Dynavox V vs. PRC Vantage Lite
kenfused
We have received 2 evals for an AAC device.
One person recommended the Vantage Lite and one the Dynavox V
Can anyone comment on how they like each system and what the major
differences are, between the languages and the specs for the device?
Thanks!
Eleanor Giriyappa
We have had our Vanguard a couple of years so my insights are a bit dated. Every year things change.
We went with the Vanguard because it was more technologically up to date. We could attach it to the net.
At the time we were Speaking Dynamically Pro on our lap top and the Vanguard was seamless with that program. Everyone knew how to program SDP so it was easy for them to program the Vanguard.
Others on here will talk about Minspeak of the PRC products. We do not use it and the Vanguard still meets our needs very well.
Hope this helps.
|
pam_h...@comcast.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "kenfused" <kenl...@gmail.com>
To: "AAC Parents" <AACPa...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 11:39:53 AM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
Subject: Dynavox V vs. PRC Vantage Lite
Robin Hurd
You don't tell us what software was recommended for each device. One of the major differences between devices MAY be the way the software they recommended will organize the words your child uses.
The Vantage lite has several options for organizing words. PRC's exclusive software is called minspeak; the american version of this is called Unity. So the Vantage lite could be using Unity 45, unity 60 or unity 84 to store the words. Also available is Word Power or Picture Word Power software.
The Dynavox V may be using dynavox's exclusive software, InterAACT. It may also run boardmaker with speaking dynamically pro(also a dynavox product), alphaocre(not something I am familiar with) or Word Power.
the big difference between the devices is going to to be the philosophy behind the software. PRC's exculsive software is designed with the philosophy that natural speakers(regardless of age or cognitive ability) say 80% of what they say using a bank of high frequency words, so these words are the ones that should be most easily available to the person who uses AAC, to allow their communication to resemble that of people who use speech. Different layouts on the devices allow for differences in visual skills or motor impairment, but the basic vocabulary focus is the same: putting together common words to communicate your own thoughts.
Dynavox's interAAACT software is designed with the philosophy that your age, communicaton ability and context affect the vocabulary that you as an augmented communicator need to have access to on your device. They designed their software so that you choose the specific vocabulary layouts based on different ages/ skill levels. Many of these layouts focus on vocabulary for a specific activity. (ex: hygeine, eating, etc)
If you dont' know what software is suggested to organize the words, you may want to ask some questions and find out.
Robin |
From: kenfused <kenl...@gmail.com> |
Mcda...@aol.com
New year...new news. Be the first to know what is making headlines.
kenfused
I don't think we heard that many specifics on the language choices or
the rationale behind it.
We had one eval thru a speech therapy company contracted via Regional
Center right before our son turned 3. Then when we hit the school
district, they were skeptical our son could handle an advanced device,
so they asked another specialist to evaluate him.
One recommended the Vantage Lite b/c it would be light, faster to
startup and had a similiar vocabulary of words on each page, the core
words
The 2nd recommended the Dynavox, but we didn't yet year the reasoning,
we're waiting for a meeting with the school district and to sit down
with the person who did the eval.
Valerie Maples
cognitively. For most "busy" kids, generically speaking, I prefer
the new "lite" line from PRC due to core language, portability,
durability, and growth. For highly complex kids who need a single
unit for computer and communication, I like the ECO or V/VMax. My
daughter chose a VMax after many trials of both and I would be glad
to call you some time and share what we learned in our extensive
exploration.
The speed of startup on the Vantage is SIGNIFICANTLY superior as well
as weight and the built in handle is wonderful. Although it can link
to a computer, it is not a computer in itself. Knowing more about
the user can help us help you more. Ideally, let your child spend
several hours or days with both and see how he does. We were blessed
to have over a week with each our options and it made it easy for
Nichole to chose and for us to justify.
