TouchChat®
Product by PRC-Saltillo
Facts checked: Not yet checked
Our take (not a Learning Standard rating). This label applies to learning-science judgments throughout this overview.
Our take (not a Learning Standard rating)
TouchChat is primarily an assistive communication tool rather than a direct instruction app, but it effectively teaches language and vocabulary through aided language modeling and consistent motor planning. By providing robust, customizable vocabulary sets like WordPower, it allows your child to develop functional communication and sentence-building skills.
Pros
- Utilizes consistent button placement to leverage motor planning, reducing the cognitive load required to find words.
- Incorporates research-based WordPower vocabularies that prioritize high-frequency core words over fringe nouns.
- Allows extensive customization of grid sizes and visual supports to match a user's specific cognitive and physical access needs.
- Supports aided language stimulation by providing a platform for communication partners to model language in real-time.
Cons
- Lacks built-in, structured instructional lessons or explicit teaching modules for language acquisition.
- Requires significant setup, customization, and ongoing programming by an adult or speech-language pathologist to remain effective.
- Offers no built-in data tracking or automated feedback to evaluate a child's independent language progression over time.
What Do We Know About TouchChat® ?
TouchChat is highly effective as a communication bridge, but it requires a dedicated adult partner to model language for it to function as a teaching tool. Because this app has not yet been formally evaluated by The Learning Standard, our analysis relies on its alignment with established practices in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). TouchChat is not a game or an interactive curriculum. It is a robust, dynamic display AAC application designed to give individuals with complex communication needs a voice. For your child to actually learn language through TouchChat, you or a speech-language pathologist must actively use the app alongside them: a practice known as aided language stimulation. The app excels at vocabulary organization. It offers WordPower, a research-based vocabulary structure that emphasizes core words (high-frequency words like 'go', 'want', and 'help') rather than just lists of nouns. This allows your child to combine words and build novel sentences rather than relying on pre-programmed phrases. However, you will need to invest considerable time in customizing the interface, hiding and revealing buttons as your child's skills grow, and ensuring the grid size matches their physical and visual capabilities.
How Does TouchChat® Work?
TouchChat uses a core vocabulary approach combined with motor planning principles to facilitate language expression. The app functions as a digital communication board where users press buttons containing symbols, text, or both to generate spoken words via synthesized voice output. When you first open the app, you select a vocabulary profile, such as WordPower, which organizes words based on frequency of use and syntactic categories. The grid layout keeps high-frequency core words in consistent locations across different screens. This design leverages motor planning; just as a typist learns the position of keys without looking, a TouchChat user learns the physical location of words, which dramatically speeds up communication. As users select words, the app places them in a message window at the top of the screen. Tapping this window reads the entire constructed sentence aloud. The app relies heavily on adults customizing the grid size, from a few large buttons to over a hundred smaller ones, to appropriately challenge the user without causing frustration.
Strengths and tradeoffs of TouchChat®
TouchChat's biggest strength is its integration of the research-backed WordPower vocabulary, while its biggest weakness is the absence of any built-in instructional scaffolding for the user. Strengths: The app excels in its application of motor planning. By keeping core vocabulary buttons in static locations, users can develop automaticity in their communication, reducing the cognitive load required to search for words on a screen. Additionally, the inclusion of WordPower ensures that the vocabulary provided is functionally robust. Instead of merely teaching a child to request items (fringe vocabulary), it provides the foundational verbs, pronouns, and prepositions necessary for genuine syntax development. The high degree of personalization also allows educators and parents to tailor the visual and physical access points precisely to the learner's needs. Weaknesses: TouchChat functions strictly as a tool, meaning it lacks explicit instruction or feedback loops. If a user strings together a grammatically incorrect sentence, the app simply reads it aloud without any prompting for correction. Furthermore, it relies entirely on the environmental support of parents and therapists to introduce new vocabulary; there are no spaced repetition algorithms or practice modules to actively test or reinforce a child's understanding of new words.
Who Might Benefit From TouchChat® ?
TouchChat is best for individuals with complex communication needs who require a robust, customizable augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system. This includes children and adults diagnosed with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, apraxia, or other conditions affecting natural speech. It is ideal for learners whose parents, educators, and speech-language pathologists are prepared to collaboratively program the device and model language in the child's natural environment. It is not suitable for users seeking automated language lessons, reading instruction, or independent, gamified learning.
