Dubai Mom Creates Fabulaa App to Help Those Who Experience Conversational Breakdowns

When Anila Gonsalves’ older son was diagnosed with autism at the age of two, she didn’t live in denial. “He lacked natural speech and the ability to express his feelings, making understanding between each other and communication very difficult. Learning also did not come easily to him and this led to many a sleepless nights,” says Anila.

She wanted to make things better for her son, since acceptance was the key. “When I first heard about the diagnosis, it was intimidating and I didn’t have all the answers. I remember the fear, the confusion and the helplessness. But we had to be determined if we needed results. Through multiple therapy sessions and meetings with specialists, I realized that my son like many others was more receptive to learning and communicating with visual cues,” she adds.

And this is how Fabulaa began to take shape. Fabulaa is a digital assistive tool designed to simplify the life of those individuals who struggle with simple daily conversations.

Conversational breakdowns are common among people who are but not limited to hard of hearing, battling autism, or suffering from speech delays.

“While researching and working on multiple therapies and tools, I realised that every parent wants to do what’s best for their children. But many of us are limited by high treatment costs and lack of accessibility. Technology plays a key part in treatment and learning and is a great enabler for People of Determination (POD),” explains Anila.

With Fabulaa, she wants to make tech accessible to all. This is why Fabulaa is free to download app (iOS and Android), giving everyone a chance to try it out. “We want to provide users, parents, and caregivers a simple adaptive way to reach out to their loved ones who struggle to communicate. We encourage you to download Fabulaa and see how it can work for you,” says Anila.

According to Anila, in the last couple of years we have had many a well-wisher who has extended help in different ways.

“Fabulaa is one of my ways to pay it forward. I know what it means and the emotions one goes through because I’ve been there. We hope that with Fabulaa, the bond and togetherness with your loved one grow stronger,” she concludes.

Currently, Fabulaa is available in English and four other languages. Plans are currently underway to develop an Arabic version in the next 6 months.