CD 485 Computer
Applications in Communication Disorders and Sciences
SECTION IX:
Dedicated Computers as communication aids.
There are
numerous devices with computer chips that are designed and used solely for the
purpose of providing an alternative to speech.
Some are relatively inexpensive (looking at around $20). Others are very expensive (looking at $8000
+). Of the former, many may not be primarily
designed for rehabilitation, but with a little imagination can be re-purposed
by the clinician. A good example of this
is the Talking Picture Frame. A
clinician can typically afford to include this in his/her battery of
materials. Talking Frames can be used,
for example, to test the efficacy of using an alternative device with a
client. A clinician could even afford to
have several Picture Frames operating at one time for a client to provide some
depth of complexity to the assessment process.
Talking
Picture Frame: This is sold through retail stores like Radio Shack and
through many web sites for between $15 and $30. It is not a device made for the disabled, but
through serendipity has some useful applications for alternative communication.
It is easy to record a short digitized
voice message and easy to play back by pressing the frame. It is portable and reasonably affordable for
a clinician, who might wish to explore a child’s capability or readiness to use
similar but more complicated and expensive devices.
One URL’s for talking picture
frames is:
Big Mac: Available through Lab
Resources for about $84, this is virtually an oversized switch,
which includes in its mechanism a voice input/output capability. One can easily record a sentence and then
give it to a child to “say” by pressing the switch. This gives Big Mac a
quality of flexibility and timeliness that makes it very useful as a beginning
communication device. As with the
Picture Frames (mentioned above) the clinician could use a combination of them
with a client to add power to the communication process.
Cheap Talk 4 & 8:
Produced by Enabling Devices, a Division of Toys for special Children,
Cheap Talk 4 costs from $69 to $275 depending upon the memory. It has four keys for responses (more than
four is often unmanageable for preschool children). It uses recorded
(digitized) speech.
Cheap Talk 8 has space for 8
responses and has visual and/or auditory scanning capabilities. It costs approximately $135 to $300.
Alpha Smart Pro: This is a
useful device, all solid state, that serves as an
inexpensive word processor. It is the
size of a laptop computer, costs approximately $250 and has a memory capacity
equivalent to 64 pages of type. It can
store as many as eight different files and can be downloaded into a Mac or
PC. As a communication aid it provides a
visual screen (small, but enough for a number of lines) for written
output. For everyone it provides an
alternative to carrying an expensive laptop to meetings, classes etc.
A web site for Alpha Smart Pro is:
Speakeasy: Obtained through Ablenet
(1-800-322-0956 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-322-0956 end_of_the_skype_highlighting), this device
has 12 cells and a total of 60 seconds recording time. It will work by direct button press or by
remote switch. It cost around $365.
Black Hawk: Produced by ADAMLAB, The BlackHawk
communication
device was developed for ambulatory individuals. It is compact and can be
easily placed into a binder or notebook for concealment. For the cognitively
able, there is a single overlay with all four levels represented simultaneously
in the quadrants of each cell makes. In other situations single level
representations and place and replace overlays are available as the context
changes.
EasyTalk:
Sold by the Great Talking Box Company, EasyTalk
is similar to but more complex than Black Hawk; and costs between $1000 and
$2000, depending upon the amount of memory included. It weighs approximately 1.5 lbs. and can
easily be attached to the user’s body or wheelchair.
It has a maximum of 116 key presses
(messages) which when totaled can present 16 minutes of recorded speech. This
device is for communicating essential messages, but not for conducting
spontaneous conversations.
Speech is recorded so that the
playback is of good vocal quality, relative to the synthesized speech produced
by some computers. Someone else,
however, has to record the messages for the user.
This provides an opportunity for taylor-fitting
the voice to the user’s personal traits which helps to facilitate acceptance of
the system by the user.. For example, if the user is a male child,
another male child (rather than an adult) can be enlisted to help in recording
the messages.
The messages can be stored and
retrieved on four levels. Hence, a user
could have message themes located on each level. For example, one level could be dedicated to
communication during occupational therapy; another for dinner time; a third for
playing a particular game; and the fourth for expressing daily living needs.
Messages can be easily
changed. A number of different overlays
are available to determine the number and size of the key press areas --
ranging from one to 40 key spaces. These
can be easily installed. Each space
typically has a picture (icon) and a written word.
For individuals with major motor
problems, the device has scanning capabilities for selecting a key (without actually
physically pressing it). This can be controlled by a variety of external
switches which are activated by head movements, blowing or sucking movements,
and foot movements etc.
Alpha Talker II: This is a
good device for beginning users offered through Prentke
Romich Co. It
uses the minspeak encoding system and has a 32 location, 7 level direct touch or switch interface. It costs
approximately $1700. It is reasonably
portable and easy to program. It is a lightweight, has a durable case and
houses many capabilities for a device of its class. For example, it comes with
enough digitized speech to record hundreds of words and can be set up with 4,
8, or 32 locations. To program it, the
procedure is simply to press a few buttons and speak. You can have it ready to
use in minutes. It is relatively easy
to learn, because it has a system in which if you press any key, lights
will appear where related words are stored. In the classroom, keys can be put
on the overlay to switch to different vocabulary sets to support activity-based
learning. It has the Prentke-Romich
Unity vocabulary program, included with each device, which teaches words that
can be used in any activity. A key can
now be put on the overlay to access computer and environmental control
commands.
