For the first seven years of his life, Andrew struggled to tell his mother, Beth Patitucci, when he was hungry or when he wanted to sit on her lap.On an almost daily basis, his family and teachers at school would see Andrew cry, bite on his thumbs and lash out as if in pain. But he was unable to let them know what was wrong.

Andrew, who at age 8 is the size of a 3- or 4-year-old, has Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a developmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction. It is characterized by low birth weight, slow growth, distinctive facial features and small stature.

But a new iPhone application Andrew uses on an iPod has opened the doors to Andrew's mind.

Proloquo2go, the best-selling medical and educational app of 2009, has created a lot of enthusiasm among speech language pathologists, parents and people struggling to communicate. For some, like Beth and Andrew Patitucci, of Dresher, Pa., the app has provided a pocket-sized alternative to bulkier communication devices at a fraction of the cost.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com