How to Use and Program Speech Apps for Effective AAC Device Support

When it comes to enhancing communication for individuals with speech or language disorders, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, paired with specialized apps, offer robust solutions. These tools allow for personalization and adaptability, essential for meeting the unique needs of each user. This, in turn, fosters engagement and independence in daily life while helping AAC users express themselves fully and meaningfully.

This guide provides a detailed look at how to effectively use and program AAC devices to support meaningful communication, as well as resources that help provide AAC programming education.

This guide provides a detailed look at how to select, use and program speech apps for meaningful communication. We’ll also explore practical strategies for customizing AAC devices for the users needs.

Getting Started with High-Tech AAC and Speech Apps

High-tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices combine dynamic communication tools with adaptable speech apps.

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) new to AAC may initially feel overwhelmed by the use of high-tech AAC devices and the plethora of available apps for speech generation. Understanding which app best suits an individual’s specific communication needs can take time and exploration. Programming these systems often involves customizing vocabulary and adjusting app settings to fit the users needs, which can become easier when you have a foundational grasp of the technology or application. By engaging with helpful resources, learning from peers and colleagues as well as the AbleNet SLP Empowerment team, and repeatedly utilizing different apps in various environments, SLPs can become more comfortable and adept at selecting and programming AAC devices and speech apps effectively.

Customizable Features with High-Tech AAC

Customization and personalization are pivotal features of high-tech AAC devices and speech apps, allowing users to tailor their communication devices to best suit their unique needs and preferences. This personalization is important as it enhances user engagement and improves the overall effectiveness of communication strategies. Here’s a breakdown of the customizable features available in high-tech AAC devices:

• Fringe Vocabulary Integration: Users can add fringe vocabulary, which includes context-specific words and phrases relevant to the individual’s specific interests or daily activities. This ensures communication is both personal and functional.
• Speech Output Options: Users can choose from different types of speech output, such as synthetic or natural voices, and adjust the speed, pitch, and other voice characteristics to enhance intelligibility and ensure the device sounds relevant to the user.
• Visual Display Customization: Display grids and icons can be tailored in size, color, and arrangement according to the user’s visual preferences or needs, aiding clarity and ease of use.
• Access Method Adjustments: Depending on the user’s motor skills, various input methods can be set up, including touch, switch scanning, or eye-tracking. The flexibility in input methods accommodates diverse abilities, ensuring accessibility for all users.
• Language Options: AAC devices often support multiple languages, which can be selected based on the user’s primary language or bilingual needs, allowing for more natural communication.

By leveraging these customizable features, AAC device users can have a communication tool that not only meets their current needs but also adapts as those needs evolve. This makes high-tech AAC solutions versatile and invaluable in promoting independence, interaction, and expression.

Selecting the Appropriate App

Choosing the right app for a high-tech AAC device is important to meet the specific communication requirements of each user. Here are some steps to guide you through the selection process:

Steps for App Selection

Choosing the right app can impact the effectiveness of AAC devices:

• Assess User Needs: Determine the user’s communication goals, preferences, and any specific challenges they face. This foundational understanding will guide your app selection process.
• Explore App Features: Consider apps that offer a wide range of features such as customizable vocabulary, adaptive speech settings, and user-friendly interfaces. Look for apps that can be tailored to the user’s unique needs and interests.
• Evaluate Compatibility: Ensure the app is compatible with the AAC device being used. Check for seamless integration and support for any necessary accessibility tools like eye-tracking or switch scanning.
• Trial and Feedback: Explore different apps or implement trial periods to gather feedback from both the user and their support team. This can help identify any potential issues and ensure the app meets the user’s day-to-day communication demands.
• Consult Professionals: Collaborate with knowledgeable Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) who can provide insights and recommendations based on their experience with similar users and devices.

By selecting an appropriate app, you can significantly enhance the user’s communication experience, ensuring they have the tools they need to express themselves fully and independently. There is no “right” app when it comes to AAC. What is important is assessing the available features, providing access to an AAC app, and then implementing it consistently.

Familiarizing All Stakeholders with the Device and Speech App

Once you’ve selected a speech app, it’s essential to take the time to understand its functionality and programming. A comprehensive understanding allows both users and support teams to navigate the app with confidence and ease. Familiarization not only involves getting used to the app’s design and layout but also understanding how it fits into the user’s everyday communication. Customize the app to meet the user’s specific needs and ensure seamless integration into daily routines.

A thorough understanding of the speech app is essential for effective use.

