Sono Flex for iOS

Tobii Dynavox Sono Flex is an easy to use AAC vocabulary app that turns symbols into clear speech and provides language to those who are nonverbal and not yet in full control of literacy.

Available for many different devices

Combine the benefits of structure and flexibility in a framework for language development that quickly matches your individual and situational communication needs.

Tobii Dynavox Sono Flex is available on the iPhone, iPad, PC and dedicated speech devices via Tobii Dynavox Communicator. It was developed to be easy to operate and easy for SLPs, teachers, parents, caregivers or other communication partners to set up and customize.  

Unique in many ways

Purposely designed to quickly and easily help AAC users develop their communication and interaction skills, Sono Flex provides a clear path to growth in a way that makes vocabulary unique.

Some of the highlights of the vocabulary include:

• Combined core and topic-based vocabulary in a unique and dynamic way
• Over 50 pre-made context vocabularies for an easy and highly motivating start
• More than 11,000 SymbolStix® symbols
• Use of the iPhone or iPad camera and photo albums to create your own symbols
• 5 high quality Acapela voices; one boy, one girl, two women and one male voice
• A solid structure to build up a large common vocabulary and versatile communication
• Excellent flexibility in tailoring the vocabulary to individual and situational needs;
• Development within Sono Flex, into other Sono Suite products or even other hardware platforms
• Compatible with iPhone, iPod, iPad, regular PCs and dedicated speech devices running Tobii Dynavox Communicator.

App available for free trial

The Sono Flex app comes in a full version and a slightly limited, but fully functional trial version. Please download the trial version here. If you'd rather buy the full version you can get it here.

Download product leaflet

Structure is essential when it comes to quickly finding, using, and adding words and phrases. As individual vocabulary develops over time, a structure must be in place that restricts chaotic growth, but that also avoids too many constraints or even dead ends.

Separation of core and fringe vocabulary

When we communicate there are a few words and phrases that we use very often, such as “I want” or “to have”. These belong to the so-called Core Vocabulary. There are also words that are specific to different situations and topics, such as “Train ticket”. These belong to the Fringe Vocabulary.

In Sono Flex the core vocabulary is kept separate from the fringe vocabulary, making it much easier to find and use relevant words, and in doing so, allows for more communication.

50 topic-based contexts

Topic-based contexts are words and phrases that have been grouped together based on particular situations. When you are at the playground, simply make the “playground” context available to get access to words and phrases such as swing, park and it’s my turn. The “Bedtime” context includes words like brush teeth, stay and teddy bear.

The topic-based contexts make it simpler for users to engage in communication, and even inspires them to start up conversations themselves.

800 words for daily communication

Sono Flex comes with more than 800 words and phrases that are used in daily conversation. These words are readily accessible, which gives more control over the conversation, allowing independent conversation and less support from SLPs, teachers or caregivers.

Color coded words - easier to find and use

The use of the Fitzgerald Key lets you categorize nouns, people, places, social vocabulary etc. by colors. This makes it easy to add, find and use words in the main vocabulary in a structured way.  For example, people and pronouns are yellow and nouns are orange.

Sono Flex is not just another fancy app – it is a tool, a language system for developing communication skills. On this page you will learn about the idea behind Tobii Dynavox Sono Flex, as well as the research that has gone into it.

Meet conflicting needs

For many AAC users, particularly emerging communicators with limited cognitive abilities, a variety of specific needs must be accommodated when creating a language system including:

• Immediate motivational quick wins through successful communication, without steep learning curves. It must also provide a long-term scaffolding system to guide growth in language development.
• Easy personalization according to the unique needs of a single user, but also with enough pre-made material to reduce the need for configuring vocabulary.
• Simple operation and the ability to add new words easily and efficiently. At the same time it should provide enough content for a user to explore and grow into.

In short, the ideal language system should be simple, yet still offer a perfect level of sophistication. It must be optimized for the communication needs of today, as well as for future language development.

