Question about device selection for an almost 5 year old emergent speaker

[Tony]

Hi everyone!!!

I am so very glad that I found this group.

My son Jake is almost 5 and has Mitochondrial Myopathy and in turn is
displaying severe Apraxia. Over a 1 year and a half ago, his school
assigned him a Dynavox Minimo because he was really outpacing his PECs
book,. We thought he would never be able to get the hang of the
Minimo quickly. BOY did he prove us wrong!! He can fly through the
menus and folders on his device, and hates it when people touch it
(kind of like if someone "put their fingers in your mouth, how would
you like it?", his Speech Therapist said!), because it is HIS. lol

He absolutely loves his Minimo, and through some very bad luck, and my
stupidity, it along with his backpack and therapy stuff was stolen
from the parking lot of our speech therapist. We had just gotten it
back from being repaired due to a faulty motherboard, and internal
microphone, and now the school is telling us it will be almost 8 weeks
before another one can get to him. I have a small mini-auggie that i
built that he can use temporarily for now, but his school isn't the
best at new things (and his regular teacher is out on maternity leave
as well!!)

So we are looking at getting private funding, to get a device on our
own. The problem is the school will still be getting one, and we do
not want to necessarily get him the same one (as we cannot replace it
privately with insurance/ or through special groups for 5 years, or so
we are told). They have said he will either get another minimo if they
have one, or a Dynavox M3. We have been looking at the M3, but are not
so sure that we shoudl not be getting him something that is a little
more "future proof," i.e. a Dynavox V. We have also looked at the PRC
springboard lite, and the vantage lite, but I am hesitant about having
to learn Unity and for him to hopefully "get it" if they are using the
M3 or minimo in class.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?!?! What should we do?

We are located in Houston, TX and have contacted the Dynavox rep in
the area, but i was hoping to get some input from parents who are
familiar with these devices.

Thanks!
Tony Blatnica

[Ebunny59]

Love PRC, the Vantage and The Eco, and probably all their other
devices too, but haven't used the rest of them.

Can the school rent the device for you? PRC has a 6 week trial
period, for about $75 a week I think. Does their insurance cover
stuff stolen from the therapists car? Just wondering.

I generally find Minspeak/Unity easier for kids to learn,than
adults. Once you learn a few basic patterns, you don't need to
memorize where individual words are, if you have it set to show the
words on the keys. And I know of at least one site where you can find
all the support you want for PRC devices ;) It is natural language,
not a whole other language. If they learn it in conjunction with
learning to use regualr language, it becomes ingrained in them. I
find I often think in Minspeak. If someone uses the words for a part
of speech, the Minspeak picutres automatically pop into my head. When
playing madlibs, i see the pages for each part of speech, and know
what my choices are. Of course I am an adult, and have a slightly
photogenic memory. I find as I get older, and forget locations, my 9
year old knows where they are and is more than willing to brag about
that fact, LOL She has even gotten into programming her device on her
own in the last few months. Saves a lot of time on my part, and a lot
of effort trying to teach teacher's and therapists how to do it! She
only knows how to program pages at this point, but give it time.
Probably within the next year or two, she won't need mom's help on the
device for anything (Oh I long for that day, when she starts middle
school, and I don't have to teach a whole new school system how to use
a communication device as support for her).

The Dynavox V is probably just as technologically sound as the Eco is,
but in my opionion, if you want your son to be able to form complete
sentences and use language fully, the Eco is the way to go. We love
ours!

Amy

[Melanie Spranger]

Amy-

How old was your child when you got the ECO-14?
We just got ours delivered today and I can tell you I am so excited by all
of it.
I know he won't start off using even a third of what it can do but he so
loves it.
Today I powered it up and he was reaching for it before it was totally on.
I cannot wait to hear him.

