Hi, I'm Alfonso, a special education teacher and the creator of ComunicaTEA.

I am a psychopedagogue and teacher in Early Childhood and Special Education, with a specialisation in Early Intervention. My work has always been hands-on support for people with neurodevelopmental conditions and disabilities, and it has taken me through five settings: early intervention classrooms, special education classrooms, occupational centres, day centres and educational psychology practices. In each of them I have supported people at very different points in their lives, from early childhood through to adulthood.

In practice that means designing individual support plans built on the quality-of-life model, training daily living skills, supporting emotional regulation through positive behaviour support, and coordinating every day with the multidisciplinary team and with families. I have also worked on the personal care side — hygiene, feeding, support with swallowing and mobility — which is where you really come to understand what a person with profound and multiple disabilities needs in order to communicate. I am currently studying for a degree in Psychology.

ComunicaTEA did not come from an idea, it came from a pattern. In every one of those settings — with very different ages, diagnoses and budgets — I ran into the same problem again and again.

The digital AAC tools that existed were expensive, complicated to set up, or assumed a level of technical and motor skill that did not match the reality of the classroom. And where the budget did not stretch, which was almost always, people carried on working with laminated paper pictograms: they get lost, they do not speak, and they do not travel with the person once they leave the building.

I wanted to build the tool I would have liked to have in front of me in those centres. Designed for the person using it first: working offline, with clear pictograms, a natural voice and prediction that learns from daily use. AAC works best with professional support and ComunicaTEA replaces nobody; it just tries to stop a lack of resources being the reason someone is left without a voice.

My interest in autism and neurodevelopmental conditions goes beyond ComunicaTEA. I am the author of "Descubriendo Superpoderes", a practical guide about ADHD published on Amazon, with a very clear approach: understanding ADHD from a strengths-based perspective, not a deficit one, and giving families real tools to support their children.

I have also published "ComunicaTEA Agenda Escolar", a communication diary between school and family. With 36 weeks and designed for students with autism and intellectual disability, it makes the daily handover easy —how the day went, reminders, routines and small wins— so information flows between professionals and families every day.

Book Descubriendo Superpoderes Practical guide for families of children with ADHD View on Amazon →

Planner ComunicaTEA Agenda Escolar Home–school communication diary · Autism & intellectual disability · 36 weeks View on Amazon →