Comments on: Assistive Technology – Tell us what you know http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/2008/06/12/assistive-technology-tell-us-what-you-know/ Two parents, one autistic toddler, a new baby, half a clue, and just enough light to see by Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:45:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Tim http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/2008/06/12/assistive-technology-tell-us-what-you-know/comment-page-1/#comment-433 Tim Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:14:24 +0000 http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/?p=133#comment-433 John - we'll definitely be in touch. Off to go read those handouts. Here's a really geeky question. Do you know of anyone who has signed on to Apple's iPhone/iPod Touch developers' kit for the purpose of creating a much more customizable and expandable picture communication system for a touch screen device like that? I've been knocking that around in my head, but haven't quite figured out what that design would look like. However, given a larger touch screen (tablet PC-sized), I am almost positive I know how to pull it off. I still think there's a more elegant, less costly solution, though. I guess my exposure to aug comm devices has been that they're kinda clunky and not very expandable. Our SLP says there's really fancy, high-tech stuff out there, but it's several thousand dollars. Fundamentally, I don't buy it that it has to cost that much. Touch screen technology will get so cheap that prices either will come way down, or someone will invent a way to force the market down in price. I've been sketching out plans for a DIY device but keep getting stumped at the mobility end. I've been doing computer stuff since I had a TI-994A as a kid, so I think I have a decent sense of what is possible. My feeling is that a portable, sub-$500, electronic device and something to serve up the pictures, text, and speech has got to be achievable. But perhaps I'm getting too far ahead of myself. Not to mention I'm too brain dead to be thinking about this tonight. :-) John – we’ll definitely be in touch. Off to go read those handouts.

Here’s a really geeky question. Do you know of anyone who has signed on to Apple’s iPhone/iPod Touch developers’ kit for the purpose of creating a much more customizable and expandable picture communication system for a touch screen device like that? I’ve been knocking that around in my head, but haven’t quite figured out what that design would look like. However, given a larger touch screen (tablet PC-sized), I am almost positive I know how to pull it off. I still think there’s a more elegant, less costly solution, though.

I guess my exposure to aug comm devices has been that they’re kinda clunky and not very expandable. Our SLP says there’s really fancy, high-tech stuff out there, but it’s several thousand dollars. Fundamentally, I don’t buy it that it has to cost that much. Touch screen technology will get so cheap that prices either will come way down, or someone will invent a way to force the market down in price.

I’ve been sketching out plans for a DIY device but keep getting stumped at the mobility end. I’ve been doing computer stuff since I had a TI-994A as a kid, so I think I have a decent sense of what is possible. My feeling is that a portable, sub-$500, electronic device and something to serve up the pictures, text, and speech has got to be achievable.

But perhaps I’m getting too far ahead of myself. Not to mention I’m too brain dead to be thinking about this tonight. :-)

]]> By: John McGarry http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/2008/06/12/assistive-technology-tell-us-what-you-know/comment-page-1/#comment-428 John McGarry Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:14:41 +0000 http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/?p=133#comment-428 Please contact me as I am an SLP techno-geek. Also check out these handouts from SuperDuper Inc. http://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/handouts_topic.asp?topic=4 Good Luck! Please contact me as I am an SLP techno-geek. Also check out these handouts from SuperDuper Inc.

http://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/handouts_topic.asp?topic=4

Good Luck!