[Robin Hurd]

It sounds like you want to have an outside AAC evaluation done, to help you choose a device for your son that allows him grow room.    In the process of getting insurance funding on a device, you'll need an SLP to do an AAC eval. report and send it to your child's doctor, who will write a letter of medical necessity and/or a prescription for the recommended equipment.   I am a little concerned that you picture your child using a different device at school from the one you use at home.  This can make things unnecessarily complicated for the child, who will have different words in different places, and may get frustrated to find that the way he gets to a word at home doesn't work at school, or that a word he want's isn't even on the device he has access to in certain situation!  the only possible exception to this is if there is one device that's the main one and one device that's less expensive, more portable or more durable that is used for "out and about" times like horseback riding, playing at the playground, etc.--times when the main device may be too easily damaged or too bulky for use. So if the school is going to end up purchasing a new device outright, perhaps they would want to opt for a temporary solution for now, until an eval can be done look into the issue of grow room to your satisfaction. If you got a new device funded through insurance, would they not want that device to be used at school?  Would you have a problem with it if they did use it at school? Another note: It may be worth checking with your homeowners or renter's insurance to see if an AAC system is(or can be) covered in case it's lost or stolen, damaged in a fire, etc.  If it isn't automatically covered, it may be work purchasing a rider on your insurance policy specifically for technology/medical equipment.  These riders are priced depending on how many dollars worth of stuff you have. Robin --- On Mon, 2/9/09, Tony <tbla...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Krista Elema]

Hi Melanie,

 

I am SO excited to hear that Daniel got his ECO!  I can't wait to hear what he did with it when it booted up! ;-)

Are you planning on going to the PMG convention?  I want to have some AAC sessions there......hope you and Daniel

will be able to make it!

 

Best,

Krista

---

From: Melanie Spranger <mspr...@wowway.com>
To: AACPa...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 11:37:51 PM
Subject: RE: Question about device selection for an almost 5 year old emergent speaker-EBunny

[Krista Elema]

In reading this post, Amy, I am a little confused at the last paragraph

 

The Dynavox V is probably just as technologically sound as the Eco is,
but in my opionion, if you want your son to be able to form complete
sentences and use language fully, the Eco is the way to go.  We love
ours!

 

Can you help me understand why you can't form complete sentences and use

language fully on the V?

 

Thanks for helping me understand what you are trying to explain....

 

Krista

---

From: Ebunny59 <ebun...@gmail.com>
To: AAC Parents <AACPa...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 3:49:50 PM

Subject: Re: Question about device selection for an almost 5 year old emergent speaker

[Tony]

Robin,

Thanks for the reply.

I too am concerned about using a different device, other than the one
we have at school. I do not know what the best plan is. At Jake's
therapy place they have SLP's who are willing to work with us on the
evaluation. So I am trying to figure out what would be best for Jake
(some of the SLP's like the PRC devices, some like the Dynavox).
The problem with the evaluation, that we all see, is like you
mentiojned, Jake is VERY used to things being the way he knows them on
his Minimo. But not having the minimo is making it difficult to get
the exact page structures set the same way.So if Jake wanted to ask
for a piece of green candy, he would go to where he knows Green is
(going to calendar/color/green page) and then navigate to the food/
snack/candy page. Part of me thinks that this might be hampering his
development with speech because it is not fluent, and sometimes does
not make sense. Like if Jake wanted to tell you that he wanted a
bigger piece of green candy, he would tell you green candy, but after
you showed it to him, he would then goto his book page, the very
hungry catepillar, and then BIG, because that is where he has
memorized where BIG is. I am sure alot of this is the teacher, and our
faults for not programming this device the best way, but we did not
know any better at the start of it.

Jake's school district only uses the Dynavox products. They have said
that it will be upto 8 weeks minimum for a new device (from the
warehouse, it is jsut paperwork) and they are not sure if it will be a
Minimo or an M3, whatever is available at that time. As far as a
Different brand or even a V, I have no problem with him taking
whatever device we get for him to school. But i am afraid the teacher
will have issues with a device that she might not have training on
(and she is on maternity leave!!). We currently have a mini-auggie
that he usually uses for playground/store/restaurant/grandma's house
but now is having to serve double duty as a school device (which
before had issues with the teach not wanting to use it when his Minimo
was out being repaired), and i am not sure they even are using it
there (last time when it was out, they used a Go Talk 9+, which is WAY
under what he needs).

As for testing out the new devices we now have a problem. Jake is used
to things being in a particular order(like in the above example with
the candy). Apparently the training given to his teachers and the
district's SLP told us to back up the device, not to create Packages,
which we could have imported into an M3 or a V to test the device with
things he is familiar with.So he will be starting over fresh with a
new layout/design to begin with, whatever we get. (which is why i am
looking at other devices).

