a one-off visit, or reusable for printing. Whoever scans it gets the board and nothing else: no dashboard, no notes, no account. Print it on a pillow for the babysitter, a backpack tag for school staff, or wallet cards for the people who see them most.
Scan to talk with Mason
For SLPs, OTs and private practice
A caseload view, domain session-note templates, a 120-goal bank with measurable criteria, trial-by-trial data, and export packs. Your client's home board feeds it automatically.
See the practice suiteFor schools and districts
Roster your students, give teachers and aides the right level of access, and produce IEP-ready present levels without a single extra device to fund.
Talk to usWe'll never tell you “research shows” and leave it there.
Every recommendation in Parla is labeled. If it comes from published work, the paper is named and linked. If it's a rule we chose ourselves — how many sightings before a rung counts, how often to rotate a focus word — we say that in the same breath.
Linked to the source paper
Named as our own judgment
You can always disagree and log it
Same clinical backbone. None of the price tag.
The things parents ask first.
Is Parla really free?+
Yes. No trial, no ads, no locked tiles and no per-voice purchases.
Will using AAC stop my child from talking?+
Research reviews found no evidence that AAC suppresses speech — most participants gained speech.
Do I have to install anything?+
No. Parla runs in any modern phone, tablet or desktop browser, and installs to the home screen if you want it there.
Will the buttons move around?+
No. The core grid is spatially fixed for motor planning, and edits sit behind a parent PIN.
Can our therapist and school use it too?+
Yes. Invite a co-parent, SLP, OT, teacher or aide with role-based permissions — everyone works from the same board and record.
Who can see my notes?+
You choose per note. Tick “just me” and it stays private to you, even from the rest of the care team.
We're here for your family.
Questions about setup, schools, or clinical features? Send us a note and we'll get back fast.
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