When speech is hard, tap instead.

Sotto is a dignified, low-stimulus AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) app built for autism, speech delays, sensory overload, and crisis meltdowns.

Built by a father in Singapore for his two autistic sons (22 & 15) who can speak but not always. During sensory overload or a meltdown, operating a phone is too hard. So the caregiver operates Sotto on their phone, flips the screen, and the communicator taps Yes, No, or Wait to pinpoint the problem — issue resolved with zero friction.

We use Sotto in two distinct AAC modes:

MODE 1 — DAILY INDEPENDENT AAC (He holds his phone):
For complex information, noisy places, school, or communicating with new people. The user opens Sotto independently and taps visual cards — Needs, Social, Care, General — or types in the Quick-Speak Bar. One-tap speech with offline text-to-speech (TTS), or long-press for a giant fullscreen card readable across a room without speaking.

MODE 2 — CRISIS & MELTDOWN PARTNER MODE (Caregiver holds their phone):
This is what stops meltdowns at home and in public. You open Sotto on YOUR phone, enter Partner Mode, and flip the screen 180° face-to-face. Your autistic loved one sees giant tactile buttons and taps Yes, No, Wait, or Repeat. No complex branching menus, no confusing symbol trees to navigate. That simple tap IS their voice when speech shuts down.

Why Sotto works for Autism & AAC:
• Direct Yes/No Pinpoint Cards: Huge 80dp+ tactile buttons with haptic feedback designed for shaky or overwhelmed hands
• Two-Way Caregiver Partner Mode: Talk HUD with voice dictation, question bank, read-aloud prompts, and 180° flip display
• High-Contrast Safety Bystander Card: Instant amber hero card for nonverbal episodes, emergencies, and medical needs
• Floating PiP Communicator: System overlay with Yes/No/Wait buttons over YouTube, maps, or games without switching apps
• Sotto Partner Quick Settings Tile: Sub-3-second direct crisis launch straight from the Android notification shade
• Single-Row Quick-Speak Dock: Spontaneous text-to-speech, fullscreen presentation, and one-tap phrase saving
• Low-Stimulus Sensory Design: Dark-neutral Material 3 themes, sensory color palettes, compact card options, zero cartoon clutter
• Dual-Language Offline AAC: Display English and speak Indonesian, Malay, or other languages via offline Google ML Kit
• Private Pattern Logger: After resolution, optionally log Pain, Sensory/Noise, Task, or Emotion triggers locally to identify 30-day patterns
• Offline QR Deck Sharing: Share custom AAC phrase decks instantly between Android and iOS via encrypted QR codes — zero cloud required
• Flexible Backup v2: Easily export and import custom phrases, Why trees, and trigger logs

Who Sotto is built for:
• Autistic individuals, neurodivergent communicators, and those experiencing sensory overload or autistic burnout
• Nonspeaking, minimally verbal, or situational nonverbal teens and adults
• Children and individuals with speech delay, apraxia of speech, dysarthria, or aphasia
• Caregivers, parents, special education teachers, and Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) looking for a rapid, low-stimulus communication tool

100% offline core. Zero accounts, zero ads, zero trackers. Completely private. Optional anonymous interaction metrics opt-in (strictly zero phrase text or speech ever collected). Open source.

Sotto is an assistive communication tool and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

github.com/triton1502oc/Sotto | iOS version available