Data Transparency
Does Not Meet Data Transparency Standard
TouchChat® reaches Level 1 of 3 (Basic protections), below our data transparency standard. Reaching Level 2 needs the policy to document a data retention timeline and self-service deletion.
16 of 35 checks passed
Evaluated September 2026
PRC-Saltillo →Level 1 · Basic protections
Does not sell data or target ads at students, limits sharing, and lets parents see and delete their child's data.
Level 2 · Parent control (meets the standard)
Families can get their data out, know who processes it, and know how long it is kept.
Not documented: a data retention timeline, self-service deletion
Level 3 · Direct data access
Families or schools can pull their own data through an API, in a stated format.
Not documented: an API for retrieving their own data, a named export format
View all 35 checks
Parent Access5/8
Does the policy mention parents specifically?
“Parents or students who wish to access student personal information or delete student personal information should direct their request to their EA.”
Can parents view their child's data?
“Parents or students who wish to access student personal information or delete student personal information should direct their request to their EA.”
Can parents modify their child's data?
The policy lets schools request changes to student information, but it doesn't give parents a right to change their child's data.
Can parents delete their child's account?
“To request deletion of your personal information or that of your minor child.”
Is there a dedicated Children's Privacy section?
The policy has a "Schools and Student Personal Information" section but no section headed as children's privacy or COPPA.
Does it reference COPPA compliance?
“PRC-Saltillo complies with applicable laws and regulations such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) at 20 U.S.C. § 1232g (34 CFR Part 99); the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) at 15 U.S.C. § 6501-6506 (16 CFR Part 312), and other applicable state privacy laws and regulations.”
Does it reference FERPA compliance?
“If a school (Educational Agency) uses our Products or Services with students, we act as a school official under FERPA. We follow FERPA, COPPA, and state laws.”
Is parental consent required for child accounts?
The policy doesn't say parental consent is required for child accounts.
Data Portability3/5
Can users access their personal data?
“To access any of your personal information that we process.”
Can users download/export their data?
“Right to Confirm and Access. You have the right to know whether we have your personal information and to access that personal information in a useful and portable format.”
Is there a self-service data access tool?
“If you have an account with us, you can review, update, and change your personal information in your account settings whenever you want.”
Is a specific data format mentioned for export?
The policy only says "structured, commonly used, machine-readable format" and names no specific file format.
Is there an API for data access?
The policy doesn't describe an API that users or schools can use to get their own data.
Data Minimization1/6
Is data collection itemized?
“Identity Data, including first name, last name, username or similar identifier, professional title and license information, and date of birth.”
Can the app be used without a real name?
The policy says it collects names, including full name at account registration.
Can the app be used without an email?
The policy says it collects email addresses as contact and account information.
Does it state collection is limited to what is necessary?
The policy limits only medical data collection to what is required and has no general limit on collection.
Is IP address anonymized or truncated?
The policy says it collects IP addresses and doesn't mention anonymizing or truncating them.
Is location tracking explicitly excluded?
The policy says it collects location in technical data and offers location-based customizations.
Third-Party Protection5/7
Does it explicitly state no selling of data?
“Right to Opt Out of the Sale of Personal Information and Targeted Advertising. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral or targeted advertising purposes.”
Are third-party providers named?
“PRC-Saltillo Apps may use Apple Intelligence features provided by Apple Inc. to enhance user experience, including predictive text, personalized suggestions, and accessibility improvements.”
Are providers contractually restricted?
“When reasonably necessary to perform the services we engage the vendors for, we will permit these vendors to use your personal information only for the specific purpose for which they are engaged.”
No-targeted-advertising commitment?
The policy says it uses personal information for targeted advertising of its own products and doesn't explicitly rule out ad targeting with student data.
Is AI/ML data sharing addressed?
“No data is collected by PRC-Saltillo from your use of the Apple Intelligence features in our Apps.”
Child-specific sharing restriction?
“PRC-Saltillo does not disclose any student information or school materials to vendors or business partners and does not use student personal information for commercial purposes.”
Cookies/tracking limited or opt-out?
The policy refers readers to a separate Cookie Policy and describes no cookie or tracking opt-out.
Deletion & Retention1/5
Can users delete their account?