See the following web site for more details on
Alpha Talker II now upgraded to the ECO2:
Vanguard: A
somewhat simpler device using Minspeak is
Vanguard. It is more suitable for
someone typically younger person who is learning to use an alternative device.
It is light and uses a dynamic screen. Fast, easy access to two types of
vocabulary: words we use everyday and words we need for specific situations. Minspeak icons for words used most often don't change or
move. Finding them soon becomes automatic, increasing the speed of
communication. Most words can be spoken
with only two activations. Icons that have words stored under them stay lit to
assist in making the correct selection.
It employs synthesized speech, which enables a large or
independently generated vocabulary.
Digitized speech is also available for adding fun sounds, singing, or
communicating in other languages. There is no storing to do - vocabulary
programs with hundreds of words are there, ready to use Books, songs, and games
are also included, helping the user experience success quickly.
See the following web site for more details on Vanguard:
http://support.prentrom.com/category.php?id=6
DeltaTalker: This can be used by both beginning and
advanced communicators with relatively intact cognitive abilities. It can be set up with 8,
32 or 128 locations (keys). It has a
large memory with room for thousands of words (256K). It comes with a choice of one of two Unity
vocabulary programs:
Unity 128
Version
Over
4,000 words
Frequently used words require only two activations
Many nouns
require three activations
Permits
flexibility in adding new words
Unity Condensed
Version
Over
3,000 words
Most
words require only two activations
DeltaTalker uses both Digitized
and Synthesized Speech. The latter has ten high-quality DECtalk
voices for most communication needs, and the former uses digitized (recorded)
speech for songs, funny noises, introductions, or words in other languages. DeltaTalker's infrared option enabales
control of a TV or VCR, to provide access to a computer, or operate anything
else that uses an infrared remote control.
DeltaTalker is available with the following
languages: Dutch, French, German, Spanish and Swedish. In the United States,
written support
materials for all but Spanish are
in English. In Europe, support materials
are available in the respective native languages.
A web site for DeltaTalker is:
http://www.prentrom.com/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,1/task,doc_view/gid,54/
Pathfinder: This
is now the top of the line for Prentke Romich, which is replacing an older powerful but now
outdated device called Liberator. One advantages of the Pathfinder is a high
resolution, half VGA color display. This display maintains readability in a
wide variety of lighting environments. And it incorporates touch screen
technology for easy access. This is combined with a simple, easy-to-access
static keyboard; it features 32, 128 and new 64 location keyboard options.
There's also improved infrared head pointing access. Pathfinder offers
synthesized speech with a memory capacity that holds thousands of words. Users
can choose from a range of age and gender appropriate voice options. Plus,
there's a digitized speech option for adding fun sounds, songs or additional
languages. The unit has six User Areas that operate independently to set up a
wide variety of access options and vocabularies. Users can upload and download
information from computer disks for even greater flexibility. The
notebook/journal function makes it simple to write letters or papers, create
shopping lists or do homework. And a text editor function means you can add,
delete, search, move or replace text. Added functions include calculator and
clock, plus a computer emulation mode allows Pathfinder to imitate a computer
keyboard.
A URL for Pathfinder is:
http://www.prentrom.com/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,1/task,doc_view/gid,54/
Dynamo from Dynavox: The dynamo, (costing about $2000) weighs
only two pounds and is easy to transport.
It uses a dynamic display and digitized speech, which can be recorded
directly into the device. It can develop
sentences using single words or it can use combinations of phrases organized in
themes to efficiently express ideas. It
is organized to automatically develop left to right tracking habits in
beginning communicators.
The Dynavox 3100: This is a
communication device that has a dynamic screen, which can display a hierarchy
of pages. A single key stroke can easily
evoke popup screens to quickly embellish sentences. Communication is facilitated by a built in
word prediction program and a dictionary, which can be made accessible from any
page. It uses synthesized speech, which
gives it almost unlimited ability to express any thought. It will interface with other electrical
devices including another computer. The Dynavox 3100 costs around $6500. There is a portable
version of Dynavox, called Dynamite. The Dynamite cost approximately
$5900. It weights around 4 pounds but has almost all of
the hardware and software capabilities of the Dynavox.
Zygo Industries: We have mentioned products from Prentke-Romich, Dynavox, and Words+. The last of what I consider to be the BIG
FOUR vendors for augmentive devices is Zygo Industries. They also have a wide choice of products to
consider.
On the simple side is the Parakeet 15…
Simple and easy to set up - just as easy to change - and
weighing less than 1 pound, the Parakeet 15 can be carried to any location and
any environment. Each message area allows 8 seconds of
recording time for a total of 2 minutes.
Individual recordings can be changed at any time without affecting the
others. The Parakeet 15 is operated by an easily replaceable 9 volt alkaline
battery. Memory is permanent—it isn't
lost even when the battery
goes flat. Use Picture Communication Symbols, Imaginart Symbols, WordWise
stickers, etc. on interchangeable inserts. Eight laminated inserts are
provided for application of
graphics or words.
On the more powerful side is the MACAW series…