I just want to get the device that is best for Jake. And i am not
really sure what to do. When we told him his Minimo was gone, he went
and sat in the corner and cried for about 20 minutes, no matter what
we did or said. He really loves using his device to tell us Letters
and things that begin with letters, and what sounds the letters make
(he even tries to mouth the sounds)

Sorry this reply is all over the place, I am just really confused on
what is the best course of action to take.

Thanks!

Tony

On Feb 11, 3:54 pm, Robin Hurd <hurd4k...@verizon.net> wrote:
> It sounds like you want to have an outside AAC evaluation done, to help you choose a device for your son that allows him grow room.    In the process of getting insurance funding on a device, you'll need an SLP to do an AAC eval. report and send it to your child's doctor, who will write a letter of medical necessity and/or a prescription for the recommended equipment.
>  
> I am a little concerned that you picture your child using a different device at school from the one you use at home.  This can make things unnecessarily complicated for the child, who will have different words in different places, and may get frustrated to find that the way he gets to a word at home doesn't work at school, or that a word he want's isn't even on the device he has access to in certain situation!  the only possible exception to this is if there is one device that's the main one and one device that's less expensive, more portable or more durable that is used for "out and about" times like horseback riding, playing at the playground, etc.--times when the main device may be too easily damaged or too bulky for use.
>
> So if the school is going to end up purchasing a new device outright, perhaps they would want to opt for a temporary solution for now, until an eval can be done look into the issue of grow room to your
>  satisfaction.
>
> If you got a new device funded through insurance, would they not want that device to be used at school?  Would you have a problem with it if they did use it at school?
>
> Another note: It may be worth checking with your homeowners or renter's insurance to see if an AAC system is(or can be) covered in case it's lost or stolen, damaged in a fire, etc.  If it isn't automatically covered, it may be work purchasing a rider on your insurance policy specifically for technology/medical equipment.  These riders are priced depending on how many dollars worth of stuff you have.
>
> Robin
>

> --- On Mon, 2/9/09, Tony <tblatn...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Ebunny59]

I can only answer using what I have heard from one person, that has
used both the Vmax and the Eco. She is an adult,and she said that
Minspeak has a lot more words than what the Vmax has. She is a
profressional writer, and she said it is easier to frm sentences on
the Eco. I don't know anything about the Vmax other than that. I do
know, if you want to say something like " I want to go to the store
with you", that on Minspeak 84 location, it is only 12 hits. Minspeak
is natural language, and natural progression of lanugage. There are 2
pages you will use 99% of the time. The CORE page, and the SPELL
page. While you choose a word from the activity row, you will have
access to all the words on the CORE page. This is what I find most
awesome. I never understood that, for 2 years, when we used mostly
preprogrammed pages (made by me). The pages aren't giving you access
to use other words and build sentences. If you hit the word DOLPHIN,
in the ACTIVITYY ROW, you can say DOLPHIN, and have access to the word
SWAM. If you were on a page, talking about water creatures, unless
you had a specific key also with the word SWAM on it, it is limiting
your child's choices of what they can say.

All I know, is the Eco is the only device Kendra will ever need, far
into adulthood. It allows her to form complete sentences, with 1-3
hits per word. If I can make this device last for 9 more years of
school, I will be happy. That is not totally unheard of. Others have
told me their PRC devices lasted 12-14 years. She has the capability
to use her Eco keyboard, with any word processing program, done in
split screen. It is an awesome device. But then again, I am 100%
towards PRC anyway. The adult user said also that Vmaxs aren't as
durable as the Eco is. Just what I heard.

Amy

On Feb 11, 9:13 pm, Krista Elema <krista.el...@att.net> wrote:
> In reading this post, Amy, I am a little confused at the last paragraph
>
> The Dynavox V is probably just as technologically sound as the Eco is,
> but in my opionion, if you want your son to be able to form complete
> sentences and use language fully, the Eco is the way to go.  We love
> ours!
>  
> Can you help me understand why you can't form complete sentences and use
> language fully on the V?
>  
> Thanks for helping me understand what you are trying to explain....
>  
> Krista
>
> ________________________________

> From: Ebunny59 <ebunn...@gmail.com>

> > Tony Blatnica- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Ebunny59]

Melanie, if you haven't joined our PRC PArent's group yet, please do
so. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/prcparents/

We transferred Ke dra's 84 location Vantage into the Eco 84 location.
So, if you count then, she was 5 when she started using the Vantage.
For her, at that point, the Eco looked like her Vantage. We have had
the Eco for 13 months, as it has only been on the market about 20
months! Since getting it, we have taken advantagde of the features I
love the best about it. The eco is a thousand times easier to program
keys, because you can copy keys, from one place to another. We also
love the pagelets idea, where a partial page will drop down over your
current page, until you are done with it. We also love the visual
scenes. Which we have used for various exercises. If you want, I can
send you the addition flashcards I made using Visual scenes. They are
totally awesome. Now, I have to make multiplication ones, OUCH. It
will have to wait until I feel better though, as we have all been sick
around here for 2 weeks.