Valerie
Check out my kids at:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nicholemaples <new>
http://www.caringbridge.org/ms/nicholemaples
http://www.caringbridge.org/ms/cindymaples
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jorgemaples
Ebunny59
least one adult to use Minspeak, and am in contact with another that
wants to learn it. For the adult point of view, PRC is far more
advanced for the words available over all. My daughter used a Vantage
for 4 years, and has used the Eco for one. If your child is into
comptuers and technology, the Eco from PRC is the way to go, if you
ask me.
If your child has fine motor skills delays, the Vantage might not be
for your son. My daughter had trouble hitting the 1/2 inch keys for
the 84 location keyboard. The Vanguard would be up the right alley if
that's the case. On the Eco,the 84 location is one inch keys, and no
problem at all for her to hit, but the thing does weigh abot 6.5
pounds. She does have 1:1 aide to carry the device around for her.
If your child is good at using a PS2 controller, but not a mouse, you
can buy a Phillips wireless PC controller, that is like a PS2
controller, but controls the PC. It can also be used as a switch, and
it only costs $25.
Please don't let the Unity/Minspeak language system be a negative
deciding factor against the Vantage. Some people say it takes years
to learn, even Minspeak website says 90 hours. I say 3-5 hours of
practice and coaching, and you can have it mastered. I love using
Minspeak and the CORE words, because it is very easy to write complete
sentences and thoughts using Minspeak. you can BUILD sentences and
paragraphs, and you don't have to leave the CORE or SPELLING pages for
the most part. You still have access to your CORE words, while
choosing a specific category word in the Activity Row. If you would
like to try out the Vantage, Here is the PASS demo software.
http://www.prentrom.com/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,108/task,cat_view/gid,138/
.
If you need any coaching on what to do with this PASS, ask. I use
yahoo IM primarily, to teach and work stuff out with people. I even
have a parents group for PRC users. Parents can tell you way more
than any tech rep can usually!
Yes, I love PRC devices. You will find just as many that love the
Dynavox products. But I think if you are thinking way ahead into the
future, PRC is the way to go, for its language buildign capabilites.
The thing I like the most about the Vantage, you can start out with 4
locations, then move up to 8, then 15, then 45, then 60, then 84. At
first, it is a page ased system, but then as you go, you learn
Minspeak a little by little, and it is very easy to move UP to the
more advanced Minspeak. On the Eco, you can even move up to 144
locations, for a vocabulary of over 5000 words.
Happy hunting.
>
> - Show quoted text -
kenfused
We're hoping to meet with the 2nd specialist to learn more about why
she chose the Dynavox.
My concerns so far are it's heavier than the Vantage Lite, lacks a
handle, less battery life, and the startup time is supposed to be
quite long.
I don't know enough about the languages to know which is better.
Our Son is a sweet child, loves pressing buttons on things, he can
isolate his index finger well to press even small buttons, but would
have trouble say using a PS2 controller.
He's 3 years 3m old now, and signs a few words, points, and speaks
just a limited # of words, perhaps 8 or so.
Perhaps we can arrange to have him try out both, although we don't
want to confuse him.