“To request deletion of your personal information or that of your minor child.”
Self-service deletion mechanism?
Deletion is by request to privacy@prc-saltillo.com, and the policy describes no self-service deletion.
Specific data retention timeline?
The policy says data is kept only as long as necessary and gives no specific retention period.
Auto-deletion of inactive accounts?
The policy doesn't mention automatically deleting inactive accounts.
Post-deletion handling described?
The policy doesn't describe what happens to data after a deletion request, beyond saying biometric data is disposed of permanently.
Advertising1/4
Advertising model explicitly disclosed?
“market and advertise our Products and Services, including to send you news, updates, special offers and promotions, and targeted advertising;”
Free from third-party advertisements?
The policy doesn't say whether the product shows third-party ads.
Children excluded from ad targeting?
The policy says student data isn't used for commercial purposes but doesn't explicitly exclude children from ad targeting.
Ad-free option available?
The policy doesn't mention an ad-free option or say the product has no ads.
What This Means
The policy review did not meet our data transparency standard. The checks above show the documented findings and unknowns. A missing statement does not establish how the app handles data in practice.
About this evaluation: Based on automated analysis of PRC-Saltillo against 35 policy-disclosure questions, including questions adapted from the Common Sense Privacy Program's published evaluation questions. TLS is not affiliated with Common Sense Media, and this is not a Common Sense rating. Quoted text is copied from the policy; unquoted notes are our summary. Results describe what the policy documents, not the company's actual practices. Privacy policies can change: this review reflects the version we analyzed and does not determine legal compliance.
Sources and review method
TLS combines product information and editorial analysis to explain how TouchChat® works, its tradeoffs, and the questions to ask before choosing it. Product features, an instructional rationale and evidence of learning outcomes are different kinds of information.
Formal Learning Standard assessment: not yet completed. Data Transparency findings are reported separately and do not establish learning effectiveness. Read our methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions About TouchChat®
Is TouchChat free?
No. TouchChat is a premium medical-grade communication application with a high upfront cost, often purchased through institutional licenses, grants, or insurance rather than out-of-pocket. Visit the developer's website or the iOS App Store for current pricing tiers and add-on costs.
Is TouchChat good for early childhood education?
Yes, but only with heavy adult facilitation. It is highly effective for early language acquisition when parents and therapists use it to model core vocabulary, but it does not independently teach early childhood concepts like letters or numbers.
What does TouchChat teach?
TouchChat teaches functional communication, vocabulary acquisition, and syntax. By using the app's structured grids, users learn how to locate core words, combine them into phrases, and navigate digital folders to express their wants, needs, and thoughts.
How does TouchChat compare to Proloquo2Go?
Both are top-tier AAC apps, but they use different underlying vocabulary organizations. TouchChat is widely preferred for its exclusive access to WordPower, which strongly emphasizes syntax and verb usage, while Proloquo2Go is often praised for its slightly more intuitive initial setup and folder-based navigation.
Has The Learning Standard evaluated TouchChat®?
TLS has not yet completed a Learning Standard evaluation of how well TouchChat® teaches. Its privacy policy has been reviewed for Data Transparency and reaches Level 1, Basic protections.
Is TouchChat® COPPA compliant?
The reviewed privacy policy references COPPA. A policy reference alone does not establish COPPA compliance. Policy review note: The policy says it complies with COPPA.
Is TouchChat® FERPA compliant?
The reviewed privacy policy references FERPA. A policy reference alone does not establish FERPA compliance. Policy review note: The policy says it complies with FERPA.
Does TouchChat® have a children's privacy policy?
No dedicated children's privacy section was found in the reviewed policy. Policy review note: The policy has a "Schools and Student Personal Information" section but no section headed as children's privacy or COPPA.
Does TouchChat® sell student data?
The reviewed policy states that the app does not sell data. This is a policy statement; actual data practices were not verified. Policy review note: The policy says the company does not sell personal information.
Can you delete your data from TouchChat® ?
The reviewed privacy policy describes account deletion. We have not tested the deletion process. Policy review note: Users can ask to have their personal information deleted.
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- Pricing
- Visit touchchatapp.com or the app store for cost information.
- Platforms
- iOS (Apple mobile), iPadOS (Apple tablet)
- Website
- Visit site