We love the Eco, love it, love it, love it. I am going to try to get
Kendra's new IEP goals posted on here, so maybe you can use some of
them as a base for your son.

Amy

[Carol]

It is always good when giving advise to mention your resources or personal experience but at the same time it should be made aware that this is a personal opinion and not state it as fact, especially when what you are stating is only from one other person.  The reason there are different devices out there is because people are different and need different things.  People learn differently as well and what may be easy to some to learn could be very hard to others and vice versa.  We know you are happy with the Eco and that is great but you do need to remember that others may not be as thrilled or it may not meet their needs as it does for you. 

 

Carol

[Mcda...@aol.com]

        Carol and Amy, 

 

Yes one of the things about this list is that we all share so freely both our likes and dislikes. 

 

 It is nice to hear that Amy's daughter has something that is working for her. 

 

 Let me ask everyone else what they have for their child and why they really like it. 

 

Since helping out with the AAC inst. I have met so many actual users and one of the things, that surprises me is their varied reason's on what they really like about their device they are using.

 

Thank goodness we have choices.

 

Mary-Clare

---

A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!

[Valerie Maples]

I couldn't agree with Carol more, and in the end, that is why it is so critical to not only have a comprehensive evaluation, but a trial with all of the appropriate devices. If we had gone with what either Nichole or I thought would be best without significant amounts of time in front of four options, we would have both been wrong. In the end, there are no cookie cut answers. Access plays a huge role as well as features that you cannot accept the device based on a single factor. Of course there might be a dealbreaker in any situation, such as not being able to effectively access the device, but in the end, having a spectrum of options available is critical. The same person you cited as effectively written with a DynaVox product, and has vacillated between the two for more than a year now. It's a shame that we cannot create our own unique devices and are hybrids of the two. I know I would give anything to have a DynaVox that included the drive and booted up as quickly as the PRC ECO, but the fact remained that I could not hear the ECO from another room, even at maximum volume. In our case, one of the critical features for Nichole was me being able to hear. At 15 years old she likes to spend time by herself, and if I can't hear her in another room, it doesn't do much good.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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]

Vlerie, That person cited, you, myself, and a great many others
greatly wish for a combination of the two devices. I say I am
creating my own device, because I have the Eco pretty well
personalized with links and RUN PROGRAM, and stuff like that. I make
it do what she needs it to do, and when! It is all a matter what you
need the device for. You needed a louder speaker, where we don't,
because Kendra never has hers turned up loud enough for anyone to hear
usually. She needs hers for writing, which in my opinion, the Eco is
better at using for writing purposes, based on what that other person
has told me. I beleive the voices available on both devices was an
issue for you also?

Also, the level of mental capabilites of the children we are talking
about using a device, is probably one of the greatest factors in
choosing a device. Kendra is only a year an a half behind on her
reading, and a year behind on her math. Everything else, she is at
grade level. I a child is not into technology, and can't use a
regular computer, I would not recommend an Eco. I would recommend the
Vantage or Vanguard, because the extra stuff on the Eco would be
useless. Just turns out that Kendra is very technologically driven,
and we loved the difference between the Vantage and the Eco.

Carol, I did post "but in my opionion, if you want your son to be able

to form complete
sentences and use language fully, the Eco is the way to go. We love

ours! " I did not state it as a fact, only my opinion. She asked for
advice, so I gave her mine. No where did I state NOT to buy a Vmax,
or to ONLY buy an ECO, because the other one was junk. I like both
devices. And I don't know of any other person, other than Valerie,
that had used both the Vmax and Eco, to compare the two. I figured
Valerie would quip in with her own advice, since she has experience
with both.

I have to go now, I have lots to do, as I ahe been sick all week, and
am starting to move around today.