Robin Hurd
| there is a self-study course at the AAC institute that explains the various ways of storing words on AAC in general. Go to http://www.aacinstitute.org/welcometoaacissp.html and enter the self study area, looking for the course called "AAC symbols and language representation methods." to get an idea of the specific language software options, you can do a free download of PASS demo software from the Prentke-Romich Company. http://www.prentrom.com/downloads and look for the Vantage lite. Dynavox doesn't have a download available from their web site, but I believe it can be sent to you on a CD if you request it. I have been trying to find a web site that talks about Wordpower software, but can't seem to find it. Maybe someone else can help me out. (this one won't be in the demos mentioned above.) Playing with a demo that is set up similarly to what each of the evaluators pictured your child using (if you can't bring a trial device home to look at) should help you a lot. Not only are the ways of storing words different, but each evaluator may have had a very different idea of what your child is capable of/ what is "appropriate" for your child. some evaluators have a typical 3 year old AAC plan that may or may not meet the needs of your child. If this should happen to be the case, you need to know this before you make your decision on AAC. --sure, you can tweak the programming or change the software you use on the device later on, but now is the time to make sure that the intial eval. and device request matches with your child's needs and potential. Your input only makes the eval better. You know your child better than anyone. and getting it right now will save headaches in the future. Robin |
--- On Sun, 1/11/09, kenfused <kenl...@gmail.com> wrote: |
From: kenfused <kenl...@gmail.com> |
Dawn
Here! Here! We have a wonderful therapist that has worked for years with Mason but she was up front about her bias against PRC products because of the word organization, thus we never looked at it for the longest time thinking that it wouldn’t be a fit. Finally frustrated with activity based speech (Dynavox) and not seeing how it would get us to communication, and some issues going on at school with AAC, we had an outside evaluation done with an independent therapist. The result was an order for the ECO-14/PRC device. I am the happiest mom in the world! It is based on speech methodology and has a progression path that makes sense to me. (Now, please don’t misunderstand. Dynavox has great products too. It just wasn’t the right fit for us.) BUT, it took a group approach (school therapists, outside therapists, independent evaluators) giving input to a fresh set of eyes (the independent evaluator) on what we wanted/needed and what Mason needed to find the right product. He’s not exactly chatty cathy but at least we have a plan and are moving along.
</table |
pam_h...@comcast.net
WordPower software is a unique vocabulary design for an augmentative/alternative communication device. WordPower combines the features of core vocabulary, spelling and word prediction. The system takes advantage of the fact that while we may have a normal speaking vocabulary of between 10,000 and 30,000 words, a core of just 100 words accounts for approximately 50 percent of words spoken. Kucera and Francis' 1967 study, which analyzed written language samples for word frequency, revealed the following:
- The top 10 words account for 24 percent of written text
- The top 50 words account for 41.2 percent of written text
- The top 100 words account for 48.1 percent of written text
The following is a sample of those frequently occurring words:
| I | to | you | the | that | have |
| a | it | my | and | of | will |
| in | is | me | on | do | was |
Words such as these are repeated over and over throughout our language. WordPower uses these 100+ core words in conjunction with spelling and word prediction. Word prediction systems have provided more and more advantages in the last few years including features such as grammatical prediction, frequency, recency, and the ability to easily add words.
WordPower was originally designed for an individual in need of an augmentative communication device based on words. A vocabulary based on pre-stored sentences would not meet his communication needs. Though he could see the advantage of a picture-based system with symbol sequencing, he did not want to learn the complex language coding system. At the same time, he wanted more than a system based on spelling and word prediction. WordPower provided him a fast and efficient language, with minimal time and effort required for learning the system.
The core words of WordPower are categorized, color-coded and alphabetized for easy access. The main semantic categories include:
| Questions Interjections Pronouns Negatives Helping verbs Verbs | Articles Prepositions and conjunctions Describing words Indefinite pronouns Time words |
There are now several versions of WordPower and platforms on which it has been programmed. Though each platform varies and takes advantage of specific software features, the basics of WordPower remain consistent across platforms.
Robin Hurd
thanks Pam,
I knew there was a web site just for Wordpower, but I could not find it the other day!
|
From: pam_h...@comcast.net <pam_h...@comcast.net> |
kenfused
So we had our meeting, the AAC specialist explained why she liked the
Dynavox, primarily for the Gateway 20 Language.
SHe felt that the Unity Minispeak on the Vantage would take much
longer to learn, for our son and for people at school who would be
working with him. So that's what we are going to start with.
She recommended that we come up with a plan to work the AAC into his
school and daily life.
WE have a meeting in a few weeks and will for now rent the device and
see how it goes.
terry d
| so is it my understanding you are going with the dynavox system? |
--- On Sat, 1/24/09, kenfused <kenl...@gmail.com> wrote: |
From: kenfused <kenl...@gmail.com> |