]]> By: Tim http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/2008/06/12/assistive-technology-tell-us-what-you-know/comment-page-1/#comment-326 Tim Sat, 14 Jun 2008 03:43:17 +0000 http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/?p=133#comment-326 One thing before I forget, from what I understand of all this, a lot of autistic children have some level of apraxia, but having apraxia isn't on its own an indicator of autism. It may raise some flags, but there are plenty of kids with apraxia who aren't autistic, and plenty more on top of that who have various other speech delays who aren't autistic either. You likely know all that, so that's for the benefit of the casual readers. I only had a few minutes to talk to our speech therapist about this, but she said there are myriad options of what's available, but that finding the right one is time-consuming since even when you get an idea of what to try, you can't readily figure out how to actually try it for real. Thanks for the link and the heads up about their forums. I'll definitely go check their boards out. Note to everyone - If anyone is interested in collaborating on compiling a list of assistive technology devices for helping toddler/pre-K aged children communicate, let me know. I'd be all about trying to creating a canonical list of links and references and then trying to get opinions about the products they talk about. Heck, if by some chance a vendor reads this blog, contact me. I enjoy writing product reviews, though I'm known to be honest about it. I'm generous with praise for products I like, and when it comes to criticism for things I don't like, well, I'm full of it. As a gadget geek, my engineering brain is kicking in wondering whether I can invent something myself. Anyway, it's too late at night for thoughts like that. I'm already halfway to being an official insomniac as it is. We start evaluations next month and our IEP meeting is sometime in August. If you beat us to it, let us know how it went and what technology advice you got in the process. Thanks! One thing before I forget, from what I understand of all this, a lot of autistic children have some level of apraxia, but having apraxia isn’t on its own an indicator of autism. It may raise some flags, but there are plenty of kids with apraxia who aren’t autistic, and plenty more on top of that who have various other speech delays who aren’t autistic either. You likely know all that, so that’s for the benefit of the casual readers.

I only had a few minutes to talk to our speech therapist about this, but she said there are myriad options of what’s available, but that finding the right one is time-consuming since even when you get an idea of what to try, you can’t readily figure out how to actually try it for real.

Thanks for the link and the heads up about their forums. I’ll definitely go check their boards out.

Note to everyone – If anyone is interested in collaborating on compiling a list of assistive technology devices for helping toddler/pre-K aged children communicate, let me know. I’d be all about trying to creating a canonical list of links and references and then trying to get opinions about the products they talk about.

Heck, if by some chance a vendor reads this blog, contact me. I enjoy writing product reviews, though I’m known to be honest about it. I’m generous with praise for products I like, and when it comes to criticism for things I don’t like, well, I’m full of it.

As a gadget geek, my engineering brain is kicking in wondering whether I can invent something myself. Anyway, it’s too late at night for thoughts like that. I’m already halfway to being an official insomniac as it is.

We start evaluations next month and our IEP meeting is sometime in August. If you beat us to it, let us know how it went and what technology advice you got in the process.

Thanks!

]]> By: Amy http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/2008/06/12/assistive-technology-tell-us-what-you-know/comment-page-1/#comment-323 Amy Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:57:56 +0000 http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/?p=133#comment-323 My daughter is like your son in many ways. She is 3.5 and essentially non-verbal, although after switching to a new speech therapist she has been making progress. She has not been diagnosed as on the autism spectrum, although doctors have suspected just about everything else with her. She does, however, have several of the characteristics you have described in your son and I have been reading this blog with amazement at the similarities between the two of them. We are also looking at other communication options and I started by searching through the apraxia kids site boards: http://www.apraxia-kids.org/ If you have not already, perhaps this would be a good place to post your question? It gave me enough information that I now have a place to start asking about this equipment at my daughter's therapy session next week. We are in the midst of the school system IEP evaluation, so in a few weeks I will know more about what they cover here. Everything I have found online starts at the $2500-$7500 range, which is too expensive for a "lets see if this works for her" experiment. Best wishes to J-Man. My daughter is like your son in many ways. She is 3.5 and essentially non-verbal, although after switching to a new speech therapist she has been making progress. She has not been diagnosed as on the autism spectrum, although doctors have suspected just about everything else with her. She does, however, have several of the characteristics you have described in your son and I have been reading this blog with amazement at the similarities between the two of them.

We are also looking at other communication options and I started by searching through the apraxia kids site boards:

http://www.apraxia-kids.org/

If you have not already, perhaps this would be a good place to post your question? It gave me enough information that I now have a place to start asking about this equipment at my daughter’s therapy session next week.

We are in the midst of the school system IEP evaluation, so in a few weeks I will know more about what they cover here. Everything I have found online starts at the $2500-$7500 range, which is too expensive for a “lets see if this works for her” experiment.

Best wishes to J-Man.

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