A system and methods are disclosed to facilitate communication to, with, and for persons with special needs. The system can provide assistance with reading, test-taking, language development, or other forms of communication. The system is compatible with a variety of types of input (173), and provides a variety of options for output (174). In one mbodiment, the system is portable, and can be connected to a number of different devices having varying purposes. In another embodiment, the system is software designed to be utilized as a stand-alone software application, or in conjunction with an existing or third-party application.