Navigating the Interface

Spend time exploring the app’s design:

• Categories: Discover how topics and categories are organized, like “Food” or “Activities.”
• Navigation Controls: Familiarize yourself with device navigation for smooth transitions.
• Consistent Icons: Keeping symbol placement consistent supports language and vocabulary learning.

Introducing the App to AAC Users

Introduce the app by demonstrating and modeling the communication features. Encourage user interaction, and provide positive reinforcement by:

• Building Interface Familiarization: Spend time learning the app’s layout, categories, and controls.
• Demonstrating: Model usage by selecting words while speaking them aloud.
• Encouraging: Invite the user to try selecting symbols and reinforce the communicative intent.
• Pacing the Learning: Follow the learners lead when introducing the device.

Supporting Caregivers and Educators

Ease of navigation and understanding for AAC users, caregivers, and educators is vital. Empower support teams by:

• Simplify Learning: Start with fundamental features and build up to more complex ones.
• Offering SLP Guidance: Provide expertise through caregiver training.
• Reinforcing Patience: Encourage understanding that learning and adaptation take time.
• Providing Resources: Look for providers who offer tailored support to families and support teams, such as AbleNet’s SLP Empowerment Team.

Building familiarity among all users creates a supportive environment for meaningful communication.

Personalizing and Organizing the Speech App

Effective programming and personalization of a speech app are key components in creating an AAC experience that truly resonates with the user. By customizing features such as vocabulary, speech settings, and user interface, individuals can experience communication that feels both natural and empowering. Personalizing vocabulary involves adjusting fringe words to reflect the user’s everyday language and personal interests, thereby making communication more relatable and intuitive. Additionally, tweaking speech settings—like voice tone, speed, and pitch—ensures that the communication style aligns with the user’s identity, reinforcing their unique voice. User interface elements, such as customizable icon sizes and layouts, enable users to navigate the app with greater ease, accommodating their specific visual and cognitive needs.

Overall, these tailored adjustments not only improve user interaction but also significantly enhance their confidence in expressing complex thoughts, preferences, and emotions, thereby fostering a more inclusive and participatory communication environment.

Customizing Vocabulary

High-tech AAC systems are designed to be customizable through features like adjustable vocabulary and speech settings, making them suitable for different user needs.

While core vocabulary provides frequently used words, tailoring AAC systems to fit specific students, clients, and families is key. Add these fringe words that reflect the user’s unique interests and routines by including names of family members, favorite hobbies, and specific environments. Integrate these alongside the core vocabulary to allow quick sentence-building. This approach encourages meaningful interactions in real-life settings.

Building upon this core foundation through personalization makes the AAC device or system more effective.

Here’s how to personalize AAC setup:

• Customize folders like “food” and “toys” with preferred items alongside general options.
• Use personal photos of family and friends when suitable.
• Incorporate favorite movies and characters within relevant folders, such as placing character folders under a “people” category.
• Based on the app set up, ensure frequently used words are easily accessible.
• Adjust “I,” “me,” and “my” pronoun visuals to reflect the individual’s appearance (skin tone, hair color).
• Include personalized phrases and common, quick responses.
• Where possible, set diverse skin tone and hair color options as defaults.

Linking Words to Folders

To make AAC navigation easier, many apps program the vocabulary to link words to related folders. For example, selecting “eat” can lead to a food folder or offer ways to finish a sentence. Connecting verbs to relevant folders creates smoother navigation. For instance, linking “eat” to the food folder and “go” to a places folder makes the system more intuitive.

Explore the device to determine how the vocabulary is set up on the app you are using. Add word-to-folder linking if needed.

Organizing Icons and Navigation

Organizing icons and navigation in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) apps plays a pivotal role in enhancing the overall user experience. A well-structured layout offers simplicity and clarity, reducing the cognitive load on users when searching for the right symbols or phrases. By grouping related terms into folders or categories, users can efficiently locate the words they need to communicate, which boosts their confidence and independence.

A clear layout improves usability:

• Streamline interfaces by starting with a large grid size and hiding symbols as needed to allow for vocabulary to grow.
• Use folders or categories to group related terms logically.
• Maintain consistent symbol placement to promote memory and motor planning.

Consistent symbol placement across pages supports motor learning, allowing users to recall locations of frequently used icons. Such organization not only facilitates smoother communication but also makes the app adaptable to the user’s evolving needs, ensuring it remains a reliable tool for expression and interaction. Regular updates to vocabulary can help keep the app aligned with evolving communication needs.

