Universally compatible with
all Apple devices
Speech with Milo: Interactive Storybook
Wow - Speech with Milo: Interactive Storybook is a beautifully illustrated and nicely colored storybook for your iPad (or other iDevice)! It features flexibility that I haven't seen before in a storybook app and that's valuable stuff for autistic kids. For one thing, you can either listen to the sweet voice of the pre-recorded narrator OR record your own story. But that's just the beginning.
I've experienced other storybooks that let you record your own voice, but Speech with Milo: Interactive Storybook offers more. You can toggle on/off the background sounds, the interactivity, the narrator, and the text. It's great that you can turn everything off and completely tailor the story to whatever you want, within the context of the supplied artwork.
Throughout the virtual pages Milo experiences an array of emotions including happiness, sorrow, despair, anxiety, surprise/fear, and more. Kids with autism need to be exposed to this. Text on each page is kept to a minimum. But there are many pages here to enjoy and interact with.
And there are indeed lots of interactive items to touch on each page. Some come alive with animation, some with just sound. It makes for a good balance of keeping your interest but not overwhelming you. Like all Milo apps this one features built-in instructions too, and that's always appreciated!
Like many storybook apps you can bookmark a page so that when you exit, and go back into it later, touching "Go" will take you right back to where you left off. You swipe to turn pages, forward or back. This is nice, and standard use of, the multi-touch interface.
Speaking of the multi-touch interface, the "Home" button displays in the upper left corner on every page of the storybook. In my opinion it would be great if that button were absent, and instead, touching and holding on the screen with two fingers, took you "Home".
Under iOS 5, when the iPad sleeps, the screen goes blank but the background sounds of the storybook continue. The sounds should stop when the sleeping begins so as to preserve battery life.
But the biggest issue with Speech with Milo: Interactive Storybook is this; There's nothing in settings that allows you to hide the record button which is displayed on each page. This means that your child can easily record over any narration that you recorded earlier.
On several of the pages the text of the story is poorly positioned, with the "Home" button awkwardly resting right on top of the words.
Some kids will become fixated on the background sounds or the interactivity within the pages. So having the ability to turn these features off was great thinking on the part of Doonan Speech Therapy, the developer.
I also love the definitive final page that features the words "The End." But it would be nice if touching those words caused them to be spoken.
Despite it's one major shortcoming, Speech with Milo: Interactive Storybook is a solid and beautiful app. And Milo is his usual adorable self.
