She's been riding clipless on SPDs for a year - so it's not like she hasn't given these a chance.

So either clipless isn't going to work for her or the SPD style of clipless isn't going to work. I don't think spds are goign to get any easier for her with practice.

I know my speedplay frogs are an awful lot easier to get out of than the few days that I tried spd cleats - I can get in them instantly and out of them instantly. It did take a couple weeks to get to that point - but definitely not a year.