Vol 19, No 6 – Access Options for iProducts - Cerebral Palsy Alliance

TechnoTalkCommunication Apps – A reviewby Angela VassiPads, iPods and iPhones amongst other“iProducts” have been stealing the headlineslately when it comes to speech generatingdevices and it can be hard to keep track of whatappears to be a continuous development of newcommunication apps for these products. It isdefinitely the hot topic at the moment and wewanted to share some reviews of the “stand out”apps we feel have the potential to be of benefitto people with complex communication needs.The communication apps reviewed in this articleare just a snapshot of a large and increasingnumber of those available. However, we havereviewed our recommendations for the bestapps available at present within two categories:1. Symbol-Based and Customisable Apps2. Text-to-Speech AppsWhen considering whether one of the iProductsand communication apps are suitable as aspeech generating device for an individual, it isimportant to do a thorough assessment. AtTASC we use the SETT framework as a guide togather information about the:Student / Self (the user requiring a speechgenerating device)Environment (where the device will be used, whois available to support the device)Tasks (what the user wants / needs to be able todo – including options for interfacing speechtechnology with computer access and/orenvironmental control, if required).Tools (the range of options to support the user’sgoals, including current technology andpotential new technology options) (Zabala,2010).Feature Matching:Before we look at the pros and cons of certainapps there are a few fundamental concepts thatsupport which app you might decide upon.Before choosing an app we need to consider theprinciple of ‘Feature Matching’. This process notonly involves decisions about which app bestmatches the user’s needs but also making surethe hardware of the iProducts are the bestmatch as well. There are a number of limitationsand considerations in relation to physical accessto the iProducts and these will be discussedfurther in the section on access.Feature Matching involves determining thefeatures that a user requires in a communicationdevice which is then used to predict whichdevice best suits their needs. In order to do this,the capabilities of user need to be considered inseveral areas:- Communication (receptive and expressive)- Physical- SensoryFor example, it is a good idea to consider eacharea to identify the individual’s abilities andareas of difficulty:Once you have collected this information youcan then use ‘Feature Matching’ to help youmatch the user’s needs to the technology thatbest meets these needs.2