AAC Tools

A type of lower high-tech static display device is the Ablenet Super Talker Progressive Communicator (Ablenet SuperTalker Progressive Communicator, 2010) . For each picture, the teacher or caregiver records the name of the picture, so when the child selects it they can hear the name.  Say they choose a picture of a cat.  The recording could say cat, or say meow if the lesson for that display is sounds animals say rather than what is the name of the animal.  The pictures are manually changed.  Another option with the static display is how many pictures are available, by changing the topic board or overlay to more or less options.   The static display offers the user the option of combining words to create a message (ASHA, 1997).

           This electronic device, displaying pictures for vocabulary that are electronically changed, is a dynamic display.  Pictured is DynaVox V+™ (DynaVox V+, 2011).  Others have more frames or less, but each frame represents a picture and a sound when activated.   The dynamic display system offers the user access to many layers of vocabulary and the option to create new messages quickly (DynaVox V+, 2011). 
             The introduction of tablet computers has changed the face of teaching communication strategies to children with disabilities.  The previously mentioned tools have many applications but they are finite.  With the ability to access the many voice output applications available, the possibilities are endless.  These tablets make conversation portable, especially for older students.  The iPad and tablet computers appeal to children because they blend in more with their friends, which can increase motivation to use the device as a means to communicate.  Research has also shown that the touch screen capabilities simplify access to the devices for children (Light & & Drager, 2007). 
                  The CBS News show, 60 Minutes, recently did a story on the iPad, and its uses in the Autism community.  They reported that people with Autism, adults and children, are making breakthroughs in communication with tablet computers and the software applications available.  They highlighted a 10-year-old, Juno, who before the iPad, did not communicate.  His teachers thought he had the IQ of a two-year-old.  After introducing him to the IPad, they found that he was very intelligent.  They had used the previously listed tools, but could not access his vocabulary until they used the iPad.  It was ‘hit and miss’ at first, but his teachers found that he has a great fondness for classical music, so they reward him with free time with the iPad to listen to it after he completes his lessons.  One teacher noted that because the device is constant, the voice is constant and the pacing is constant, it is easier for autistic children to use this technology.  People are not constant; everything about them is ever changing (CBS News, 2011).
              The iPad and tablet technology is changing the way some children with disabilities learn to communicate.  The cost for an iPad begins at $499.00.  The autism software applications are relatively inexpensive, and some are even free.  A free, featured application is Autism Apps, which lists hundreds of applications for use by children with autism spectrum disorders (Apple Store, 2012).  The iPad is much less cost prohibitive than the DynaVox V+ which is over $7,000, it is usually purchased by a school system for use only at the school (DynaVox V+, 2011).  A child with disabilities uses a tablet or iPad at home and at school giving them continuity in their communication systems.