Ensuring Accessibility and Usability by Adapting for Physical Differences

Making the AAC device accessible involves tailoring the interface and device setup to accommodate the user’s unique physical, cognitive, and visual needs. This approach is crucial for users with motor or visual challenges because it directly impacts their ability to interact with the technology effectively.

Here are some essential considerations and strategies for adapting the device for physical differences:

Optimizing Touch Targets:

• Increase icon size and spacing to prevent accidental activations and simplify navigation. If possible, use a large grid size and hide vocabulary that isn’t needed at this time. Keeping the grid screen larger allows for growth in the future.
• Enable “touch to select” and “dwell” options, allowing selections through prolonged screen contact. Look at the app settings to implement these features or reach out to a support team.
• Use physical supports such as keyguards to help with selection.

Simplifying for Cognitive Differences

• Reduce on-screen options to focus on essential vocabulary.
• Highlight frequently used symbols.
• Organize navigation with clear categories and consistent placements.
• Use simple aids like high-contrast colors and effective color-coding.

Enhancing for Visual Differences

• Increasing icon and text sizes.
• Employing high-contrast visuals. Look at app settings to set up high-contrast on the device.
• Use auditory prompts or auditory fishing to allow the user to hear the options first, then use direct selection to activate the button to speak the word.
• Add physical cues to the device, such as velcro, foam, or a keyguard that support the user in navigating the device. Motor planning apps can support learning from motor memory.
• Pair the device with a switch for auditory scanning.
• Using built-in magnification or zoom features.
• Replacing generic symbols with customized images when possible.

Integrating Adaptive Tools:

• Utilize adaptive accessories such as a stylus to provide an alternative input method for those with limited finger mobility.
• Consider switch-access systems or eye gaze systems for users who benefit from alternative access methods.

Ergonomic Adjustments:

• Position the device at a comfortable viewing and touching angle by using mounting solutions or stands. This reduces physical strain and facilitates better control.
• Explore options like adjustable tables and wheelchair mounts for further personalization.

Ensuring accessibility in usability for AAC devices is paramount to enhancing interaction and engagement among individuals with motor challenges. By making the device easier to use and allowing users to navigate and use their devices with minimal assistance, users experience improved confidence and autonomy, important factors for effective communication.

Regularly reassessing and refining these settings ensures continued alignment with evolving user needs, ultimately promoting a more efficient, user-friendly, and supportive communication experience. Feedback from both the user and their support team is vital to fine-tune these settings.

QuickTalker Freestyle and SLP Empowerment Team: Enabling AAC Success

The QuickTalker Freestyle™ is an adaptable and customizable high-tech AAC device designed to empower individuals by enhancing their communication capabilities. Its comprehensive features make it an excellent choice for anyone needing speech support:

• Personalization: Tailor vocabulary to suit individual needs.
• Versatility: Compatible with a variety of speech apps, ensuring seamless integration.
• Ease of Use: Intuitive interface helps users navigate and communicate effectively.
• Flexible Settings: Voice customization, display adjustments, and accessibility tools make it user-centric.

The Role of AbleNet’s SLP Empowerment Team

AbleNet’s SLP Empowerment Team is a dedicated group of expert speech-language pathologists who are there to assist you every step of the way:

• Personalized Guidance: From evaluating and selecting the best speech app for your learner’s specific needs to guiding you through setup and integration processes.
• Family Integration Support: Offers advice on how to incorporate AAC tools into family dynamics to foster a supportive communication environment.
• All-Inclusive Support: Available for any speech app, on any device, reflecting AbleNet’s commitment to AAC success.
• Incident-Based Support: Addresses any questions or challenges—big or small—using specific, personalized guidance that fits real-life scenarios.

Whether it’s comprehensive app selection or the everyday application of AAC devices, the SLP Empowerment Team’s breadth of expertise ensures that users, families, and caregivers have access to the support they need for achieving communicative independence.

Empowering Communication Properly Programmed High-Tech AAC Devices

When you integrate speech apps with a high-tech speech generating device, individuals with speech or language disorders and communication differences gain personalized tools to support their unique communication needs. By understanding the device and customizing its features, you build a robust support system that fosters independence and confidence. Collaborative efforts with SLPs, caregivers, educators, and device support, like the SLP Empowerment team, pave the way for ongoing improvements. By following these guidelines, users and their support teams can achieve more effective communication, allowing individuals with speech difficulties to express themselves fully and independently.

Speak with the SLP Empowerment team to learn more about programming AAC devices by scheduling a meeting with an SLP today. Together, we can ensure every voice is heard and every connection grows stronger.