Total language support

At Tobii Dynavox we believe that these goals can only be met by a tool that supports a variety of language components, an idea supported by research and experience from the field. These components include:

• Highly interactive phrases for quick interactions, both for specific situations and generic conversation.
• Core vocabulary words that allow for individual sentence building and the use of new, and sometimes unexpected, words and phrases.
• Situation specific words and phrases for frequently recurring situations that are sorted by the context where they are used (“schematic” categories).
• General words that are available independently from specific situations in a taxonomical categorization system (a system that is sorted according to word classes like nouns, verbs, descriptive etc.).
• Access to alphabet boards even when users are pre-literate.

The combination of these language components will result in a highly individual vocabulary that is likely to evolve over time. This means that at Tobii Dynavox, we need to provide tools organized in such a way that they allow for smooth transitions to new levels and a constant path to learning.

Relevant premade content

To help caregivers and communication partners personalize content and help users develop their language and communication skills, Tobii Dynavox Sono Flex allows for:

• Mixing phrase-based and word-based communication
• Combining situations or topics with vocabulary categorized by grammar
• Minimizing programming to help caregivers easily generate a user interface that balances the mix of developmental abilities and conversational needs.

Tobii Dynavox Sono Flex provides a structure that is easy to learn, the flexibility to customize vocabulary and a growth path for communication. It is a unique tool for acquiring and developing language and communication skills.

With Tobii Dynavox Sono Flex, you get a comprehensive tool that helps develop interaction and communication skills.

Evolve in many ways

Unlike many other Apps, Sono Flex is not a single, isolated app. Instead, it is part of Tobii Dynavox’s complete range of AAC solutions, from handheld devices to dedicated speech devices and standard PCs. It helps you develop communication and interaction skills, by providing the possibility to grow within, between and beyond Sono Flex.

Grow within Sono Flex

Begin by presenting custom topic boards and, as progress is made,, introduce Fitzgerald Key categories and core vocabulary items. This step-wise, scaffolding process helps the user become familiar and comfortable before moving on to more sophisticated communication.

Grow within the Sono Suite

For some, Sono Flex is the natural next step after Sono Primo. For others, Sono Flex will be the first product before moving to other Tobii Dynavox content products such as Sono Lexis or LiterAACy, which provide even more words and categorization structures.

Move on to other communication devices

Sono Flex is available for the iPhone, iPad, PCs and dedicated speech devices running Tobii Dynavox Communicator, such as the I-13 or I-16 devices. This means that it is an easy switch to other devices and still use Sono Flex, without having to familiarize with the application again.

Communication skills and interests are individual. Therefore, the more a vocabulary can be tuned to your needs, the easier it is to learn. This individualization has been made easy, respecting the limited time of assistants, therapists and teachers.

Tobii Dynavox Sono Flex offers a high level of flexibility to ensure the best match between your communication needs and the setup of the vocabulary.

50 topic boards engages and saves time

Tobii Dynavox Sono Flex comes with 50 different topic boards that make it easier to talk about things like going to the doctor, music, video games and much more. There are contexts that cover typical pre-school situations, teenage activities as well as topics relevant to older users. Sono Flex even comes with seasonal contexts and topic boards for social games and telling jokes.

With so many contexts available and ready to use SLPs, teachers, caregivers or any other communication partners do not need to spend hours preparing the vocabulary in order for it to be useful for conversations.

Display relevant words and phrases

Prepare topic boards in advance and activate when needed through custom placeholders. This means that a context can be made readily available on one of the four placeholders. On the weekend, contexts such as “breakfast”, “housekeeping” and “outdoor” can be displayed in the placeholders and in doing so, gives you access to words and phrases that are likely to be used during the day.

Edit or create your own topic boards

Easily edit the 50 topic boards that come with Sono Flex by simply using one of the more than 11,000 SymbolStix® symbols that are included (in the full version), adding photos from your image library or snapping an image with the camera.

You can also easily create your own topic boards, using the templates that come with Sono Flex.

Smart linking between core and topic based vocabulary

Smart linking between core and topic vocabularies enables quick and meaningful communication, without complex navigation tasks.