Cover Mylo Speech Buddy combines parent experience and expert guidance, helping children with autism or speech delays communicate and connect better (Photo: Getty Images)
Mylo Speech Buddy combines parent experience and expert guidance, helping children with autism or speech delays communicate and connect better (Photo: Getty Images)
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What began as a father’s search for his son’s voice is now a global movement of inclusive, empathetic health-tech, giving children with autism the gift of speech
It began with a frustration that most parents of young children know too well—the ache of wanting to help but not quite knowing how.
At his modest home in Manila, Vincent John Rocha leaned over his laptop, searching late into the night for tools that might help his young son, Noah, find his words. The air was still, save for the hum of an electric fan in the room where Noah was playing. The stakes felt impossibly high. Every milestone mattered. Every small word was a breakthrough.
But the more Rocha searched, the more he realised how fragmented and inaccessible speech therapy tools were, especially for families like his in the Philippines. There were apps, yes, but most were designed for Western contexts, expensive or required a level of expertise that felt alienating. Therapy sessions, meanwhile, were often costly and difficult to book. For many parents, the gap between what their children needed and what the system could provide felt like an unbridgeable chasm.
“It wasn’t some ‘aha’ moment,” Rocha recalls. “It was inevitable. Parents like us needed something, and no one else was making it. So I had to.”
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Above When his son struggled to speak, Vincent John Rocha created Mylo Speech Buddy—a global system helping children with autism find their voice (Photo: Wesley Villarica)
When his son struggled to speak, Vincent John Rocha created Mylo Speech Buddy—a global system helping children with autism find their voice (Photo: Wesley Villarica)
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That late-night realisation was the seed from which Mylo Speech Buddy would sprout—a home-grown speech development system designed to support children with speech delays, particularly those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). What started as a father’s determination to search for solutions at his desk would evolve into a mission to make speech therapy inclusive, accessible and deeply human-centred.
“I wasn’t the tech guy,” he says, laughing. “I wasn’t even a business major. I was a hospitality professional with a few side hustles, trying to provide for my family. But when I saw the gap—kids like mine needing help, parents like me needing tools—I couldn’t ignore it.”
In the early days, he navigated unfamiliar terrain. “When we deep-dived, the challenges were endless,” he says. “No roadmap, no playbook. But each hurdle clarified the problem: families needed inclusive tech that actually works.”
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Credibility was another hurdle. “People asked, ‘Who are you to do this?’ I had no tech or medical background.” But instead of backing down, Rocha surrounded himself with people who did—doctors, therapists, engineers and mentors who helped transform his vision into something tangible. “I listened, I learnt, I built alongside them,” he says. “It wasn’t about pretending to be an expert. It was about building something real.”
His quest to help his child slowly evolved into a mission to help families everywhere. “At first, I just wanted something my son could use,” he says. “Now, it’s about millions of kids globally. From a personal solution to a global mission. Help us reach one million kids by 2026.”
Parents like us needed something, and no one else was making it. So I had to
How it works
Built by parents with firsthand experience raising children with ASD, together with specialists in speech pathology, occupational therapy and special education, Mylo offers more than generic content.
It employs the video modelling method, a research-backed approach endorsed by institutions such as Harvard and the American Psychological Association.
Children are exposed to short video demonstrations of speech and language behaviours (such as correct pronunciation or following simple instructions), which they then mimic. The app is structured to support children across the autism spectrum: expanding vocabulary, aiding comprehension of instructions and improving expressive abilities.
Parents, therapists and educators can use Mylo from home using a tablet or smartphone. The content is interactive, engaging (through storytelling, flashcards, video modelling), personalised and paced to the child’s ability. Progress tracking lets caregivers celebrate small wins. The system does not replace professional therapy but it complements and amplifies it, especially where access is limited.
In short: Mylo is designed to give families agency, allowing them to work alongside therapists or educators, to support speech development from home with tools that are thoughtful, well-researched and adaptive to each child’s journey.
Above Vincent John Rocha, founder of Mylo Speech Buddy, at work in his Manila office, where he built the speech therapy app that would help thousands of families (Photo: Courtesy of Vincent John Rocha)
Vincent John Rocha, founder of Mylo Speech Buddy, at work in his Manila office, where he built the speech therapy app that would help thousands of families (Photo: Courtesy of Vincent John Rocha)
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Unlike many tech founders driven by trends or market forecasts, Rocha’s creative process begins with something far more elemental: listening. “I build by listening—to parents, to therapists, to kids,” he explains. “Then I translate those needs into something usable, simple and scalable. It’s usually the problems that are real that make the best solutions.”
His inspiration is never abstract. It’s embodied in Noah. “My son is the compass,” Rocha says softly. “Every frustration, every small win, every word he says—that’s the real inspiration.”
This grounding in lived experience has become Mylo’s strength. Where other platforms might overwhelm, Mylo focuses on accessibility, practicality and humanity. “Tech should never intimidate; it should empower,” Rocha explains. “We always ask: ‘Will this actually help families, doctors, therapists today?’ If it doesn’t, no matter how fancy, we won’t build it.”
“Health-tech is moving fast, but often leaves people behind,” he adds. “I want to be the bridge: building inclusive tech from the Philippines to the world. Our community is left behind. We need more innovators. I hope we can get supporters.”
Rocha collaborates closely with doctors, therapists, educators and other parents in creating a platform shaped by many voices, not just his own. “They keep me grounded,” he says. “They make sure this isn’t just ‘tech for tech’s sake’ but real solutions.”
Balancing his growing venture with family life is, as Rocha admits, “tough”. But his motivation remains unchanged. “I remind myself why I started: my family. If I lose sight of them, I lose the mission.”
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Today, Mylo Speech Buddy has reached over 100,000 downloads in 100 countries—proof that a father’s determination can reverberate globally.
Through love, necessity and resilience, he has become a bridge-builder between families and technology, between the Philippines and the world, between personal need and global impact.
He is also now expanding his vision through SpeakClinic.ai and All Ways Therapy Centres, aiming to make therapy accessible nationwide and build an integrated ecosystem for families. “We’re not stopping at apps; we’re building an ecosystem,” he explains.
He hopes his determination leaves a mark and changes how millions of families access care. “If Noah—and kids like him—grow up in a world that understands and supports them better because of what we built, that’s the legacy,” Rocha says.
His story began at home and fittingly, that’s where its impact is felt most powerfully: in the everyday lives of families who, thanks to his work, now have a bridge where there was once only a gap.
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Syrah is Tatler Philippines’ Power & Purpose editor, where she spotlights extraordinary journeys shaping the Philippines and Asia. She covers business, innovation, impact, and culture—chasing the people, ideas and forces shaping how we live and think today.
