Assessing Student's Needs for Assistive Technology (ASNAT)

Chapter 4 – Assistive Technology for Communication
Devices using Dynamic Display
♦ Pictures are represented on a screen, like a laptop computer monitor; the screen is capable of touch
activation and pressing a picture on the screen produces a message.
♦ The device automatically changes the picture displays and corresponding messages.
♦ For example, to ask for a cheeseburger at McDonald’s, the user selects a picture of food on the first
page. The device automatically produces a new page of pictures, which includes a picture
representing fast food. The user selects the fast food picture and the device produces a page with
pictures representing several fast food restaurants. The user presses the picture for McDonald’s and
the device changes to a page that includes items on the McDonald’s menu. The user selects the
picture of the cheeseburger.
♦ A “user friendly” method of storing messages because the student only needs to “recognize” the
message, not “recall” it.
♦ Dynamic Display devices are available in a variety of sizes from those weighing over 9 pounds to
the handheld variety, which weigh less than 2 pounds.
Examples: Dynavox 3100, Dynamyte 3100, Dynamo, Talking Screen , Speaking
Dynamically Pro, SpringBoard, Portable Impact Tablet, Portable Impact
Handheld, Portable Impact Palmtop
Backup: Use simple communication boards that reflect the same vocabulary as the
dynamic display device. This can be accomplished by printing screens of
individual overlays off of the device software.
Devices using Spelling with a Speech Synthesizer and Written Text
♦ Anything the user types can be spoken by the devices built in speech synthesizer.
♦ Requires good spelling skills.
♦ Often have abbreviation/expansion capabilities so that longer messages can be stored and activated
with just a few keystrokes.
Examples: Link, DynaWrite
Backup: Simple communication board with words as messages located on individual cells
on the board and/ or a basic letter board to spell messages.
Assessing Students’ Needs for Assistive Technology (2004) 101