Amy

> ...
>
> read more »- Hide quoted text -

[Krista Elema]

I hear you saying that you are just giving your opinion.  However, basing your entire opinion off of only one other user's experience and posting it in a forum where there are parents just starting to explore AAC for their child, is a dangerous thing. Your opinion did not just state something benign like,  "I don't really care for the way the voices on the V sound; I like the way the voice options on the Eco better"....it said that you  if you want your son to be able to form complete sentences and use language fully, the Eco is the way to go. That is a pretty big statement to make, which  is what I think people are taking issue with.  Because, frankly, forming complete sentences and full language use can occur with a V, or a whole host of other devices, not just the ECO.

 

Just to use your sentence example, "I want to go to the store with you."  This sentence would comprise of 12 hits on the ECO (as you stated), however, on the V, using Gateway 60, that same sentence would only be 10 hits.  Does this mean I wasn't able to form a complete sentence on either device?  Does this mean I wasn't able to use language fully?   Of course not.  And, actually, on the V, I was able to say it using fewer hits.  So, please, just be mindful of the things you post when it comes to representing that the ECO can do things or allow for growth in a way that other devices can't.  Because, it simply isn't true. 

 

Also, I believe the reason another person previously stated that the V could grow with her son for the next 5 years is because that amount of growth is the industry standard when looking at how many years a person should get out of the device before needing a new one.  Not because the V would be too limiting in 5 years or because it wouldn't last longer than 5 years.  This is technology we are talking about, and although the V could be the "last" device my child uses, I am certain that it won't be long before improvements are made across the board in AAC technology (smaller, lighter, more bells and whistles,, etc.)  and we simply won't want to use the V, there will be another choice that will be even better at meeting his needs.

 

As stated previously, the best advice is for each individual child to have an evaluation where their unique needs can be identified and a device best meeting those needs can be recommended. 

 

Best,

Krista

 

 

---

From: Ebunny59 <ebun...@gmail.com>
To: AAC Parents <AACPa...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 2:03:55 PM

[Ebunny59]

I like both devices. I really really do. But because I have practice
and experience with PRC devices only, of course all my conversation
will be slanted towrds PRC devices. I could probably find fewer
hits to say the same sentence too. If she used word prediction, for
that particular sentence, or if I set it up so it would dynamically go
to PLACES activity when the TO GO sequence was activated, it would
take a lot less hits. Or, if it were somethign she said frequently, I
would put it as a whole sentence, so she could hit her setences
activity, hit PLACES, and say the whole sentence, with 3 hits.

In the end, it doesn't really matter how I word something. If you do
your homework on all possible devices, collect a lot of people's
opinions, get your AAC evaluation, and trial more than one device
hopefully, you are going to have more than just MY opinion to base
your decisions on. Anything I say is so small in the grand scheme of
things,or at least it should be, as I am not the child's SLP, or a rep
or trained evaluator from either PRC or Dynavox. I think she should
try to get a rep from both companies to tell her what the device can
do for HER son. I am just a mom.

Amy

On Feb 13, 2:31 pm, Krista Elema <krista.el...@att.net> wrote:
> I hear you saying that you are just giving your opinion.  However, basing your entire opinion off of only one other user's experience and posting it in a forum where there are parents just starting to explore AAC for their child, is a dangerous thing. Your opinion did not just state something benign like,  "I don't really care for the way the voices on the V sound; I like the way the voice options on the Eco better"....it said that you  if you want your son to be able to form complete sentences and use language fully, the Eco is the way to go. That is a pretty big statement to make, which  is what I think people are taking issue with.  Because, frankly, forming complete sentences and full language use can occur with a V, or a whole host of other devices, not just the ECO.
>
> Just to use your sentence example, "I want to go to the store with you."  This sentence would comprise of 12 hits on the ECO (as you stated), however, on the V, using Gateway 60, that same sentence would only be 10 hits.  Does this mean I wasn't able to form a complete sentence on either device?  Does this mean I wasn't able to use language fully?   Of course not.  And, actually, on the V, I was able to say it using fewer hits.  So, please, just be mindful of the things you post when it comes to representing that the ECO can do things or allow for growth in a way that other devices can't.  Because, it simply isn't true. 
>
> Also, I believe the reason another person previously stated that the V could grow with her son for the next 5 years is because that amount of growth is the industry standard when looking at how many years a person should get out of the device before needing a new one.  Not because the V would be too limiting in 5 years or because it wouldn't last longer than 5 years.  This is technology we are talking about, and although the V could be the "last" device my child uses, I am certain that it won't be long before improvements are made across the board in AAC technology (smaller, lighter, more bells and whistles,, etc.)  and we simply won't want to use the V, there will be another choice that will be even better at meeting his needs.
>
> As stated previously, the best advice is for each individual child to have an evaluation where their unique needs can be identified and a device best meeting those needs can be recommended. 
>
> Best,
> Krista
>
> ________________________________

