Tapping this app gives special-needs users a voice

[Posted by alaurie_97@yahoo.com]

Tapping this app gives special-needs users a voice
by Abbi Perets



At $189.99, Proloquo2Go is far from the cheapest App Store offering.
Believe it or not, though, that price is actually a bargain--one a
certain market is seriously happy to pay.

Screen personalization in Proloquo2Go

It's easy to personalize any screen in Proloquo2Go. Tap an icon to add
items for speech output to the speech bar at the top.

The target market? Parents of kids with special needs--specifically
those with autism, apraxia, and other disabilities that affect their
communication. Many of these kids can't speak, or can't speak as
fluently as their peers, but they understand what's going on around
them, and they do have things they'd like to say.

Augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC, devices can
supplement existing speech or replace speech that is not functional to
improve social interaction, school performance, and--not for nothing--
to give the kids a better sense of self-worth. Electronic AAC aids use
picture symbols, letters, and/or words and phrases to create messages.
Equipped with an AAC device, a child with cerebral palsy whose speech
is limited suddenly has a way to tell you, "I want to go to Grandma's
house this weekend!" or "I ate cake!"

Proloque2Go is just one of a growing number of AAC apps quickly
gaining ground in the special-needs community. The reason is hardly
surprising: before these apps came along, AAC devices could cost
upward of $10,000--a cost many insurance companies would not cover.
And for that hefty price, you got a heavy, clunky device that
screamed, "I am different!" You would have looked cooler lugging an
actual Commodore 64 around--though, at least then, you could have
rocked the whole retro-chic look.

Kids aren't the only ones benefiting from these apps, of course--
stroke and accident victims, as well as adults with ALS (amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease) and other progressive
degenerative diseases are also tapping into this growing market.

Proloquo2Go Categories

Tap Categories in Proloquo2Go to open a screen with 16 categories for
drilling down. Edit using the pencil icon in the navigation bar.

Part of the reason Proloque2Go and other similar apps work so well is
that they offer Apple's familiar--and intuitive--iOS interface,
relatively reasonable pricing, and the ease, portability, and cool
factor of an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad: tap items in a grid or list
view to insert them into the Message window, then tap to speak. Tap
and hold to access conjugations, plurals, or possessives. Edit
standard items, add custom words or sentences, or customize settings
such as icon size or background and text colors.

Users can also reorder items within categories, which--as the quick-
start manual explains--is critical because users quickly learn where
items are located and can concentrate more on what they want to "say."

"Proloquo2Go is supereasy to program," said Ellen Seidman, mom to Max,
a 7-year-old with cerebral palsy. "In five minutes, I created a
'Weekend folder' with photos I'd copied from the Internet ('I visited
Aunt Judy'; 'I went to a park with Daddy'; "I ate chocolate ice
cream'; 'I found a ladybug in my house')."

Retelling events is an important developmental skill, and giving kids
a way to do that--without having to rely on a speech therapist to
program an expensive device--is truly a breakthrough for many
families.

My developmentally disabled 6-year-old was still away at camp when I
first got the app loaded on my iPod Touch, so I had to improvise. My
(neurotypical) 4-year-old had the app up and running, with no
prompting, in moments. He was ecstatic to request dessert, tell me
that he needed to go to the bathroom, and insist that it was not
bedtime (no dice), all by tapping on the Proloque2Go screen images.

Proloquo2Go Home screen

The Proloquo2Go Home screen is its launching pad. You can customize it
to put the most frequently accessed categories just a tap away. You
can access the home screen by clicking the Home icon on the navigation
bar at the bottom, accessible in any screen.

When my 6-year-old came back from camp, I recustomized the app for
him--a process that took just a few minutes--and handed him the iPod.
He jabbed at the icons and his face lit up when he made the device
announce, "I really like garbage trucks." It was fascinating to watch
him explore the different levels of icons, and within moments, he was
requesting ones he felt were missing.

My son is verbal, although he doesn't have the same fluency of
language that other children do, and using the device lets him catch
up a bit. It's also modeling correct speech for him, and I heard him
practicing his articulation, tapping an icon and repeating phrases,
over and over again.

The developers do recommend that you ensure that your potential user
has the necessary dexterity to use an iPhone before buying the app.
You can also try out the app on a device at one of more than 140
resource centers in 43 states. Those centers--which include hospitals
and academic organizations--all support the app, though they may not
have formally endorsed it.

Proloquo2Go was first released by AssistiveWare, a Netherlands-based
developer of assistive software, in April 2009. AssistiveWare wouldn't
disclose exact download figures, but it did say downloads of
Proloquo2Go run in the thousands. For the past year, it added, the app
has hovered around the 60th ranking on the Top Grossing Apps list (No.
4 in Education)--due in part, of course, to its price, but also to
strong daily sales.

You will find some similar iOS apps for less than $189.99--but none
that exactly matches Proloquo2Go's capabilities and ease of use as an
AAC device. And that's an important point. "For all the augmentative
and therapeutic options out there, the truth is, if it's not something
parents are into, it's just not going to work for a family," Seidman
said.

Proloquo2Go grid view

Quickly navigate to the normal grid view, a view of recently used
words or phrases, a keyboard for typing, or the options/settings
screen.

Adastrasoft's Expressionist ($9.99 in the App Store) holds 120 "common
expressions" and uses a composite image system that's completely
different from traditional AAC style. For example, a photograph of a
shopping bag and a receipt are followed by a clip art arrow pointing
to a photograph of money. Underneath that is a line art drawing of a
person holding out his hands. That represents the oh-so-common
expression "please refund it."

MyTalk, an app by the company of the same name, costs $39.99--sort of.
For that price, you can create and edit unlimited message cells and
boards with photos and images. But since editing on the iPhone can be
tricky, you can optionally subscribe--for $9 per month or $75 per
year--to an online Workspace, where creating and editing boards is
more straightforward.

The app was created by the father of a child with special needs to
give his son a voice. It's designed to be completely customized for
every child--but that takes a significant amount of time. You can
download a free Lite version (with limited cells)--and explore the
online workspace for free for 30 days--so you can give it a try to see
if it's right for your child.

Believe it or not, there are AAC apps that are more expensive than
Proloquo2Go. EZ Speech from Gus Communication Devices rings up at
$795--but not on the App Store. It's available solely from the
developer's Web site, and it's designed for people who can't speak as
a result of cancer, stroke, laryngectomy, or other conditions
affecting speech. It's not picture-based, which makes it inappropriate
for anyone with cognitive issues.

If your child has used (or would benefit from) a traditional AAC
device, Proloquo2Go is an excellent, affordable alternative to those
clunky, and more costly, pre-iPhone machines.

Abbi Perets is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an
employee of CNET.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-20014973-247.html