> From: Ebunny59 <ebunn...@gmail.com>
> To: AAC Parents <AACPa...@googlegroups.com>

[Robin Hurd]

bless his heart!  I can just see the poor guy over in the corner crying when his device couldn't be fixed.  :(   Caleb goes into a depression when his device goes in for repairs. And there is no way to console him, except to get his hands on a "talker" like his own!   ----So tough when kids grieve over losing thier voice--something the rest of us take for granted.   I am glad you already have a place outside the school who can help you with an AAC eval.  It sounds like it's time to do some real soul searching about how you DO want his words to be stored, as well as some trying out of new ways to store words and see what clicks for him.   The way you are describing that his words are stored on the mini-mo is often refered to as an activity based approach.   Each page represents the words an adult picked out for a specific activity. (ex: he has the Hungry Caterpillar book now, he might also have a page for Cat in the Hat added next month for Dr. Seuss's birthday and a "go to the zoo" page for an upcoming field trip.)   While an activity based system can feel very secure for a teacher who is able to feel confident that the child can participate in the activities on her lesson plan, whne the child get's pretty good at his/her device it can result in some pretty convoluted ways of getting to words when the child wants to put his own thoughts together.  You see this when you describe how he'll find the word "big".  The more pages he gets and the more he wants to put his own thoughts together, the more you'll see this type of thing happening.    Another way of storing words is to organize them in basic language groups.   Verbs may go in one place, names in another, basic everyday words may be accessible from the "main page", and other groups of words are opened up in categories(describing words, time words, food, clothing, polite owrds, etc.)  This type of plan gives the child a basic framework to build sentences from and the child can access a word in a more generic way("big" is not tied to a specific book).   There are several software programs that organize words in basic langauge groups; some of these are availalbe only on certain manufacturer's devices, others can be used on many devices.  The list here would include Gateway (dynavox only), Word Power and Picture Word Power and Unity (also called minspeak or semantic compaction--PRC devices only).   It's worth checking out how each of these systems organizes the words, because there are differences between them. Getting a basic understanding of how a person would put words together on each system and what kind of skills they would need (literacy, ability to navigate multiple pages without distraction, motor memory, etc) will help you to know what will be a good long term match for your child.   The best AAC evals happen when you as a parent are keenly aware of what is being considered and are able to see your child using the device at home and involved in the decision making process.  You have a better feel for what your child's potential is, as well as a long range focus that helps keep the team looking for a solution with plenty of grow room.   As you think about what you want in an AAC sytem, I am sure you'll have more questions.  please ask them. This is a big decision and you wnat to know all you can.   Robin

--- On Thu, 2/12/09, Tony <tbla...@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Tony <tbla...@gmail.com> Subject: Re: Question about device selection for an almost 5 year old emergent speaker

> > Subject: Question about device selection for an almost 5 year old emergent speaker > To: "AAC Parents" <AACPa...@googlegroups.com> > Date: Monday, February 9, 2009, 12:11 PM > > So we are looking at getting private funding, to get a device on our > own. The problem is the school will still be getting one, and we do > not want to necessarily get him the same one (as we cannot replace it > privately with insurance/ or through special groups for 5 years, or so > we are told). They have said he will either get another minimo if they > have one, or a Dynavox M3. We have been looking at the M3, but are not > so sure that we shoudl not be getting him something that is a little > more "future proof," i.e. a Dynavox V. We have also looked at the PRC > springboard lite, and the vantage lite, but I >  am hesitant about having > to learn Unity and for him to hopefully "get it" if they are using > the > M3 or minimo in class. > > Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?!?! What should we do? > > We are located in Houston, TX and have contacted the Dynavox rep in > the area, but i was hoping to get some input from parents who are > familiar with these devices. > > Thanks! > Tony Blatnica